Digital Streets

I recently took a vacation with my family and found that the camera on my cell phone to be of great assistance. Prior to this, I couldn’t think of any productive ways to use my phone’s camera. Here’s what I’ve been using it for:

1. Parking Space at Airport – Instead of having to write down your parking space number (or worse yet, remember it!), use your camera to take a quick pic of the parking space number and any other markers (floor number, section markers, etc.) that will help you locate your car when you return from your vacation.

2. Rental Car’s License Plate Number – Most hotels require your vehicle’s license plate number.  If you are renting a car, it’s doubtful you know what it is.  You can save yourself a trip to the parking lot by taking a quick snapshot before you go into the hotel to register.  You should also take pictures of any dents or scratches on the rental car before you leave before you leave the rental agency.

3. Hotel Room Number – Since hotels are moving away from actual keys and moving towards pass keys and bands to open your door, they don’t imprint the room number on the pass key.  If you’re rushing out of your room to get started on your vacation, take a snapshot of the room number so you are sure to find your way back instead of having to ask the front desk where you are staying.

4. Luggage – Take a picture of your luggage so that if you can’t find it at the airport, you can save time in trying to describe what you are looking for.

You should also take the time to enter the customer service numbers for your credit cards and bank into your phone’s address book.  If your wallet is lost or stolen, you will be able to quickly call to guard your accounts.  You should also save your health insurance info as well, including the identification and group numbers as well as the customer service phone number.