11 Ways to Use Amazon Alexa While Traveling
Taking your Amazon Echo with you while you travel might seem counterintuitive. After all, aren’t Alexa-enabled devices made for smart homes?
Actually, Alexa has many capabilities and third-party skills that be especially useful while traveling or on vacation. Not only can it make finding a restaurant or converting currency quicker than searching on your phone, Alexa can even do things like Live Translation or play local radio stations with just a few words.
We will show you a number of ways to use Alexa while traveling across the globe.
1. Order a Cab
Using public transport can be a pain when you’re in a new town or city. But so can ordering taxis, especially in areas known for hiking tourist cab fares. That’s where Uber comes in.
Not only do you receive fairer pricing with GPS tracking and driver ratings, but you can also book a cab using Alexa without needing to open the Uber app (available forAndroidandiOS). With theUber skill, you can request a taxi from your accommodation by saying, “Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride,” and you’ll have a driver assigned and arrive within minutes. Just make sure you change your default address to your hotel or Airbnb first.
2. Hear the Weather
We’ve all been caught out by bad weather on vacation before. Adverse weather can ruin a day’s itinerary before it’s even started. But if you bring Alexa along with you, you’ll be able to instantly hear the weather for the day ahead and plan accordingly.
You can use Alexa’s integrated weather report by asking, “Alexa, what’s the weather like?” and it’ll give you the weather for your device’s location. Alternatively, you can use theBig Skyskill, which provides hyper-local forecasts, the ability to hear the weather for other areas, and lets you ask about the forecast for specific days and times—ideal if you’re jet-setting around.
3. Find Amenities in the Local Area
If you’re looking for something to do in the local area, Alexa can help. Alexa can query search engines to find the most popular attractions, bars, and restaurants wherever you are. It can even list movies playing in local cinemas if rain has disrupted your day at the beach.
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Alexa isn’t just limited to finding things to do, however. You can also find local businesses like pharmacies and stores by asking Alexa if needed.
4. Book Tickets for Events
While Alexa’s native ability to find events in the local area isn’t the best, a couple of skills can help with finding and booking local events. TheStubHub skillis the best for discovering what’s on near you, while theTicketmaster skillcan actually book tickets for you.
Once you set your location with StubHub, you can say, “Alexa, ask StubHub what’s on tonight,” and it’ll tell you what’s listed on StubHub. You can then log on to the StubHub website and buy tickets. Alternatively, you can also say something like, “Alexa, ask StubHub what’s happening in Toronto on Tuesday”.
With the Ticketmaster skill, booking tickets is possible with just your voice. Like StubHub, you can discover what’s on in the local area, but you can also link your account and reserve tickets to buy online or buy them directly through Alexa. For example, you can say, “Alexa, ask Ticketmaster to find New York Knicks tickets” to begin the purchasing process.
5. Track Flights
No one likes being late for a flight. Whether you’re meeting friends at the airport, moving on to your next destination, or returning home, it’s nice to know that you’ll be on time. With theFlight Tracker skill, you can hear most major airlines' latest departing and arrival times for a given flight.
All you need is the airline name and the flight number to hear an up-to-date flight status. For instance, you can say, “Alexa, ask Flight Tracker for United 221,” and Alexa will return that flight’s information.
6. Gauge Airport Security Wait Times
Similarly, it’s useful to know just how long you’ll be waiting in line to get past TSA, especially if you’re on a tight schedule. By using theAirport Security Wait Times skill, you can find out projected wait times direct from TSA with one phrase.
it’s possible to either query wait times with the airport’s three-letter code or with the airport’s city. You could say either “Alexa, ask Airport Security for the wait at JFK” or “Alexa, ask Airport Security to check the wait at New York.”
7. Convert Currency
Need the latest exchange rates for your next excursion? Just ask Alexa. Alexa can convert almost any currency pair, no matter how exotic the location. This can be especially useful if you’re traveling from one non-native country to another.
If you were taking a vacation tour from the US to Mexico, then to Brazil, you can easily estimate how much your Mexican pesos will be worth in Brazilian reals. You can ask, “Alexa, what’s 100 Mexican pesos in Brazilian real” to hear the conversion instantly.
8. Brush Up on Your Language Skills
Alexa’s translation skills have come a long way since its launch. Using Alexa’s built-in functionality, you could ask how to say basic phrases in a wide variety of languages to help you converse with locals by simply using this format: “Alexa, translate (phrase) in (language).”
If you want to take the conversation a step further, Alexa Live Translation can translate conversations in real-time. It currently supports seven languages: English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. If you say “Alexa, translate Italian,” you can speak English to have Alexa translate into Italian and vice versa.
If you find Alexa’s speaking speed a bit too fast, try theTranslated skill. Translated supports 37 languages and can translate phrases just like Alexa can. But, you also have the option to ask Translated to repeat the phrase or say it slower, making it ideal for learning proper pronunciation.
If you want to find out more about translating languages with Alexa, check out our article onways to use Alexa for translation.
9. Use Location-Specific Skills
Invariably, cities often have skills made by locals that love the area or from official tourist boards. These are usually much more detailed and can guide you toward hidden gems that Alexa is unaware of.
The best way to find these skills is by going into the Alexa app (available foriOSandAndroid), findingSkills & Gamesunder theMoretab, then searching for the city you’re in (or traveling to). For example,Rainy Portlandwill tell you what indoor activities there are in Portland, whileMyParis Guidewill give you details about what to do and facts about the city of Paris.
10. Listen to Local Radio
With Alexa, you can stay up to date with news and the latest events in the local area by usingmyTuner Radio. myTuner has over 50,000 radio stations across 200 countries and overseas territories available to listen to at any time. If you’re missing home, you’ll also be able to play your favorite radio station no matter where you are.
We’d recommend taking a look at themyTuner websitefirst to find a station you like, then ask Alexa to play the station.
11. Stay on Track With Alarms
Lastly, use Alexa to help keep track of your itinerary. Need to leave the hotel by 12 p.m. or have a restaurant booked at 7 p.m.? Ask Alexa to set an alarm half an hour beforehand. Or, if you need to make sure you wake up for an early morning flight on time, set an alarm on your phone and with Alexa to make sure you never miss a flight again.
To learn how to use Alexa’s alarm, timer, reminder, and list features, take a look at our article onusing Alexa as your personal planner.
Get a Help From Amazon Alexa on Your Travels
Despite Alexa’s reputation as an automated home assistant, as you can see, it has many uses that can make your life easier while traveling.
Next time you’re planning a vacation, take your Echo along with you and use some skills in this article. You might be surprised at how simple traveling can be with Alexa.
With these simple tips, you can take your Alexa-powered smart speaker with you anywhere.
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