May not be the best forum but does anyone know of an App for the IPad that is used as a logbook, expense tracking, etc specifically for Adventure cycling?

Hi Mr. ST,

I don't personally keep track of expenses, but for keeping track of expenses and mileage log on an Ipad or Iphone or Ipod touch I have heard this app is decent:

App Store - XpenseTracker - Expense Tracker & Mileage Log

Practically speaking, it is much easier to jot down mileage and expenses at a gas station in a thunderstorm in a little notebook and transfer it to your iPad when you stop for the night.


If by log you mean a non-blog journal, there is nothing better than a Moleskin notebook for jotting down the events of the day, making sketches etc. The advantage of a small notebook in your pocket is that it is always with you, doesn't need powering on so quick to whip out and jot down someones name and contact info that you meet on the side of the road. That sort of thing. Then transfer the info to your iPad at your leisure.

Another iPad app more specifically for travel:

App Store - Trip Journal

Although for the iPad you could try something like Evernote and back it up to Dropbox when you get to decent wifi. Or if you have a webmail service like Gmail just email your stories and info to yourself as you go. I used to do that before I carried an iPod touch. Just hit an internet cafe and write a story to myself typing up my stories from my notebook and email it to myself and a few friends. You can check your email to recall info if you lose your notebook or Idevice.

In addition to a small notebook for quick scribbling, I also use an iPod Touch which is easy to slip into my riding pants and was useful for email and short posts to internet websites, checking the weather, finding a guesthouse, checking out google earth, google maps, checking out this website, etc. when wifi was available. But for writing down the thoughts of the day before you forget them each evening, there is nothing more versatile than a small notebook and pen or pencil kept in a baggy in your front pocket. Easy to get to, never runs out of battery power, and great for scribbling peoples email addresses, possible points of interest, price of lodging, exchange rates, gas price, foreign words that are handy, notes on picture locations to jog your memory, stories of interesting experiences on the roads less traveled that day, any number of things. Then transfer it to a netbook or iPad at your leisure in a more organized or story form and upload it to dropbox, or HU blog along with photos to Picasa or Smugmug or some other photo upload site when you get the chance at the next available high bandwidth wifi several hundred kilometers down the road. Having a backup in the cloud in case you lose your notebook or Idevice is nice to have. It is amazing how quickly you forget the events of the day if you don't write them down each day as you are traveling. And whipping out an iPad in a small guesthouse or cafe draws too much attention to the foreign traveler methinks. The iPod touch or notebook is more discreet in a crowded setting.


Kindest regards,
John Downs

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South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831076

Practically speaking, it is much easier to jot down mileage and expenses at a gas station in a thunderstorm in a little notebook and transfer it to your iPad when you stop for the night

John Downs[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll do as you suggest and take the iPhone for recording expenses, a good old fashioned pocket book for writing notes, and the IPad for logging onto the Internet at night.

I tried a "Netbook" when I started my adventure through South America and hated it, the keyboard and screen width just made it so difficult to use I was not saddened when it feel off the back of the bike in Patogonia.

The expense app you suggested is perfect! Thanks for the tips!

That sounds like a perfect combination. Iphone also has a nice enough camera and I hear ios5 is coming in October and will allow volume button shutter option and going directly to the camera from the lock screen for faster camera use. So that eliminates the need for lugging a camera unless you are a photography buff. Also iCloud automatic synching from iPhone iPad and computer at home is coming next month. Will be interesting to see how that can help me while on the road.

I am typing this on an 11" MacBook Air which would be an ideal travel computer, but leave it at home when travelling on the bike since I too have had things fall off. Which is why I stick to the iPod touch and a notebook in my pocket since that works fine for me for now.

Hope to see you down the road.
John Downs

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South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831076

I use an iPhone / iPad app called Moneydance to track expenses. It's actually a java-based desktop app with a mobile companion, and the two synchronise using Apple's Bonjour protocol. Your product license allows you to use it on as many clients as you want, and I keep the instance on my MacBook synced with that on my Windows desktop using DropBox. Recommended!

M.

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More malformed, irrelevant opinions here.

For motorbike fuel, servicing & tyres expenses etc, I use an iphone app called Roadtrip. Each time I fuel the bike I just pull the phone out at the pump, put in the odo reading, litres and cost and it logs it all.

There are other sections for other expenses such as tyres, servicing and you can set reminders if needed. Didn't cost much and a handy app.

Biro and Rite-In-The-Rain notepad best 'app' ever (sorry moleskin!)
no batteries required either

p.s I printed a map on an A4 version of this paper, duck-taped it to the front of my fairing and rode 800 miles in mostly rain.
Average speed 55 mph of impact rain
Street level map detail 99% as good as when it came out of the printer.
Highly recommend this stuff and no, I am not an agent/retailer just a happy customer -
took paper off and with water still pearling on it, set fire to it with an ordinary match. Impressive stuff.