Save Major Dough on Tourist Attractions with Last-Minute Booking App Whym

We’ve all been there: You’re exhausted after a long flight and can’t wait to get home, but someone just stole your Uber at the airport and the taxi line is a mile long. So what’s a traveler to do? Book with Wingz. The new startup exclusively provides scheduled airport rides. Whether you opt to book on their site or through their Android or iPhone apps, it only takes a few seconds to schedule your ride, so there’s never any waiting time before or after your flight. And unlike other ride sharing companies, there are never any surge charges, so you’re guaranteed the flat price quote when you book regardless of the weather or traffic. You can even choose a favorite driver or car.  Wingz has more than 20,000 active customers and thousands of local drivers, who are all vetted with a background check, trained, and provided with a $1 million insurance policy, plus all vehicles are professionally inspected. Payment is processed online or through the apps.  Wingz is currently servicing most major airports across the western U.S., but thanks to an $11 million investment—Expedia is a backer—they’ll eventually go nationwide, giving you one less thing to stress about on your next trip.  

Trend alert! Just in time for National Park Week (admission to every park is free right now through Sunday, April 24), we've become obsessed with the on-trend national parks–themed clothing, jewelry, and outdoor gear from Parks Project (from $10, parksproject.us). The organization organizes park volunteer days and donates proceeds from every item sold to initiatives like habitat and trail restoration, animal conservation, and educational services in the parks. Need help deciding which one to visit? Read BT's Which National Park Is Best For You? or go to FindYourPark.com. Not only is the Parks Project's made-in-the-U.S. gear vintage cool, but its causes correspond with the park the clothing depicts: Pick a graffiti-style T-shirt featuring a benevolent Bigfoot in Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, and Sequoia, and proceeds go toward planting trees, maintaining trails, and protecting animals in those parks. Same deal if you buy this women's racerback tank top emblazoned with an iconic, sun-soaked Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park: Money from the sale will help the Parks Project plant two Joshua Trees, a species facing challenges due to a recent drought brought on by climate change. Another favorite: This Big Sur National Park tee, designed by psychedelic-pop artist Steven Harrington. A portion of proceeds help support art programs at the park's Henry Miller Memorial Library Arts Center. The Parks Project's motto is Healthy Parks Make Healthy People. We couldn't agree more.

The last-minute hotel-booking app HotelTonight has been a longtime favorite of ours here at BT. The genius is in its simplicity: Wait until 12 p.m. for across-the-board price drops the day you want to book a hotel (or 6 p.m. for deeper discounts), then scoop up deals on properties ranging from "Solid" to "High Roller." (HotelTonight says its prices tend to be 18 percent less than Expedia's or Booking.com's.) Today, the app is launching a feature called Aces: real-time "digital concierges" that dole out everything from restaurant recommendations to expedited requests for an early check-in. The text message–style interface is so quick—average response time is 23 seconds—and its responses so on point, it's giving us major Scarlett Johansson-in-Her vibes. That's a good thing if you're in a new city or neighborhood trying to juggle tasks on the fly, or if you don't want to awkwardly call down from your hotel room to ask for a shaving razor. Unlike ScarJo's artificial-intelligence persona, HotelTonight's concierges aren't bots (we asked). Actual humans are answering guests' questions around the clock. Right now, Aces is available when your total booking price is $200 or more (this can translate to $70 per night for three nights, and so on) in 28 U.S. cities, plus a handful in London and elsewhere in North America. List below: Arlington, VA; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Cambridge, MD; Charleston, SC; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; London, England; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Orlando, FL; Palm Springs, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; Raleigh, NC; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Santa Barbara, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; Scottsdale, AZ; Tampa, FL; Tempe, AZ; Toronto, Canada; and Vancouver, Canada. And HT has more money-saving news: The app has been retooled to favor users who are already in a geographic area, rather than those booking from afar. For example: If you're exploring Midtown in New York City, you'll see a green Geo Rate flag for hotels nearby and watch the price drop: While testing out the app, I saw the centrally located boutique hotel the Marcel at Gramercy, which offers free wine tastings and a rooftop terrace, plummet from $305 per night to $170, thanks to my being nearby. If you're trying to book from, say, Dallas, you won't see those deals, HT says. Call it a homecourt advantage—ideal for adventurous travelers looking to fall in love with an area and experience it like a local.

National Park Week celebrates “America’s best idea” each April with a variety of events, activities for families, and, maybe best of all, FREE admission to every park. This year, April 16 through 24 (yep, nine whole days!) will see an exciting array of ways to say “we love our parks.” FREE admission: Throughout National Park Week (April 16 through 24), every national park offers free admission. Junior Ranger Day: Saturday April 16 is a day for kids to participate in fun Junior Ranger programs (learning to “explore, learn, protect”), earn a Junior Ranger badge (my kids each have one from our last trip to Glacier!), and become a Centennial Junior Ranger in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park System this year. Earth Day: Friday April 22 provides a chance for every American to VOLUNTEER to pitch in and help with an eco-minded national park project. National Park InstaMeet: Saturday April 23 will see thousands of Americans gather in the national parks to take photos and shoot videos, then post them on Instagram and other social platforms tagged #FindYourParkInstaMeet and #FindYourPark. FIND A NATIONAL PARK INSTAMEET NEAR YOU. Park Rx Day: Sunday April 24 is set aside for recreational activities aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and well-being. LEARN MORE. Happy National Park Week, and, as always, we heartily recommend that you make this the year you Find Your Park!