Google's "Trips" App - Worth Looking At
September 20, 2016
Aimfair has a section called Travel Tools. It was first publised on October 17, 2010 and was included in Aimfair to help travelers find interesting sites during there stays in areas of the seven different cities that offer Grupo Vidanta branded resorts. It really did not get much traction because of the rapid advances that were taking place in the travel industry, and we were spending a lot of time trying to keep up with changes taking place on Vidanta's Resort Properties. So the section had a few comments, but not many. We thought the idea was great and still do.Fast forward to today. We learned through Wired Magazine that Google has introduced a new app called Trips. Follow this link to view the articles:
- Google's New Vacation App Was 280 Years in the Making
- Now Google AI Can Help You Plan a Vacation
- Googleblog - See More and Plan Less
What we find intriguiging about this announcement is the way this app could improve our understanding of important and not so important places to visit while on a trip, so long as we are visiting one of the 200 places covered by the app.
For the 200 destinations currently covered by Trips, the app offers basic travel guide overviews of the place you're exploring, combined with recommendations drawn from Google's other services, such as restaurant reviews from Google Maps. The service also offers information on popular sights, attractions, and hidden gems based on data and recommendations from other travelers.
Besides Reservations, Trips' categories include Things to do, Day plans, Food and drink, Getting around, and Need to know items, such as local emergency numbers, chemist opening hours, and currency.
The Food and drink tab, for example, offers an overview of local cuisine and specialities, typical dining times and prices, and nightlife tips. The Top spots menu offers a list of highly-rated bars and restaurants, ordered in categories including family-friendly, high-end dining, and budget.
In 2010, we used the Home and Abroad service to come up with things to do in Puerto Vallarta. It was very cool to create and itinerary for one day, two days or four days. You can imagine, we had a great time talking about the places offered up by Home and Abroad, but we never took advantage of the options provided. Tap the link to the article and see what you think of the options offered back then.
We have not tried the Google app called Trips yet, but plan to. You might do the same and let us know what you find out. After all, exploring is what we are all about, and Google certainly has done its fair share of aiding us all in expanding our horizons, don't you think?