TripAdvisor a Traveler’s Dream Companion App
by Paul Wilks
Oct 25, 2011 9:42 AM –
Install
TripAdvisor is a detailed and comprehensive travel companion app with lots of information about restaurants, places of interest, hotels, flights and more. The app is the Android portal to the popular and busy website of the same name, and it allows you to access the forums, reviews and guides right on your Android device.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Easy to search!
- Up-to-date information and reviews!
- Access the community forum and explore info about your next destination!
- Great UI!
- Maps, directions and even StreetView!
Cons
- Doesn’t always include off-the-beaten track spots, only the most popular tourist spots.
Features:
TripAdvisor is a brilliant app for finding out travel information. Say you’re planning on visiting a city for the first time, TripAdvisor can help you manage your trip, find a good hotel, discover places to visit and eat- it can even help you find a appropriate flight to get you there!
The app is the portal to the popular TripAvisor website and lets you access the various community forums and discussion groups. Therefore you don’t have to rely on the advertising blurb of a destination or hotel, you can see what people actually think to it.
Users initially get a menu to choose from. This includes: Hotels, Restaurants, Things to do, Flights, Forums, Near me now, My Saves and Write a Review. From these you can explore, search for places, read reviews, get links to flights and access the community forum from within the app. All this is nicely presented and is both clear and simple to use.
Searching is quite straightforward, simply enter the name or postcode of the place you plan to visit and it will give you a run down on the top places to try. The places are sorted via the ratings users have previously entered, so you get access to the most popular hotels, places of interest and restaurants in that particular location. For restaurants, you can specify the kind of money you want to spend by selecting a price range. This makes your search more accurate for your own personal requirements. The app even provides a helpful “street view” perspective so you know exactly what the restaurant you plan to visit looks like!
Finding flights provides links to certain travel agents and booking sites. While I don’t think they are always the most economical places to buy flight tickets, it at least gives you an indication on prices linked to these providers.
These search results can also be saved and kept under the My Saves section. If you have an activity-filled trip planned, this is a great way to keep all the places of interest that you found in your research in one easy-to-find place. It’s genuinely intuitive and simple to use.
Because the site is pretty much community ran, I didn’t find anything new in my own city- just the typical tourist hotspots and well-known places. While this probably isn’t a bad thing if you’re visiting a city for the first time and just want the highlights, if you want to get ‘off the beaten track‘ in a city, this perhaps isn’t the best app to discover them by. I also found many restaurants missing from my own city too, perhaps limiting things for visitors who need a cheap and quick bite to eat.
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TripAdvisor – Main menu
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TripAdvisor – Restaurant filter
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TripAdvisor – Restaurant details
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TripAdvisor – Streetview pictures of restaurants
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TripAdvisor – Access reviews easily from the lists
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TripAdvisor – Things to do
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TripAdvisor – Search by city
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TripAdvisor – Under search by city it gives you the tabbed headings of ‘Stay’, ‘Eat’ and ‘See’
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TripAdvisor – Flight search results
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TripAdvisor – Rates and flight availability
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TripAdvisor – Travel forums
Usefulness:
TripAdvisor obviously go up against other popular Android apps such as Google Places. What makes the app a good alternative is the range of information, such as flights, all contained within the app. It’s very intuitive and useful. You also have the forum, where travellers will tell you the truth about their experiences. It’s easy to be seduced by the smooth marketing blurb of destination and hotel adverts, with the forum you can usually get an accurate review of the place you are going to, saving you from potential holiday nightmares!
Ease of Use:
The tabbed headings, clear menus, plus bright and simple-to-understand menus are very easy to use. Navigation is well mapped and you never feel lost or overwhelmed by information.
Frequently Used:
Whenever you go on a planned trip or holiday, or just visiting a place on the spur of the moment, TripAdvisor can help you find the best places to stay, visit and eat with little bother. I guess the more you travel the more you might use it. Alternatively this is a great resource if you want to investigate a forthcoming holiday destination and make the most of your stay.
Interface:
The interface is clear and, for the most part, responsive and fast- even when it’s making a specific search based on your requirements. I felt the UI was ideal for the informative and useful app that TripAdvisor undoubtedly is.