The New Google Trips App Pretty Much Plans Your Holiday For You
There are so many things to love about going on holidays – seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new foods – but we’d have to say our favourite part is actually the part we leave behind: work.
That said, between keeping track of your friends’ recommendations, trying to find your hotel in Wi-Fi dead-zones, and working out how to get from place to place, combing out the particulars of your trip can start to feel a lot like work. In fact, a GoodThink study shows that 74 percent of people believe that ironing out the details of travel is the most stressful part of holidaying.
Now Google – as it does – has swooped in to save the day, releasing its new app Google Trips. The app is a one-stop shop for your holiday planning, like having a personal tour guide in your pocket. The app has assembled the most popular sites and attractions in the world’s top 200 cities, including things to do and the best places to eat and drink, based on local advice and visits from other travellers. So basically, it takes everything you already use Google for on your trip and pulls it into one super handy app, putting the world at your fingertips…y’know, literally.
The app can automatically plan out suggested half day or full day itineraries in the city you’re visiting based on popular stops or what you’re specifically into, whether you want to check out the best beaches in Barcelona or the art galleries within walking distance of Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing. If it gives you a suggestion you’re not that into, you can tap the app’s ‘magic wand’ and bring up other nearby sights you might be more keen on.
The app also automatically imports your existing reservations from Gmail, including flights and hotels, so you don’t have to dig through your emails to find them, and can map out the best route between two spots of interest. The app also has sections on money, shopping, dining and nightlife districts, emergency numbers, and a section to save recommendations from friends. Seriously, it does it all.
The greatest benefit of Google Trips is that you can download all of this info to be available offline, meaning there’ll be fewer instances of standing outside of a Starbucks sponging Wi-Fi and searching Facebook for that month-old chat about that cool cafe you can’t miss in Rio.
So now that Google Trips has planned your holiday, all you have left to do is go on it. God, it’s a wonderful time to be alive.
Get Google Trips (available on Android and iOS) and get planning here.
