Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're reviewing Google Trips,
our favorite travel itinerary and organization app.
(light chiming music)
Travel itinerary apps
and services are not new. I remember a co-worker of mine in 2009 telling me to
sign-up for TripIt so we could share our itineraries on business trips and
conferences. Since then, I've used a couple of different organizers. The
Barclaycard Arrival Plus used to offer a TripIt Pro membership, which was great. It
added some really cool features over the normal account, like frequent flyer miles
tracking and support on getting refunds when your flights are delayed or
canceled. However, after the benefit disappeared, I started using Kayak, which
offered a lot of the same functionality. A few months ago, I downloaded Google
Trips, and I have to say that I'm really impressed with it. It's only available as
an iPhone and Android app, so there isn't a web interface for it. However, it
quickly has become my new favorite travel app, and here's why. Number one:
Gmail integration. While most of the other travel itinerary apps offer a
similar integration, I feel like Google Trips seems to have better recognition
of my travel reservations. The app automatically pulls related travel and
begins organizing the data into trips. This makes it really easy to find hotel,
airline, and rental car reservations and confirmations while on the go. Number two:
Basic destination information. One of the features that I find really valuable is the
"Need to Know" section. This area gives you customized information on your
destination like health and emergencies, shopping, money, internet, and
transportation. While it's not available in all locations, Google seems to be
expanding it every day. It's definitely useful information to have when
traveling to a new location. Number three: Recommended places to eat, drink, and see.
This is another valuable feature in the app. Google Trips offers information on
the local dining scene, and even provides details on local specialities and
cuisines. A separate tab also shows you recommended locations based on reviews.
The "Things to Do" section offers attractions that can be sorted by a
number of categories which seems to be customized to the location. Not only can
you get information like the directions, phone number, and web site to
attractions, but you can also save it as a favorite. Number four: Saved locations
and day plans. As I mentioned earlier, saving attractions and restaurants
allows you to view them in one location, both as a list and on a map. What makes
this great is that it helps you to plan your day,
especially when you can see all the places you want to visit on the map.
Google takes this a step further and even offers a suggested day trip feature that
will plan a daily itinerary for you, based on your list of saved items and
your location. The app already has suggested day plans built into the main
home screen, but this allows you to create your own custom day plans based
on what you want to see. It's super cool. Number five: User and locational
awareness. One of the features of Google Trips that really separates it from
other itinerary services is that it recommends places based on your search
history. This might seem invasive to some folks, but I think it makes a lot of
sense. For example, if you're a vegan, the app should recommend restaurants that
fit your diet. And if you're LGBT, it should show you LGBT friendly locations.
Additionally, Google Trips adjusts recommendations based on weather
conditions. For example, if it's raining, Google Trips will actually adjust
recommendations toward indoor activities. It's just another way for the app to
harness the data collected by Google. Number six: Discounts. This feature isn't
available in all locations, but in some cities, Google Trips will show you
available discounts for tours and attractions.
Again, it's not a must-have feature, but it's something that separates it from
other travel itinerary services. Number seven: Multi-city support. If your trip spans
multiple locations, Google Trips automatically shows you
information on each location. It's a nice touch and makes it a compelling
alternative to carrying multiple guidebooks. Number eight: Offline
capabilities. Since connectivity can be sometimes be a challenge, especially when
traveling internationally, Google Trips allows you to download your information
so you can access it offline. This is something that I definitely recommend
doing, along with Google Maps, to ensure that you always have access to maps and
info on your phone. As of October 2017, the only features that I think are
missing from Google Trips are: Number one: Web interface. Google Trips is only
available as an app, which means that there isn't a way to access information
from the web. While it's not critical, it will be nice to access information from
my computer. Number two: Travel notifications and
support. Other itinerary apps have features that will notify you of flight
status and gate changes, even in their free basic versions. This is something
that I would love to see Google Trips offer in the future. I've even noticed
that TripIt and Kayak seem to often have more up-to-date information than even
the boards in the airport. TripIt Premium which cost $49 a year and has some
additional features that I would love to see offered on Google Trips as well. This
includes tracking frequent flyer miles, notifying you of better available seats,
and even helping you to get a refund if your trip plans fall apart.
Number three: Non Gmail integrations. Google Trips only works with Gmail
accounts at the moment, so if you're using other email providers then you
won't be able to sync your account with Google Trips. If you do have a Google
account, but maybe it's not your primary email address, you can still forward your
reservations to your Gmail account so it gets picked up by Google Trips. Lastly,
it's worth noting that not all the features are available in every location.
For example, when I compare the features for our upcoming UK trip versus our
Mexico trip in August, it's clear that there is a difference in the amount of
information from Google that is available for these two locations. Though
with all the data that Google collects, I think it's safe to assume that the gaps
will be filled soon. And that's a review of Google Trips.
Do you use Google Trips or any other itinerary services? If so, please let us
know in the comments section below. If you enjoyed this video or found it
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Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.