TripAdvisor's app is a must-have for all travellers
App: TripAdvisor
Price: Free
Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, Nokia, Windows and Palm
What is it:
TripAdvisor is a social travel app that helps you make informed choices on your travels. It includes reviews and recommendations from other travellers on worldwide hotels, restaurants and things to do in your holiday destination. Once you have downloaded the app, you will be asked to either sign in with Facebook or to continue without allowing the app access to your Facebook profile, and there is also an option to login using your TripAdvisor account details, if you already have one that is used on its w
ebsite. Signing through Facebook has its benefits; you can share places you want to visit and reviews with friends and keep track of cool places in ‘My Saves’ which will automatically sync with your Facebook profile if connected to the app.
If you are a frequent traveller, whether on business or leisure, then you will most likely be aware of the popular user-generated TripAdvisor website which contains millions of traveller reviews of the best, the worst and the must-see places to stay, dine and visit around the world. This app successfully manages to pack what the TripAdvisor website offers in a practical and easy-to-use interface that resembles its online presence. It offers you access to more than 50 million user reviews and opinions on destinations to visit, hotels to take rest, the good (and not so great) eateries and cool places or attractions to see, and fun activities to do, on your travels.
Helpful Travel Information:
The app has a ‘Travel Board’ under the ‘Forums’ option on its home screen. You can use the forums to check out advice that other travellers have given about the destination you're intending on visiting or a hotel you’re planning on booking or staying in. And you can find a forum related to your travels either by destination or topic, which includes everything from Air Travel, Travelling with Pets to Ecotourism and Road Trips to name but a few of the categorised discussions and reviews you can view.
The app also includes the “Live View” feature for the iPad 2 and iPhone. The new augmented reality functionality allows travellers to view TripAdvisor’s more than 50 million traveller reviews and opinions of hotels, restaurants and attractions superimposed over what they see through the camera of their 
mobile device. Travellers can simply point their device at establishments to easily access TripAdvisor’s wealth of trusted reviews and opinions in real-time while they’re in their travel destination.
The “Near Me Now” travellers determine what hotels, restaurants and attractions are nearby so they don’t miss out on the best things to do when they actually arrive at their destination. The app even lets you save pages for hotels, restaurants and attractions so they can be found easily again through the “My Saves” tab, which essentially allows travellers to create their own mini guide to a destination.
Other features such as the “Virtual Tours” feature allows travellers to take a virtual walk through their travel destination with TripAdvisor reviews and opinions superimposed over Street View from Google, and the iPad app’s “Go Before You Go” shows you a street-level view of your destination, nearby hotels, restaurants, attractions and more so you can check out the area and familiarize yourself with the surroundings before you even get to your destination. This is great because it gives travellers the confidence to explore local areas further, in their travel destination.
We Love:
TripAdvisor is one of the world’s most trusted sources for travel which carries genuine user reviews. In the past, hotel and restaurant owners have failed to infiltrate the review pages with PR puff-style information – this is weeded out by TripAdvisor’s admins who keep an eye on all user-generated content. This app carries those same trustworthy values and brings highly useful travel information to your fingertips.
In addition to that the app allows you access to over 2 million user photos and you can also get directions using GPS for walking, driving or using local public transport. A huge benefit of the app comes in the form of its built-in flight checker which gives travellers the ability to find cheap flights using TripAdvisor’s award-winning Flights search engine. Furthermore, you can also compare airline fees using its Fees Estimator.
Downfalls:
It’s hard to fault the TripAdvisor app as it does contain a wealth of reliable and trustworthy information on all things travel. However, one area it could possibly explore is providing users with offline access. The app only works, and rightly so, when you have internet connection. It would be great if there was a tab which offered users to store reviews and other interesting finds on the app to view while they are offline too – this would indeed bump TripAdvisor up to the forefront of the travel app market.
Verdict
This is a quality app that goes beyond what most of its competitors do; it focuses on real travel experiences and user-generated advice from travellers from all walks of life with varied interests, rather than forcing the usual ‘travel expert’ views on its users (but there’s that as well if it’s what you’re looking for). If you’re looking to book a last-minute holiday, room or in search of the best places to eat and see then this app goes so much further in the information it provides, for example, as well as providing the standard address and contact details for hotels and restaurants, it also gives you access to lots of photos, ratings and opinions from real travellers, helping you make informed decisions on the places you're likely to book.
To top that off, if you’ve ever fancied yourself as a travel writer, TripAdvisor may be a good place to start and be part of a community. For its easy-to-use functionality, repackaging of genuinely helpful travel information, and for saving travellers from going to bad places, the TripAdvisor app gets a travel-tastic 5/5.
Have you used TripAdvisor? Tell us what you think of the app in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
TripAdvisor is available to download from the iTunes Store, Google Play, Nokia Store and Tom’sGuide.
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam @Shabana_FAM
Tagged in Travel travel tips Travel Advice