Available On: iOS, Android
Reviewed On: Android
Price: Free
Search applications that help you find restaurants, hotels and places of attraction are a dime a dozen now. Most of these mimic Google Places as they are generally powered by Google Maps, offering similar functionality but almost always slowed down by cluttered interfaces. Localscope is a good example of this syndrome. But will Trip Advisor break the mould?
Usability Once one opens Trip Advisor, you are welcomed with a nice uncluttered green interface which is basically divided by a Google Maps view and a list of options which include Near Me Now, Hotels, Restaurants, Things To do, Forums, My Saves and Write a Review. Clearly, Trip Advisor follows a "less is more approach."
Unlike other search apps, Trip Advisor is purely travel based. Use it to look for hotels, restaurants and local sights. Don't expect to find chemists, petrol pumps or grocery shops.
The great thing about the restaurant search is that it allows you to search cuisine wise. The filtering worked very smoothly and the results seemed to be more or less accurate.
Helpfully, all the recommended destinations are coupled with reviews pulled from TripAdvisor.com.
Trip Advisor also offers relatively cheaper rates for flights and hotels. Relatively cheaper does not translate to a lot cheaper, though. Travel agents will find you better rates but, for those who are looking for a no nonsense integrated solution for their trips, this could be a fantastic solution especially because the interface is so simple.
As it is basically powered by Google Maps the search results are very impressive though, at times, it missed some basic locations - like the famous Al-Bake restaurant in New Delhi.
Besides these features, it offers a very useful Near Me Now functionality, which will automatically bring up all destinations in a given radius.
There are other nifty features, such as Write A Review and saved list of favourites. Write a Review basically enables the user to write a review for TripAdvisor.com while saved favourites is quite self-descriptive, as they save our favourite searches.
Trip Advisor's USP is its global appeal. So whether you are in London, New York, Dubai or New Delhi, this is one app that will come in handy.
Verdict: While Trip Advisor is not a ground-breaking app, it does provide an super simple travel companion which will come in handy for globetrotters. The search lagged a bit at times but since its powered by Google Maps, that would require Google to improve their service rather than Trip Advisor. A feature we miss is the ability to scout for local businesses but on the whole all is good, especially for a free app.
Price: 5
Usability: 4
Wow Factor: 3.5
Overall: 4.2