Tripomatic was one of the startups demoing their wares at The Next Web’s conference last month [see all our coverage here], and the travel-planner startup has just rolled out its new iOS app.
The Czech Republic-based company launched in 2011 as a Web-based platform, and the introduction of a native app for iOS devices will go a long way towards procuring new users who want to have their travel plans with them on the road.
The premise thus far has been simple – you enter your destination, how long you plan to stay and Tripomatic plots out attractions and things to do on a map. It can then be printed out, saved as a PDF or shared with friends on Facebook and Twitter. With the introduction of a mobile app, however, this lets users carry their map of attractions with them on their pocket rocket.
The mobile app works much in the same way as its Web counterpart, except here you have to create an account first before you can test it out.
You enter your destination, duration of stay and it populates the map with things to do and their respective locations:
You can click on each plot on the map and choose to add it to a specific day, letting you create a holiday plan and daily itinerary, which is actually really very neat.
Perhaps the handiest feature is being able to search for attractions nearby…so if you’re in Paris wondering where you can visit near your hotel, Tripomatic and GPS come to your rescue. Oh, and it gives relevant background information for each attraction too:
Founded by husband and wife team Lukas and Barbora Nevosadova in late 2010 before launching publicly last summer, the idea was born from the couple’s exasperation at their own trip-planning nightmares.
“Imagine visiting an unknown city for the first time,” ponders Barbora. “The Tripomatic app helps you figure out what’s worth seeing. Launch the app, shake your phone and see all the interesting places around on a map. Pick the ones you like to create a custom itinerary right away.”
The trip plans are also synced with your account on the Web, so you can move between your laptop and iPhone seamlessly. Our first impressions of this app are really very good, and we reckon it’s well worth checking out.
“We built the app to be fun to use and great to look at,” adds Barbora. “Less boring text and buttons, more beautiful pictures and easy-to-use gestures. This is not yet another ordinary travel guide.”
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