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Being social creatures, travel has immense benefits for us humans. In 2019, the US accounted for $792.4 billion in leisure travel spending by domestic and international travelers. The staggering number attests to the popularity of travel as a means of relaxation and health improvement. From staving off burnout to promoting overall healthy well-being, travel is proving to be a valuable leisure activity. In addition, on a broader spectrum, tourism increases the income of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, improves the infrastructure of the country and promotes cultural exchange between foreigners and natives. So that traveling is not a Herculean task and does not contribute to the stress of the whole activity, there are a plethora of applications that help with this. The growth of trip planning app development is on the rise due to ease of use and access to information.
Travel trends after COVID-19
A global pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. This was faced by various industries, especially travel and tourism. The tourism industry suffered a loss of $4.5 trillion in 2020 and the global GDP fell to 5.5%. As countries began to ease travel restrictions, travel websites and apps became important, catching up with the new trends. People have become concerned about health regulations, so trip planning apps and websites have had to work closely with their booking agents and policies to ensure that hotels and airlines are safe partners. Traveling in smaller groups, such as with their families or close friends, was preferred over tour groups. Individual bookings and smaller group tours were more popular due to the safety assurance they provided. Another significant shift in travel habits was that due to the inconsistencies in country-by-country travel regulations, there was a demand for domestic travel over international travel.
Benefits of Trip Planning Apps
With the enforcement of COVID precautions, the hospitality industry has had to incorporate new facilities to adapt to the “new normal”. Sanitation protocols, the use of protective gear such as masks and goggles, and screening tools such as thermal scanners and pulse oximeters have been mandated by stores, hotels, restaurants and airlines. The easiest way to be informed about these regulations was through regular updates of trip planning apps. Even when travel was restricted, trip planning apps became a new source of information about the various travel regulations each country had in place. trip planning apps and technologies have been able to easily disseminate relevant information about COVID-19 to their users. Along with the benefits during the pandemic, Trip planning apps bring great benefits.
Easy booking
The obvious advantage that Trip planning apps have is the convenience of making travel arrangements instantly. It only requires the user to enter the travel date details and select the best airline or book the desired hotel room in no time. The speed with which technology has bridged the gap between information and access makes it possible to implement all your plans through a single application. Choosing a destination, buying tickets, booking a hotel room at a reasonable price, scheduling a taxi for sightseeing, discovering local attractions and so on are all possible with just a touch of the screen in the trip planning app.
Better customer support
One of the most significant benefits that mobile applications have brought to the travel industry is the reduction of paperwork. You can store copies of hotel reservations, airline tickets or train tickets and other important documents on your smartphone because it is convenient and portable. In light of any issues with such documents, quick access to customer service helps users resolve their issues on the spot. Whether it’s assistance with trip planning or post-booking feedback, customer service provided by Best Travel App Ideas helps improve the travel experience. For example, if a customer has a problem with a flight or hotel reservation, the support team will be the first person they contact to resolve the issue. The ease with which the problem is solved improves the user experience and popularizes your app.
Discover new destinations
Although popular tourist destinations are often talked about, they are quiet and picturesque places that one can really enjoy. With the help of travel planning apps, one can research all about new destinations that don’t get the limelight as the most popular tourist spots. These destinations can also find new restaurants to eat at and support local businesses as tourists. The best trip planning apps provide one with a list of such places that can be added to a traveler’s bucket list to explore. With photos and reviews of such places, the user is informed about what to expect in terms of scenic spots, accessibility and accommodation. This is also useful in times like today when one can enjoy traveling without the fear of visiting crowded tourist destinations.
Must have features in trip planning apps
Integration of maps and navigation
Successful integration of GPS-based location services is a critical goal to excel in the travel app development industry. Users can use tracking services to pin their current location and get the nearest results instantly. At a specific location, the app will be able to provide details about a hotel, cafe or nearby local attraction. Your travel app should be able to acquire a GPS lock, track your location, and return information quickly. If you include this feature, you can provide all kinds of services to tourists on the go.
Reservations and reservations
When it comes to convenience, logging in isn’t the only way to show it. The booking feature that combines flight tickets, train tickets, hotel bookings and car bookings will be the best feature for users of the travel planning app. Since all personal information is updated during the registration process, the one-click booking option will attract many users and travelers to download and use the app. Seamless booking of various services through the convenience of a single app will add to the user experience.
Reviews and recommendations
The popularity of a travel app stems from the credibility of the information it provides to its users. The source of this truth is the ratings, reviews and recommendations generated by the content of the app and users. If a restaurant has been rated by a large number of authorized travelers, its credibility increases compared to materials provided by an administrator, where no one can comment or give a personal recommendation. It also raises awareness and helps hotels, cafes and other companies improve their offerings. Rather than forcing users to download additional apps, travel app providers should simply incorporate these features into their existing products.
Transportation
Travelers often plan their trips in advance where they can buy flights and hotels. When planning a trip, travelers typically read reviews, seek advice from friends and family, and use the Internet. It would be fantastic if travelers could access information, book hotels and buy tickets directly from the app. Since everything will be combined into one trip planning app, the user’s journey is stress-free. Taxi service is one of the most important aspects of a trip, whether you need to get from the airport to your hotel or to a certain tourist spot. Integrating travel services into the app allows users to better explore a destination without worrying about getting lost because your app can come to the rescue!
Weather forecast
According to a study on the impact of weather on travel satisfaction, for travelers in Europe, sunshine and warmer temperatures create favorable weather for traveling to a new place. Therefore, the impact of weather on travel cannot be ignored and must be integrated into the travel planning application. The real-time weather forecast feature can be helpful in better planning your mode of transportation and travel time. Through this device, users will be able to stay informed about the weather and avoid natural disasters. Including a weather feature in your app will ensure that travelers don’t switch to another app to check the weather. The weather forecast feature should give them a comprehensive overview of projected wind speed, cloud patterns, humidity and so on.
Emergency services
Navigating an unfamiliar city can be tricky, especially when one is in a pinch. No matter the time or place, an emergency scenario can arise. At times like these, emergency features play a key role on any holiday trip, although few people think about them until something goes wrong. The traveling app connects the user to a local emergency number in the event of an emergency. Every travel app development project should remember to include an emergency phone number and service resource (based on location) so travelers can contact them whenever they need it.
