Traveling with the iPhone | TripAdvisor
Here’s the thing: I can’t really stand the TripAdvisor website. It’s not that I’m skeptical of the reviews; any user review site will have unreliable testimonies at the high and low end. But if the number of reviews reaches critical mass, the messy middle usually reveals the reality, and in this regard TripAdvisor is probably the best hotel review site mainly because it is so popular.
No, what bothers me about the TripAdvisor website is that it’s just so damn busy. Overflowing with ads and a million other things that distract you from the task at hand. TripAdvisor is not alone in this of course; basically every travel site of its kind - whether Orbitz, Expedia, whatever - is bloated with extraneous material. But TripAdvisor is among the worst culprits.
That’s why the TripAdvisor app on the iPhone is such an improvement on the general user experience of the review engine. It offers most of the features of the website without all the clutter. You just choose what you’re looking for (e.g. Hotels, Restaurants, Flights, etc.) and enter your search criteria (you can manually enter or use your current location). You’re then provided with all the relevant listings and reviews. And reading the reviews (which honestly is the only reason anyone uses TripAdvisor) is a far more intuitive and pleasant experience on the iPhone than it is on the website.
With the app in hand, I can’t imagine using the website ever again.
Download TripAdvisor on iTunes
For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.
