mTrip Blog » ipod

Thanks to the 280,000 travelers who downloaded mTrip Travel Guides!

Sabrina — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:07:37 +0000

mTrip just reached its two month anniversary since launching its travel guides and after such a short time, we would like to thank the 280,000 travelers who have chosen to upload the travel guides to their iPhone’s and iPod’s.

We have received tons of positive feedback and comments in the App Store and directly via email, Twitter and Facebook. The enthusiastic reactions of travelers is very encouraging for us, especially as such a young start-up who was only developed in October 2009.

With the initial launch of mTrip, we published nine travel guides in five languages. By the end of September, we should have about 20 destinations in seven languages available! Also, do stay tuned for other exciting surprises come September

We would like to say a special thank you to the travelers who provided suggestions for new features and also for providing their experiences having traveled with mTrip on their iPhones and iPods. Some suggestions have been incorporated into the next update, which will be available in about one week. Many of the other suggestions have been incorporated into the update which users will see in September. It should be noted that the updates are always free!

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email us at support@mtrip.com

We regularly distribute free travel guides to those who follow us on Facebook. To follow us on Facebook, simply click on the button “Like” below.

At such early stages, we are really happy to announce our forward-moving footsteps thanks only to our fans! We appreciate your support and hope you continue to travel with mTrip!

mTrip Genius is no lightweight trip planner!

Sabrina — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:54:29 +0000

mTrip Travel Guides launched just two months ago with some of the best technology for travel apps out there. One of mTrip’s most unique trip planning features is the all mighty MTRIP GENIUS!!!

This feature is exclusive technology, in other words, mTrip is the only travel application offering this complex feature. The mTrip Genius is like your personal tour guide because not only does it plan your trip itinerary, it also guides you around the city to each point of interest you plan to visit. Let me explain…

For the traveler, its simple because the mTrip Genius does the thinking for you; however, what may look like a simple trip itinerary planner is really the work of a genius algorithm calculating your trip itinerary to absolute perfection. Visiting a new city? Don’t know what neighborhoods to visit? What attractions to see? How to order your trip?

So what elements are packed into the mTrip Genius’ algorithm to create your most customized trip itinerary?

* Trip Dates * When you launch the app, a screen pops up that asks you to indicate your trip dates on a calendar – the day you arrive at your destination and the day you return. Further, you are asked to specify what period of the day you are leaving.

* Accommodation * Next, you are asked to tell the guide where you are staying for the duration of your trip. The point is to tell the guide your start point for your trip so mTrip can create an itinerary that makes geographical sense. You have multiple options – you can find your hotel in mTrip’s travel directory, add a place to the guide (if the hotel is for some reason not in the directory or if you are staying with a family member, for example), OR you can simply choose ‘City Center’ if for example you don’t know where you are staying. You can always change your start point later and re-order your trip.

* mTrip Genius * Here’s where you get to tell the guide your preferences. Whereas you can choose to create your own trip itinerary from scratch (adding points of interest one by one), I’m going to explain how the Genius does all the work for you.

When you click on the mTrip Genius, you are taken to a screen that asks you to specify your sightseeing preferences. The four main categories are museums, monuments, parks and religious. You can choose the intensity (or lack thereof) for each of these and then you can also choose the intensity of your trip overall. Do you prefer a fast-paced, non-stop globe-trotting experience or do you prefer to slow it down to a strolling pace?

Next, you indicate whether you want the guide to suggest Top Attractions or Alternative Attractions. The way the Genius calculates this is based on traveler ratings and number of ratings. Higher ratings from more people indicates a top attraction whereas high ratings from fewer people indicates an alternative, off-the-beaten path and possibly hidden gem type of attraction! Lastly, tell the guide whether you want to include your favourites in the itinerary. When perusing the guide, you can save a point of interest as a favorite, which will add it to your trip itinerary.

Now you are ready to launch the mTrip Genius! Now that it knows the facts, it can work its magic to create your ultimate trip! This will only take a few seconds and voila! You can view each day of your trip in list or map view. In list view, you will notice that you can get distances and directions to each point of interest. You simply indicate if you want the guide to calculate the route from the previous point of interest in your trip itinerary (this is very helpful when you are actually traveling to and from each place in the order your itinerary suggest) or if you want to choose your current location on the map and get routed from there. You can then view your route step-by-step by either Subway or foot. It’s magical!

What else can you do from your trip itinerary? You can view each point of interest from the travel guide directory so you can get the details and make sure this trip suggestion is of interest to you. If not, you can edit your trip itinerary, remove points of interest, move them around to suit your schedule or even add your own places from the travel guide directory or your own personal ones. You can also change or regenerate your trip itinerary at any time if the weather or your plans change, etc…

Don’t forget to check out the Smart Order tool, another one of mTrip’s Genius functions. This tool will take your entire itinerary and ‘smart order’ it so that it makes sense based on the geographical locations of each point of interest and your starting point (your accommodation or the city centre). Once your trip is Smart Ordered, check out your itinerary in map view. You will notice the logical order of your trip – no more running around the city and wasting valuable time on your awesome vacation!

Did I mention that there are no roaming fees and no Internet connection required for this? What a GENIUS!!!

Any questions about the mTrip Genius? Leave a comment and let us know how we can help!

Get an mTrip Travel Guide! Current travel guides (as of August 20, 2010) include:

Paris Guide
London Guide
Berlin Guide
Rome Guide
Venice Guide

Amsterdam Guide
Barcelona Guide
Madrid Guide
Moscow Guide
Vienna Guide

New York Guide
Chicago Guide
San Francisco Guide
Washington Guide

mTrip Travel Guides for iPhone & iPod Touch Hit the App Store Today!!

Sabrina — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:40:48 +0000

If you have been following our blog you will know that we have been gearing up for a long-awaited and seriously exciting launch date.

Today we are happy to announce that mTrip Travel Guides for iPhone & iPod Touch hit the App store!

A little bit about the product….

mTrip is the only travel guide for iPhone & iPod Touch with automated and personalized itinerary planning, expert & traveler-generated content, navigation, augmented reality, and trip sharing. Content is updated daily for free and there are no roaming fees for the traveler.

Unique features include:

Automated & Personalized Itinerary Planner – Using an advanced algorithm, the traveler builds the most personalized trip to reflect travel interests, trip dates, pace preference, opening hours of tourist attractions and ratings from other travelers.

Traveler-Generated & Expert Content – Tons of tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, nightlife and shopping with ratings, reviews, pictures, opening hours, and prices in the user’s home currency.
Navigation – The traveler is located on the map, views any point of interest in the area and displays the most optimal routes by subway or foot. This is all done offline with no roaming fees.
Augmented Reality – The traveler looks through the iPhone 3GS to display the city and all the tourist attractions in the area at a heightened, surreal view. No Internet connection required.
Trip Sharing – The traveler sends postcards and photos via Facebook & email.

Available city guides – Paris, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
Available languages – English, French, German, Spanish and Italian (Italian available for European cities only)
Price (per destination):* Special Launch Price * $5.99 – Regular Price: $9.99

Visit mTrip’s website

Check out the App store to purchase a guide!

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions for the mTrip team. We can’t wait to hear from you!!

France Festivals 2010: Fanfare for the Senses

Sabrina — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:42:44 +0000

Traveling to France for 2010? Discover the French festivities – lively and diverse, France takes the lead in entertaining tourists year round. From dance and theatrical performance to bullfighting and jousting there is something unique to experience every step of the way!

January – Head to France’s comic strip capital, Angouleme and check out the 37th edition of Festival International de la Bande Dessinée. From January 28th-January 31st check out exciting shows and exhibits, showcasing cartoons from all over the world. Download the Angouleme application for iPhone or iPod Touch from iTunes and learn all about the exciting works competing for prizes.

February – It’s definitely worth hitting the small town of Roquemaure for the annual kissing festival, La Fête des Amoureux (French site). This is a reenactment of the arrival of the relics of Saint Valentine, not to be missed.

March – Uniting art and culture from March 8th to April 18th – Festival de l’Imaginaire (French site) will bring you non-stop dance, music, and theatre performance all the way from Algeria to Zambia.

April – April 2nd-5th celebrate Easter in all its brilliance. Join the 60,000 people in Arles at the Roman amphitheatre for the first bullfight of the season, Be witness to an exciting atmosphere filled with customary events, dancers, painters, writers and diverse band entertainers from across France.

May – Celebrate all forms of jazz for the exciting 20th anniversary of Luberon Jazz Festival (French site). Taking place May 10th-16th, watch dedicated jazz performers both emerging and professional take the stage for the spectacle of the year!

June – On July 5th and 6th celebrate the medieval past with the residents of Reims. A series of exciting light shows and music, in memory of French patron saint Joan of Arc at Fêtes Johanniques (French site).

July – July brings the celebration of Les Fêtes des Gayants (French site) Head to Douai in Nord-Pas de Calais on July3 12th-14th and witness the Gayant family (five giant puppets) being carried through the city by locals and visitors. Be one of the visitors carrying the Gayant family you are sure to be a part of the action!

August – Water jousting, a tradition since 1666 reflects the very soul of the Sète’s residents. Witness this crazy tournament alongside the Fête de la Saint Louis (French site), packed with six days of exciting shows and banquet.

September – Discover the benefits and pleasure of long distance running on September 11th in the Marathon du Medoc. This festival is like no other – the race follows a path alongside famous vineyards so instead of pairing your long distance running with energy drinks and energy bars, you can enjoy the distance with appellations and local produce!

October – Walk down the Antique Quarter, rue August Comte in style. On the first Thursday of every October, the city of Lyon rolls out the red carpet for the…but think again, its not movie stars you will find strutting down this carpet. Residents and visitors will walk the carpet and enjoy street shopping, as each shop owner displays its wares. From jewelry to art objects, you will have plenty of street shopping to do! For more information on the 20th edition of Le Tapis Rouge visit Quartier Auguste Comte.

November – Don’t miss the stroke of midnight. The third Wednesday of November brings the nouveau Beaujolais (new wine), released in the town Beaujeu-en-Ligne. Stick around for tastings, dinner, an exciting street festival, music and dancing all alongside beautiful candlelight. For more information visit Les Sarmentelles de Beaujeu.

December – The Licques Turkey Festival (French site) in Nord-Pas de Calais is boasting with excitement – an indoor Christmas market, a huge party, most notably with a turkey stew and fun competitions. Save more fun for the following day, as locals in traditional costume bring the birds that didn’t make it into the turkey stew through the town. The festivities take place before Christmas, just in time to get you in the holiday spirit.

Must-Have iPhone Apps for Air Travel

mTrip — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:59:30 +0000

4 apps recommended by Web Worker Daily:
http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/07/01/must-have-iphone-apps-for-surviving-air-travel/