Trips is a new app that hopes to provide a home for casual travelers and bloggers alike

Price: Free
Version: 1.0.1
Size: 90.3 MB
Developer: Lonely Planet
Platform: iPhone/iPad

Download Trips

Travel guide mega-corp Lonely Planet has launched a new app – and it’s very cool, if very time-consuming. But at the same time, it very much taps into the extensive Travel blogger community that seems to subsist off only travel, and writing about travel.

So, what is this new app? It’s called Trips, and it’s like a blog in app form. Lonely Planet has done a great job of cleaning up talking and writing about travel. If it takes off – which it could due to the parent company’s large following – Trips could be a great social hub for travelers.

Firing up the app, it’s easy to get inspired. First, you’re presented with a series of posts by automatically followed power users – just to get you started. From ruins in Thailand, to sleepy English towns, there’s a whole bunch of stuff to get into here. And the majority of these folk are good writers, and good photographers.

Enter the amateur. Although our shots might not be as tip top as the power users, it’s super easy to begin blogging about a recent trip – for us, it was to Stonehenge. First, you tap the blue plus icon on the button. From here, you start by selecting photos, which is a neat way to look back and realize what trips you’ve actually been on. It’s easier than starting with a specific trip in mind.

The app then instantly creates a beautiful opening, based on one of your selected images, plus a heading and subheading. Fill these in, then scroll down where you’ll find the rest of your photos and space for text. You can even add maps and other elements to liven up the page.

Once you’re done, you hit save, and it’s saved to your profile as a trip. Other users can explore your profile, and you can explore theirs. But you can also easily find other trips to read using the explore tab. Here, the app presents a series of trips based on type, from ‘ruins,’ to ‘road trips,’ to ‘food and drink’ and more.

It’s also easy to share your trips via the usual platforms; the app providing a web link via share sheets. It’s also possible to post privately so posts aren’t available to other Trips users, but can still be privately shared with friends outside the app. There’s plenty to enjoy in Trips, if you give it the time it deserves.