Google begins beta test of Trips, a new travel companion app
But Google wants to go further by serving as your local tour guide with a new app called Trips. After teasing it last week, a beta build is now on the way to some members of the Local Guides program, which is Google’s equivalent of Yelp Elites.
Some leaked screenshots indicate the app is more about leveraging Google’s considerable knowledge of the planet from Maps in order to suggest things to do on your travels. There are a lot of suggestions for things to go see and do while you’re on the journey along with the usual organizational assistance.
Your itinerary is pulled in from Gmail, with hotel stays, flight information, vehicle rentals, and other details all collected together for easy access.
If you’re a member of Local Guides and reached level two or above, you may get an invite to try out the app on Android or iPhone. We’re working to score an invite ourselves, so we’ll update with any cool insights we pick up.
The impact on you: Google’s stated goal is to organize the world’s information, and lately that’s meant all your information. Travel is a classic case where you can usually hit detail overload, and Google is tops at coming to the rescue with algorithms. How much you want the company to know about you, of course, is a question you’ll have to grapple with.