A few weeks ago TripAdvisor launched a new social networking application - the TripAdvisor Travel Map. The Travel Map is basically a Google Map that allows you to place pins at locations you have visited. You then compare your map to your friends’ maps, and bragging rights ensue. It’s a simple, but robust concept ripe with potential.

It quickly caught my eye for a few reasons. First and foremost, I’m a proponent of expanding the online travel world through social tools. The best trips I have taken have been through the itineraries recommended to me by friends and family. Second, I like Google Maps applications - a lot. Third, I’ve thought about doing something exactly like this, so I was eager to see how a solid company like TripAdvisor would approach the idea.

The TripAdvisor.com Travel Map Review

The main interface is clean and simple. I’m offered a map of the world, a column of popular destinations, and a text box to add in new locations. Upon your first visit, a simple overlay tells you how to use the map.

I played around with various controls, adding a bunch of pins to the east coast (I own I-95!) and Europe. It was all easy enough, and there were definitely a few “wow - cool!” moments. My favorite feature is the “smart bubble” that pops up after clicking an area of the map. It picks the most likely destination areas surrounding the location you clicked on the map, and allows you to quickly pin it:

After 15 minutes or so of adding locations, I decided to stop and see what else I could do. I clicked “save and continue”. Besides an offer to invite more friends, there weren’t any other options. Bummer.

TJ was already in my network, so I went to go check out his map. Viewing another person’s map was very similar to viewing my own map, except I could not add pins to my friend’s map. One major shortcoming that immediately struck me was the inability to overlay his map on top of my own. I consider this an essential viral feature and assume TripAdvisor will soon build a useful ‘compare our maps’ tool.

What’s missing?

While the map was a solid first attempt, there are a few crucial pieces missing. My top three suggestions:

1. Better comparison with friends’ maps. As mentioned earlier, I need to see my map overlaid with my friend’s map. Assign a different color pin for each user on a map, and let me see it all at once. Theoretically, if I had 20 friends in my network and wanted to know who had been to Switzerland, the best way to do that would be to look at one map for everybody, not comb through 20 individual maps.
2. Encourage users to share the map url, and offer an embedded version (widget) that users can stick on their web sites. It is not immediately clear that I can send my map url directly to others. The url that does work is not very user friendly:
   (Click here for full Link) http://www.tripadvisor.com/MemberProfile? uid=A16F630174E76997A3695112E3883723&c=pt A non tech savvy user would never guess that goes directly to their map.
3. Give me more to do. Link directly into reviews from the map, allow me to rate the locations, show me who else has been to locations like me, etc, etc. I can think of 1001 cool things to do with these maps.

Social Travel Off to a Slow Start

Despite numerous attempts, nobody has really been able to crack the social travel network nut:

The lack of strong competition combined with TripAdvisor’s large user base could help enable them to grow into the premier social travel network on the Web. With a strong business based on reviews and lead generation, TripAdvisor can expand its share of travel mindshare by helping consumers make more personal connections through the service. TripAdvisor’s Travel Map is a simple step, but it’s a step in the right direction.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2007 at 8:30 am and is filed under New Service Radar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.