I can’t count the number of times I’ve returned home from a trip and struggled to remember where I went and what I did every day.
Whether it’s work or pleasure, the days away seem to morph into one and the little details slip just out of memory’s reach.
Where was that spectacular spot to stop and admire the view? What was the name of that amazing café? Where was that detour that led to the most stunning hidden valley?
Flicking through photos can help put some pieces of the puzzle together, but even then, sometimes I’m not entirely sure where exactly the shots were taken.
There is an easy way to keep track of exactly where you were, what you did and when you were there – and I love it.
TripAdvisor.com is a travel review website that’s used all over the world and the app has a very useful feature called ‘Travel Timeline’.
Once you’ve set up a profile and allowed the app to access your camera, it stores every picture, together with details like time and location.
Clocking up data when overseas can be a concern, but Travel Timeline works even without an active internet connection, using GPS to track your movements.
It literally builds your virtual travel journal along the way. All you need to do is point and shoot, allowing you to relax and enjoy taking in the sights without having to worry about writing down where you are, the names of venues, historical locations or landmarks.
The app records the time and distance between locations, also allowing you to keep track of whether you were walking, driving, riding a bike, on a bus or train, or even on a horse.
It can be as detailed as you’d like. If you don’t want to record everything and just keep the highlights, you can delete locations and photos easily. . Travel Timeline gives you the freedom to simply be in the moment; take a few happy snaps and the obligatory selfie, before moving on to the next location.
My daughter and I went on a walking tour with Sydney Urban Adventures to check out its functionality – and it was certainly impressive. Our trek began at Circular Quay, then we walked past the Museum of Contemporary Art to the Cruise Ship Terminal, and on to The Rocks and Barangaroo before stopping for lunch at Hotel Palisade.
Our tour guide filled us in on the colourful history of the area as we went along. It was quite an adventure and one I’d recommend to both those who live in Sydney and those that are visiting. There’s so much I never knew, I never knew.
Your Travel Timeline is private unless you choose to share it and it’s a great way to look back and remember where you were, what you did, what you ate, what time you arrived and left – I doubt my mind could remember all that even if I tried.
After lunch we wandered back to Circular Quay to catch a ferry to Taronga Zoo. Did you know it takes 15 minutes and the ferry travels 3.5km? I do now thanks to the app.
The Travel Timeline feature also allows you to rate and review places along the way. Because it’s so easy to do via the app, Taronga Zoo received a five-star rating. That’s my first TripAdvisor review if memory serves me correctly.
The biggest miss with the new feature is that you can’t post directly to social media from the app, you need to do that in the old fashioned way. However, apparently an update to facilitate social media posts is in the pipeline, which I think is a must.
At the end of each day it compiles a map, with the key locations highlighted. Actually, looking at the days since where I’ve been going about my usual business, it’s quite scary how detailed it is!
Might be a good idea to turn it off in between holidays.
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