At TripGems, you can find & share hidden gems and book things to do.
Target Audience: Travellers
Website URL: https://www.tripgems.com
No. of Feedback Providers Requested: 5
Feedback sought:
We know it’s hard to say that someone’s baby is ugly, but please be brutal honest in your answers, it will help us more than you being polite:)
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
From what I see, TripGems is a travel site specializing in (1) locating great sites that most people don’t know about, (2) providing info on where friends traveled and what they saw and (3) letting people know about discounts.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
I’m a New Yorker, but haven’t been back in a long time, so that’s what I chose.
My first impression was a bit of confusion or frustration. Of the four main activities in the center of the page, only two were for New York: Madison Square Garden and 6 East River Piers. The others were for the White House in Washington DC and the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Then, I looked on the side and started clicking through to see a large variety of tours and other things to do.
There was a long list of tours in the center of the page (https://www.getyourguide.com/new-york-l59/new-york-city-explorer-pass-t5721/?partner_id=55EC8&psrc=widget) but none had links for additional information. Having that would be most helpful.
I checked out London very briefly, as well. And pages appear to be organized differently than for New York. Consistency would be appreciated. It enables people to find things more quickly and easily.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
If I already had friends who were members of the site, I would be likely to sign up without further review. However, I didn’t and were I were planning considerable tourist traveling, I’d probably explore TripGems and other similar sites first to see which site or sites I preferred.
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
The site I chose was Viator.com. It appears to be a well-established site with a huge number of tours. I visited both New York and London again. I noticed that there was a Stonehenge tour on both sites but TripGems’ was only $48.10 which was for the trip to and Stonehenge only; the Viator’s cost was $120.23, but also included Windsor Castle and Bath.
The Viator site layout seems more consistent from location to location and appears to have more listings. However, that is probably because it is a more established site.
If I had to choose between the two, today I’d go with Viator, but the difference in the tour packages for Stonehenge, leads me to thinking that it is advisable to sign up with more than one site.
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
American Automobile Association (AAA)
6) Any additional feedback you have for us.
The photo on your home page is excellent. The only other possibility that might be better (emphasis on might) would be to have several slides from a variety of locations.
The basic organization of the home page is good and clear.
I have only the tiniest little comment: At the bottom where there are lists of “Things to do per country” and “Things to do per place,” there isn’t any need and would be preferable to just list the locations without stating and restating and restating “Things to do in . . .” What I mean is, instead of saying “Things to do in Netherlands,” “Things to do in South Africa,” just list the country: “Netherlands,” “South Africa,” etc.
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
I think that the website is great! It’s a site all about travel i.e. it provides information about all the places in the world – the best tourist locations, best restaurants, speciality of a particular area etc.. This is great because this makes travel so much more easier. You can’t get lost or fooled in a foreign land when you have help from a website like this. Love the concept and the look and feel of the website. It’s amazing. The picture on the homepage speaks a lot about the website. Good job.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
I looked for information related to Eiffel Tower if I make a trip to France. I got information about nearby places, tours and activities, prices of such tours and activities and also comments of people who have visited Eiffel Tower. I like the comment concept because its like getting first-hand information but what I expected and was missing was a little description about the place. The link to the Eiffel Tower opened a new page with only 2 pictures and no description. I would have liked it better if there was some information related to the place. As I was expecting a description, I started looking around and to my disappointment, found none. I also like that there is a option for the people to rate their favourite places on the popular places page. But the missing description is not a good idea as a little information is necessary to support my decision to visit or not visit the place.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
I love to travel and go out, so it is a definite yes from me! This website is useful not only for the tourists but also for the locals because it not only provides information about the most famous tourist spots but also about restaurants and activities and stuff. So this feature can be used by the locals too as its not possible for everyone to know everything and surely would help discover new and great places. The best part about the website is that it includes pictures of the place and ratings and reviews from people who have visited the place. This facilitates the decision-making process.
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
I looked up lonelyplanet.com and I liked it better because it is full of information but I felt the placement of such information is a little off. They have created a collage of sorts, which makes it a little tough to keep track. It looks clumsy. Some great things about the site which I think could help Tripgems, like on the destination page, they have a world map with an option to click on the place you want to look up. I liked that. I also liked that they have articles about the best time to visit a particular place and also top 10 destinations and stuff i.e. other information unrelated to a particular place but which makes travel easier. It also provides information as to where we can get our reservations done. Lonelyplanet.com also has a little description attached to each place. So although I prefer tripgems.com because it is easy to use and good to look at, I’d go with lonelyplanet as it contains way more information.
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
The last time I went on trip, I got all the information from family and friends who have been to that place and also the internet. There was no particular website that I looked up. I just typed the location and started surfing the web for information.
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
As I said the website looks better than the other similar websites I found, the only thing lacking is the information part, add that and I think it will be unbeatable. The simple look of the website is what I best liked about it. The blue and white color combination is a humble choice. The ratings and review option is great. But I feel that it should have more information relating to each place listed. Other than that, great job!
Thanks for the opportunity to help. Good luck!
Using MacBook with OS 10.7.5. with Safari.
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
From my experience using the site:
TripGems is a site that allows users to investigate locations to explore what sights and places of interest exist within that location. The site allows users to input their own places (called ‘gems’, as well as vote for places submitted by other users. It also allows businesses to add their site.
Search is done from national, provincial/state, county/city. The user is allowed to search a radius (however many kilometers), as well as by various categories (food, shopping, sights). As well, a map is provided, and a list of services (car rental, hotels, tours) in a well placed side bar.
As someone who has done a fair bit of traveling, the site does offer an opportunity to share some of the places that I have discovered that are out of the way and often don’t make it on the usual list of sights to see. It also allows me to explore and discover such places that I may otherwise miss if I participate in the ‘usual’ tours or visit the well known sights.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
I did a search for Belfast, North Ireland. A fair bit of information came up regarding the city. However, it was lacking in ‘sights.’
This, naturally, is a problem with ‘community’ based information: until someone adds information on a sight or location or business, that information isn’t there. In that regards, while TripGems may provide useful information, because that information is ‘user-generated’, I would not use it as a primary source for decision making on a trip. As a means of obtaining helping insight from others, yes… but I will most likely seek a second, more official, source regarding that information.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
No, not really.You lack a Terms of Service/Terms of Use section that explains what legal rights I have, what I am expected to, and what you do with my information (the best you tell us is that when we log in with Facebook, you have access to all our friends. I don’t want you to have access to all my friends… so instead, you get my fake email address!).
Also, besides the benefit of voting on ‘gems’ and creating my own, there isn’t much to provide me with incentive to sign up (deals on travel are easy to find!).
Of course, not signing in means I can’t explore your site… so…
In that regards, creating an account is easy. Creating a profile, though, feels like a bit of a drag (slow process of typing in the places I have been to, instead of clicking on a map).
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
Trip-o-Matic (ToM) comes to mind, as it is a site that i had used in the past.
ToM works somewhat on the same principles as TripGem. It allows users to explore locations and attractions. It also allows the user to plan their trip, providing estimations on distances and travel time between locations (allowing the user to create and save an itinerary of their trip).
ToM’s site is more attractive and smooth–visually it is easier to use. It also has a more stream-lined approach to exploring and selecting sights and places of interest, and it allows the user to keep a record of what they have looked at.
In that regards, I do prefer ToM over TripGem.
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
Usually, I let my feet take me wherever I go–meaning I often don’t travel with a plan (and often discover the hidden and lesser visited places). However, Lonely Planet has often been a source for general information–the collective community there often has quick, accurate, information, as well as comments based on personal experience.
Also, I’ve always been brave enough to connect with the locals (an experience that had me go from walking in a park to speaking to a group of students to giving a presentation at a university while in Moldova!).
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
Now, the brutal part….
On your “How It Works” page, you have an icon that is blocking text (The bottom text for step 1 is blocks by the icon for step 3).
Outside of the landing page, the site is lacking a bit in attractiveness. It feels bland.
Upon looking it, I couldn’t find a way to add friends (I guess friends are not really friends, but people who you are following). I had to either use the ‘people I may know’ or find something and click on a profile pic.
On clicking ‘show friend’s tips’ it brings up the travel tips of the persons I am following, but doesn’t allow me to sort them (meaning I have to go to a persons profile to exclusively follow their tips).
In searching a location, especially a national one, it would be nice to have a list of people (something like the ‘People you may know’ list) on the side who have provided gems for that place. I know you provide a link to their profile with the sights, etc, and gems they provided, but a general list of people who contributed to that area would be nice.
Map took forever to zoom in, zoom wasn’t smooth (it went in annoying ‘chunks’ and I couldn’t use the scroll on my mouse)
It would be nice if the map also had the option of showing trendy tips, and not just an option for showing the tips of your ‘friends.’
You are lacking a Terms of Use– meaning, you are not telling us what you plan to do with our personal date, or what legal rights we have as users of your site (i.e. if we post an image, is it ours, or does it become your property?). Very important for legality reasons.
And finally–yea, I know… you are just starting off… and because you rely on user-generated content you are lacking in information. I certainly hope you are able to build a better site, bring in more users, and thus more content (and thus, more users interested in that content). While there are a few sites out there already doing this, it still seems a viable market if you are able to attract users, and businesses to advertise to those users.
Good Luck!
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
From what I can see and understand, it’s a site all about travel. As explained in the about us section, it helps find information about various places on the planet and wants to create a community of sorts by the the exchange of information between people. The information contained is bound to be helpful and true because it has been provided by the people i.e they have been there and done that. So I think that its a very unique idea and creative that instead of just placing all the information on the web, it is exchanging information. The contribution from the travellers and the locals together can make it the best place to look up for the information. It can help us because there are two things people want to find out when they are going for a trip: A) Information about the place and B) A review about the place from the people who have visited the place and how their experience was. So although A is quite easy to find on the web, B is not. A true and honest review is quite difficult to find. So combining A and B together will make decision-making a lot easier than before and not to mention, time-saving.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
I looked up the Taj Mahal and to tell you the truth, I was a extremely disappointed. There was no review, no description and no place listed in the nearby places section. the only information I found was about the tours and activities. I like that there was a map given. But nothing else, even the popular places page had absolutely no information. The things to do in India page had some places listed but not all of them had a review, so thats useless. So based on the information or rather the lack of it, I would not go there. I liked the comment end the review section because people who did leave a comment or write a review have provided useful information but most of the places listed did not have a comment or a review. The rating concept and the map is a great idea but what is missing is A i.e. description about the place, a little detail, without which decision-making is not possible at all.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
Although I love travelling and discovering new places and hangouts, its a no from me! I like the concept of the website and the look and feel of it but to be truthful it does not have a lot of information. My first impression about the website was that it wants to create a information hub by connecting people from different walks of life and from different places by the mutual exchange of information and at the same time list all the general information needed to know about the place, so that it can be used by the locals and the travellers. But the website depends on only information from the public by way of review and comments and does not provide the general description of the place. I like that it has pictures though and what you can do is like google map, put the picture submitted by a tourist or a local on the map and a picture by you on the main page for that place.
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
I looked up worldweb.com and it is better because it has more information. The presentation on the website is very dull but it gets the job done. It provides all the required information like lodging, activities, tourist attraction etc. and at the same time also provides a review. Its easy to look at and find my way around it. I like that they have an upcoming events section as it will be easy to plan a trip around a particular event if we know about it beforehand. I also liked that they have information about transportation and rental services. So overall, although tripgems has a more appealing look, worldweb has a lot more information.
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
The last time I went on trip, I got my information from my friends who had been to that place before and also some of my family members. I got the information about the hotel reservations and car rentals from the internet and also relatives who stay at that place. There was no particular website, I used a search engine to find all that I could.
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
All is well expect for the lack of information. You almost (because not all the places listed have a review) have the B part covered, please work on A.
Good luck!
Thank You!
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
It is about sharing and finding best place to go nearby your own location. I can search for the place I am going to travel or the place i currently at, to find out what are the shops, restaurants that are recommended. What activities or events are held. We can connect through facebook and see what your friends are up to. We also able to get feedback or review for the particular place we plan to go. It help to discover interesting place around the city.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
I try to find table mountain aerial cableaway at south africa. I click on for more details. The details given is not quite detail. You can provide detail such as where to stay nearby, the pricing for the activity or package or any promotions. What is the best season to go. What are the things that we should be ready of or aware of. You could provide more pictures to attract us to make our decision. We also would like to know how long does it take for us to go there from one location to the destination.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
Yes, it is easy to use and user friendly, it is very useful for me to find out more places that recommend by others,
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
Foursquare. It somehow similar with the service you provided. You can search place by state or city and choose category like restaurant, coffee shop, etc. The good things is that it has a lot of members which we can get a lot of feedback from them. We can determine the place is worth to go or not by seeing people comments and rating. It is very socialize. I would choose Foursquare, because they are matured service, which they have thodsand hundreds of users and the feedback we could get is a lot and very useful. Besides that, people can “check in” and share their location to facebook which can be seen by al their friends.
The good thing about your website over theirs is that you have suggest some hotel to stay nearby the location we searched. I would suggest you add more features such as calculate distance, prices, and allow user to easily access to your site no matter where they go by using the “check in” feature. Having a mobile apps is an advantage. People can easily access using their mobile phone
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
I get from TripAdvisor or some blogs that have discussion about the location i am going to. I would be happy if there is a web site like yours, which provide detail inside about the trip that i am going.
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
Overall, it is a very good site. You have to attract more user to sign up under your site but this is the hardest part as there is other big competitors out there such as Foursquare. Therefore, you can provide some feature that do not offer by other which it can be a unique symbol for your site. As a traveller, before i go for the trip, i would like to google search some keywords such as ” famous place in New York”, ” interesting place at New York”, “Must go place at new york”. Based on these searching keyword. The one thing that you need to know is the users preference, what they like to to and what they don’t. You must get them sign up and state their preference. Whenever they logged in and search for places, you could suggest place that are under their preference. Example, they like coffee so you could suggest the best coffee shop in town for them.
1) Describe in your own words what TripGems is about and how it could help you.
TripGems is a site where one can find tips about places one plans to visit. The great thing about it is that the info provided has a personal touch to it cause it’s written by people who have actually been there and it isn’t just some generic travel guide. Also, some tips includes places that seem to be unheard of yet great to visit or some pretty interesting stuff to do while there. I find this particularly helpful if I’m about to go somewhere I’ve never been to or don’t know anyone familiar with the area.
2) Find a travel tip that you are interested in. Would you go there based on the information provided, or are you missing information to support your decision?
Ok so it’s a tip about a hotel. I’ve probably won’t go there with just the tip I’ve read. I’d definitely research about the place first. Aside from that, the tip only has one “like” and this doesn’t really guarantee that I’ll have the same experience as the person who gave the tip.
3) Are you encouraged to create an account? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
Yes I think the site is a great place to share some travel tips. I like its simplicity and adding a tip seems pretty easy to do.
As of now though, there isn’t much interaction among the users (probably because it’s a new site?). Hopefully there will be a lot more in the future. The site just feels too quiet.
4) Go to search engine of your choice and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which on do you prefer? Why?
So I ended up at https://www.tripwolf.com
Tripwolf’s site seems to be too cluttered so it was a bit difficult to find the info on the page. Tripgems is a lot simpler and easier to navigate through so that’s a big plus for me.
I guess if I want to find more in-depth info about a place, I would go for Tripwolf – they have a lot more info and facts. But for quick tips, I’d definitely prefer Tripgems.
5) Where did you get your ‘inside’ information from, the last time you went on a trip?
I got my info from blogs and forums – posts from people who has been/lived in the area.
6) Any additional feedback you have for us..
I like the simplicity of Tripgems. It’s really easy to find tips and stuff.
I think it would be nice if there is an option to add a review or reply to a listed tip.
Although there is a “view on maps” option, I can’t find the actual address on the page or on the map.
For the “Other things to do nearby ____” section, I though the slideshow/carousel is difficult to read (and dizzying) cause it automatically scrolls on its own. Maybe it’d be better if the user does the “next” and “previous” scroll by himself.
All in all, I find Tripgems a really useful and interesting site to visit when I’m about to travel.