Sponsored by GPSmyCity
Over the last couple of decades, the internet has completely changed the way we plan and manage our travels, and as the internet continues to evolve, so does our approach to collecting information for an upcoming trip. Though with the sleuth of technology, tools, services and apps at our disposal nowadays, it can be a very intimidating concept figuring out which platforms to turn to. It’s almost information overload.
Ever since the blogging boom, the blogosphere has become one of the first places people use to search for ideas, tips and suggestions for their upcoming trip. But even blog articles aren’t as straightforward for planning a trip as they could be. It’s difficult to memorize everything you read before you leave, and if you want to have the information handy you’ll need to either print it out, or make sure you include roaming internet in your data plan to access the web page whenever you need to.
Neither solution is ideal. So I was excited to recently learn about GPSmyCity … a new app which turns travel blogs and articles into a GPS tour guide you can download to your phone, and access offline!
How to Get Travel Articles as a GPS Tour Guide You Can Use Offline!
You can hover over these (or any image) to quickly pin it!
Accessing a Blog Post is Only Half the Problem
Having access to your favorite travel articles is only half the problem. Once you arrive, you still need to find your way to the places featured in the article you saw. That means looking up addresses or sitting down on the hotel bed with a marker and circling each location on a map (try not to get red pen on the beautiful white linen … been there done that; the hotel was not impressed!!)
Then you have to use the map or a navigation app to find your way to each one of your points. Having to juggle a stack of papers with articles and travel notes, a map, and a navigation device seems not only uncomfortable, but also a bit outdated in the 21st century.
Luckily, there is a more modern way of doing that. A revolutionary idea put in practice by GPSmyCity (the name speaks for itself) has made it possible to “marry” travel blog reading and navigation. It virtually turns a travel article into a GPS-powered tour guide.
Before GPSmyCity
Now
How to Get Blog Posts as a GPS-powered Travel Article
GPSmyCity has invented a new generation of travel articles that contain the GPS coordinates of the attractions featured in your favorite blog posts.
Using your favorite post, GPSmyCity would insert the GPS coordinates of each place into the article. The blog post will then be combined with an offline digital map of, let’s say London, and a navigation engine. The end product is an article app that can be downloaded to your iPhone or iPad … the great thing being that you can read the article offline.
Moreover, if you want to visit one of the places featured in the article, a simple screen tap is all you need to get a clear route from your current location to that very spot plotted on the map. Easy! This way, the GPS-powered travel article not only provides you with all the information you need for your trip, but also functions as your personal tour guide.
An Encyclopedia of Travel Articles
The GPS-powered travel article can be downloaded to a smartphone and read offline free of charge. To get access to an offline city map and navigation engine that provides customizable travel directions, you pay an extra small fee.
Most of the upgrade fee goes to the article author. That is part of the Blog2App program that GPSmyCity has established to help travel writers and bloggers monetize their articles via a mobile application.
To date, GPSmyCity has partnered with some 1,200 travel authors worldwide (writers, bloggers, locals and expats) to harness their collective knowledge of various travel destinations and present it to travelers/readers in an easy to use iOS app called “GPSmyCity: Walks and Articles with Offline Maps”.
The app presently features over 6,000 travel guides about famous tourist sights and off-the-beaten-path attractions in over 750 cities. GPSmyCity is on its way to creating the world’s 1st GPS-powered travel encyclopedia.
Lifetime Membership
GPSmyCity has just announced the launch of its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds to double the number of covered destinations from 750 to 1,500 worldwide over the next 12 months. At the same time, they will launch their app on Android.
Those who back their crowdfunding campaign will get full access to all GPSmyCity content, both current and future, for life. That’s full access to all articles and self-guided walks for 750+ cities worldwide! To learn more about this exclusive offer, visit their crowdfunding page at: www.gpsmycity.com/cfv/
Giveaway!!
GPSmyCity is offering a free upgrade for any travel article to all readers until Feb 15 2017. Drop them an email at cf@gpsmycity.com saying which article you’d like an upgrade for and mention that you’re coming from Mapping Megan!
TECHNOLOGY WE RECOMMEND TO MAKE TRAVEL EASIER ↓
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52 Comments
Definitely the way to go. More convenient and saves you lots of time and money.
Absolutely Simon … I still love collecting tourist maps as souvenirs but couldn’t imagine using them in the street anymore now that we have these kind of apps :)
Hi Meg,
Brilliant!
The image of the woman sitting on her luggage reading her travel guides sums it up. Getting functionality offline is awesome because even as the internet becomes dependable in more areas ya still can’t get a connection in more areas than you’d think. Enter the offline feature.
Thanks much.
Ryan
Thanks Ryan!
So glad you enjoyed the post … yes, making the app available offline is a huge deal, because as you said, even in some cities which claim to have excellent connectivity, it’s difficult, and even then, to organize roaming is incredibly expensive when you’re overseas.
They’ve really put a lot of thought into the practicalities of use which is why I love GPSmyCity so much!
Waw, this looks very interesting! I will certainly take a look at it and see if I can incorporate it in my articles. Thanks for sharing.
Kaita
Awesome Katia! Yes, it’s such a fantastic concept :) We love it! Happy travels X
This will be of great help to travelers. The off line availability of info about the cities has got me interested.
Yes, offline accessibility is a fantastic feature, and this is one of the few apps I’ve come across to have this functionality. They’ve really considered the pain points of being a traveler and sought to address them :)
This is so smart! Every app that works offline is such a lifesaver! Gps My city seems to be one of them too! Will have to check them out! It could definitely be handy!
Totally agree! Offline functionality is starting to be the benchmark which separates the OK apps from the great ones you swear by!
I’ve heard of GPSmyCity before, but I didn’t really understand how it works. Thanks to you, now I do. It will be interesting to see how the service evolves with the funds raised during the Kickstarter campaign.
Glad we could further clarify the app for you :) Looks like the Kickstarter has raised half the funds they’re aiming for in the first couple of days, so there should be more fantastic things to come!
I recently came across this and really like the idea behind it. I have already downloaded it and plan on putting it to the test on my next trip
Awesome Anne! Happy travels :)
Another tech tool that be vey useful. I usually save pdf documents for myself, but thats not always as convenient. Should try this one out.
Definitely give GPSmyCity a go then Punita :) You’ll never need to save PDF docs to your phone again :D!
This looks a really useful App. As mentioned the offline use can be very helpful when travelling. We will take a look and see if they have info on our next destination.
Absolutely Mel & Marcus :) And if they’re short on content for you next couple of trips, visit back again after the kickstarter completes – they’re launching 750 to 1,500 destinations worldwide over the next 12 months :)
Happy travels!
A personal tour guide at your finger tips! It’s great that the app can be used offline. Heading over to check it out. Over 750 cities covered a lot of travel destinations!
Absolutely :) They have a pretty fabulous selection when it comes to covering travel hotspots. Hope the app improves the travel experience on your next trip! Happy travels :)
We gave GPSmyCity a whirl at home in Bordeaux. The city guides with walks created by GPSmyCity were pretty good. There’s only one blogger with articles in the app and those were mostly pretty disappointing. I definitely noticed some improvements needed in both the guides and articles turned walkable maps, but at $4.99 for the guides and $1.99 for the articles, it’s far less expensive than purchasing a guide book you have to lug around or a city walking tour, which I’m not a huge fan of.
Glad to hear that you had a good experience with the guides :) As the company continues to expand, I can see it attracting a larger number of bloggers, so hopefully the quality and diversity of articles from destinations outside of the big cities will also continue to grow :)
This is a great idea. I have heard from multiple sources that paper maps and guide books make you a target for pickpockets and criminals. Being able to explore a city from your phone should also significantly increase your safety. So many good reasons to use this technology.
Yes, absolutely Jenn. Pulling out a paper map is one of the easiest signs that you’re a tourist and an easy target for theft. The safety aspect is a really valuable one :)
This app is great if it also works online. I will definitely check it out.
Absolutely Anne … the offline feature is something which really sets it apart from other apps of a similar nature. So much more functionality having offline access to information … love it!
This is an idea whose time has come. Juggling an itinerary is difficult enough with all the options, locations, and variations that crop up along the way. Having it all in a GPS enabled map with directions from your current location will save time and frustration.
Absolutely … I feel as though it’s addressing a pain point for travelers and tourists at just the right time :)
A great way to bring our online travel research and finding those places together. I’ve heard a bit from GPS my City but haven’t tried it out yet, must be time I did.
Definitely give the app a whirl and let us know what you think :)
This sounds pretty good. Something I will look into.
We love it :) Let us know what you think!
I have heard of this app but not used it yet. If it really works the way it says then I thnkk soon it will be the sunset years for all those printed guide books. Of course the quality of the article does matter.
Yes, absolutely re the quality of articles being key. With such a huge kick starter backing it’s looking like they’ll have quite the range of authors and destinations soon above that which they already do :) So we might be saying goodbye to guidebooks completely very soon!
What a great idea! I have saved articles for reference when we are traveling and then didn’t have internet when I needed them–such a frustrating situation and this sounds like the perfect solution! Love that they are going to be offering a new lifetime membership as well!
I feel your pain – I think we’ve all been there at some stage! They’ve done a great job at addressing this pain point in the travel experience, offline functionality is such a huge relief :)
And absolutely, the offer of lifetime membership is a fantastic perk for supporting the kickstarter campaign!
What a cool idea! Looking forward to their Android version (or even better, Windows Phone version) to test it.Thanks for sharing!
Yes, the launch on android is an exciting next step! Happy travels!
So interesting!!! I did not know this. Very useful to all the travels. I need to see this with more attention.
Enjoy the app!
What a brilliant idea! That means no more opening a big map in the middle of nowhere to check your location and find your way around. I’ll definitely check it out. And thanks for sharing it with us!
Exactly! And not labeling yourself as a tourist target so easily should significantly increase your safety too :)
I love this cool app too. I have been using it for some time too and recently got my articles posted too. Glad to read that others are benefitting from this app too. Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear you’re also loving the app Carla! Happy travels :)
Amazing post with great Research, Love your site. Thank you
Happy to introduce you to the app. Hope it helps your travels :)
Hey, I was searching for something like this came across this incredible post on your site. Something I will look into. Seriously amazing.
Glad we could help you out :) Enjoy the app! Happy travels :)
Hello Meg,
Marvelous! It think i can save my time and money through this.It definetely runs offline. I had hard time spending money using online GPS, like every cent counts. I think its a good deal.
I will tweet about this one. Got my GPSmyCity installed. Thanks again
Regards,
Elias
Glad to hear it Elias! Yes, the offline function is such a lifesaver and it’s definitely both a time and money saver once you’ve got it going :)
Happy travels!
Thanks so much
You’re most welcome :) Happy travels!