Google Trips Is The Killer Travel App We Have Been Waiting For

The new travel app introduced by Google aims to take away all the pain of planning for a vacation.

Launched on Sept. 20, Google Trips is a free app that acts as a personalized trip planner plus a 'guidebook', organizing all details related to your trip from Gmail to one place - reservations, plane tickets, as well as help in planning out sight-seeing tours.

The app offers suggestion for itineraries based on your preferences for the top 200 cities in the world. The pre-built itineraries are generated based on data pulled from historic visits by other travelers. Suggestions show up with online reviews and recommendations so you can decide what's worth a visit.

If you prefer something more off-the-beaten track, Google Trips can automatically suggest options around a specific place you want to see or a specified set of criteria. A "magic wand" feature throws up random options just like the "I Feel Lucky" button on Google Search. Users can pin any new locales they like and develop an itinerary tailored for their interests within minutes.

The niftiest feature of the app is how it assesses what you can see and in what order so as to optimize available time in a city, presenting it then as a customized day plan. This fascinating feature is built on a complex 280-year old algorithm.

The app brings together all critical information needed during a visit - local sights, transportation options, activities and restaurants. All information is organized neatly within grids inside the app: Reservations, Things to Do, Day Plans, Getting Around and Food & Drink.

Google Trips works offline as well provided the information in downloaded onto the phone beforehand, a boon for those not wanting costly overseas data charges. The app is available on iOS and Android. Users will need to log into their Google accounts for the app to work.