The ability to traverse the globe with ease has never been more important. This makes travel app development equally as important and profound. Travel apps for both iOS and Android devices are becoming more prominent each day, as more and more users are spending dedicated amounts of time to researching and planning their next big trip or work destination. Given that mobile bookings in the travel industry have grown by 1700% since 2015, it is expected that a whopping 31% of all travelers will search and book their next trip from a smartphone or tablet. Of course, the modern traveler wants more from a travel app than just the ability to book or browse hotels. Below, we’ve outlined the top 10 features for your travel app in 2020.
The travel and tourism industry aren’t going anywhere, create a travel app that engages and you’ll be enjoying users for years to come. Let’s find out what features you can implement to make your mobile travel app rank among the best travel apps on app stores today.
Top 10 Features For Your Travel App in 2020
1. A Travel Planner Feature
Travel apps are no longer reserved for simply booking a place to rest your head at night. Users want more. One thing most travelers demand from a travel app is a great trip organizer/planner function developed by an experienced enterprise software development team. Such a planner should include the ability for users to search for destinations and itineraries. Additionally, the function should enable users to create schedules, store tickets (airline or otherwise), and access usable QR codes.
2. Transportation Services
When trekking through a new city most travelers walk about with their phone readily available in hand. That’s because navigating a new city can be frustrating and difficult, especially if a traveler is not sure where to get a cab or other forms of transportation. A key feature to include in your travel app in 2020 is a transportation service function. To do this, you would need to utilize location services and collaborate with major travel services/city traffic services. The idea is that a user wouldn’t need to open a second app to hire a cab for traveling. Additionally, users would be able to locate train stations, bus stations, and forms of public transportation with ease.
3. Booking Services
Another great feature to include in your travel app for 2020 is a booking service. This isn’t necessarily relegated to just hotels or hostels, but rather, in-city tourism destinations and museums as well. Users often look forward to amassing the best deals for tickets and accommodations from their favorite travel apps.
By integrating the ability to book tickets, hotels, and tours directly from the app (with usable coupons or discounts), you’ll find that loyalty to your app greatly increases and the demand will soar. Additionally, provide an inbuilt feature providing transport to/from the hotel, a loyalty program, and virtual check-ins.
4. Travel Journal
Believe it or not, a large number of travelers love to keep a journal to cover the entirety of their trip. Often they accomplish this through taking pictures, videos, or even taking audio records. Using a great enterprise software development team, integrate a “journal” or “diary” feature that allows users to capture the magic of their trip in each form. For an added bonus, give users the ability to post their travel journal directly to their preferred social media platform directly from the app.
5. Navigation Services
Even seasoned travelers know that sometimes being in an unknown city or place can be challenging. Especially if there is no clear way how to get around town or reach an intended destination. According to statistics, 85% all mobile users implement one or more navigation tools for assistance while traveling. By integrating navigation and geolocation directly into your travel app, you’re keeping users engaged with your application rather than having to jump around to other navigation services. For an added bonus, ensure that your navigation services allow for map downloads for offline use.
6. Trip Reviews or Travel Recommendations
When traveling to a new place, most travelers want to seek out non-tourist spots or areas frequented by locals. After all, this is the only way to get a true taste for what a city or region is all about. Consider integrating trip reviews or travel recommendations into your travel app. Think of examples such as Tripadvisor for guidance. Allow for reviews and recommendations by any user, but flag those who are local to the area the traveler is checking into.
7. Translation Functionality
Travelers are no longer prone to staying in their own country or region. International travel is on the rise which negates the need for translation functionality in any travel app. Too often, people feel obstructed when traveling due to a language barrier. While there are translation apps in the iOS and Android app stores, travelers don’t want to have to run several applications at the same time in order to conserve battery life. By integrating translation functions into your travel app with an enterprise software development team, travelers can feel free to move about without the fear of a language barrier from signs, street maps, or locals.
8. Weather Forecasts
Any trip can be negatively or positively affected by a simple change in the weather. Integrate weather updates into your travel app for 2002 and grant users the ability to plan ahead without having to utilize separate apps. Any experienced enterprise software development team knows how to utilize a standard open-source API to include a weather function in your travel app.
9. Local Emergency Services
Life doesn’t care whether or not a traveler is in a foreign country when throwing an emergency their way. With local emergency services, travelers can feel confident that they know where local hospitals and police stations are located no matter what city they find themselves traveling through. Simply integrate a feature displaying the numbers of any and all emergency services in the area. You can also allow users to call these services directly through the app. Not only does this provide security to your users, but it gives you a bit of credibility and indicates that you care about your user’s safety.
10. Social Media Account Login
Since a mobile travel app is such a personal tool for travelers, it is important to integrate their social media accounts and platforms directly into the app. When a user registers for an account within your app, add the social media login feature as an option. Not only will this speed up registration time, but it will give you access to their social media profiles, which can help you to build personalized deals and ads for each user. Additionally, most users appreciate the ability to share details of their trip directly to their preferred social media site without having to open a separate app.
The Takeaway
Building a great travel app in 2020 means integrating features that can make any traveler’s trip that much easier. Whether it is a travel journal to keep tabs on their day-to-day activities or transportation services to get them safely to the next station, you want to think like a traveler while also promoting your brand and company. Integrate a few of these top 10 features into your travel app and enjoy the influx of travelers ready to give it a go on their next adventure.
