Travel + Leisure India & South Asia — May 2017

31 G SPOTTING

Yes, that’s what it’s

called. The travel

app from Gwyneth

Paltrow’s Goop will

help you find your

pleasure zone with

more than 25

destination guides

curated by Goop

editors, Paltrow,

and her in-the-know

friends. It’s geared

primarily toward

foodies, hipsters,

art lovers, and

travellers with kids.

iOS only

32 AIRBNB

Last fall, Airbnb

launched its in-app

Trips feature to

offer specialised

experiences to its

guests. Want to

take a sculpture

class in London or a

cooking class in

Paris? Choose from

a list of dozens of

offerings hosted by

locals, many with a

social-impact bent,

including an LGBT-

themed bike ride in

San Francisco and

urban gardening in

Los Angeles.

33 LOCALEUR

Savvy locals in more

than 25 US cities

share the lowdown

on the best places to

PLANNING

CONCIERGES

Upgrade

eat, drink, shop,

and party in their

hometowns. Find

the best Instagram

spots in San

Francisco, the best

place to go rock

climbing in Austin,

Texas, romantic

date spots in

Chicago, and more.

Additional US cities

are coming later

this year.

34 I R C T C R A I L

CONNECT

For travellers in

India, Indian Railway

Catering and

Tourism Corporation

has facelifted its

mobile app for

railway and flight

bookings. Download

the app and you will

be asked to set up a

four-digit password

that you will require

each time you open

it. Along with this

security come more

features and a user-

friendly interface.

Yo u c a n u s e tatkal

and premium-

tatkal, check the

status of your

booking, and

cancel tickets.

35 MEMRISE

Learn more about

the language and

culture of your

destination with

classes on a variety

of topics in more

than 200 tongues.

The subjects are

broad and fun—gain

insight on China’s

ethnic groups, learn

how to identify

different kinds of

spices in Polish,

or pick up Pokémon

terminology in

French.

36 TRAVEL+ LEISURE

Our own app is filled

with editor-curated

hotels, restaurants,

shops, bars, and

attractions in more

than 65 destinations

around the world.

Use it to browse our

recommendations,

bookmark favourites,

and build an

itinerary. Make sure

to download the

guide for offline use

if you’re travelling

somewhere with

spotty service.

37 S O L O

TRAVELLER

If you’re hitting the

road alone and

looking to connect

with like-minded

people, use this app

to plan sightseeing

excursions, meals,

and taxi shares with

other travellers.

41 HELLO SCOUT

The concierge app

used by boutique

hotel companies

Joie de Vivre,

Viceroy, OLS,

Waterford, and

Provenance offers

personalised

service via in-app

chat. Guests can

use it to get insider

tips and book

restaurant

reservations.

42 LOLA

This chat-based

app asks you to

fill out a profile,

then serves up

customised hotel

recommendations

that you can use

to book 2,75,000

properties

worldwide. You can

also message Lola’s

team of 20 agents

24 hours a day.

We not only got a

thoughtful list of

three hotels in

London but Lola

also helped us book

tickets to a sold-out

West End show.

43 JOURNY

This travel agent

and concierge

rolled into one will

construct a highly

detailed itinerary for

you that includes

the best restaurants,

sights, and events

for your trip. Fees

start at US$15 per

day, and repeat

customers can sign

up for a flat-rate

membership.

iOS only

44 NOMI

Use this app to

get on-demand

hairstyling and

makeup application

at five high-end

New York City

hotels. Sessions

cost US$95 and up,

and start as early as

6.30 am. Our stylist

at the WestHouse

Hotel left us with

an immaculate

blow-dry. iOS only

45 DUFL

Dufl will house

and launder an

entirely separate

travel wardrobe

and ship it to your

destination for a flat

rate of US$99 for

each round-trip,

plus US$9.95 per

month for storage.

68 TRAVEL + L E I S U R E / M AY 2 0 1 7

38 TRIP REPUBLIC

This aggregator

offers one-stop

shopping for trip

planning—use it

to search and book

flights, hotels, and

restaurants and

to seek out top

attractions. But,

unlike most travel

apps, which stop

there, this one

stands out because

once a trip is

selected, you can

create an itinerary,

update it, and

share it with

fellow travellers.

39 SKYLARK

Skylark pairs

luxury hotels with

premium- and

economy-class

flights to offer

special rates on

vacation packages.

Deals are negotiated

by travel agents,

with savings of up

to 50 per cent off

published airfares

and hotel rates.

The US$400 annual

membership also

includes a 24/7

concierge.

40 WEGO

The metasearch

travel site’s

upgraded app lets

you scour more

than 700 sites at

once to give you the

lowest prices

currently available

for airfare and

lodging, sometimes

with better pricing

results than Kayak

or Momondo.

BOOKING

70 TRAVEL + LEISURE / MAY 2017