Author: rick

We are happy to announce a new Tripline release with a bunch of new functionality that we think you’ll love. Read on for the details, or head over to www.tripline.net and create a new map.

Travel Modes, Insert After & Custom Points

In the Tripline Editor, You can now click on the individual lines in your maps and set a travel mode. The options are:

1. Direct (straight line, default, good for flights)
2. Driving (line will follow recommended driving route)
3. Transit (line will follow rail/bus paths)
4. Bicycle (line will follow known bike routes / paths)
5. On Foot (line will follow known foot routes / trails)
6. Custom (you can manually adjust the line)

You’ll also notice an [ADD INTERMEDIATE WAYPOINT] button. That allows you to add a new waypoint in-between the two points on a line. Use this button if you want to have your path go through a specific city/town/intersection. Paths will update automatically.

You can also choose travel mode before adding a place by selecting [Travel Mode] from the dropdown above the search box. When you do this, the chosen mode will remain selected so all subsequent lines will get the same mode until you change it. This is a nice easy way to create road trips very quickly.

Another new addition to the search box is the [Insert After] dropdown list. This is a list of all the points in your map and you can use it to position new places in your list so you don’t have to add them to the bottom and then drag/drop.

You’ll also notice that we’ve changed the Custom Point section of the place search box. You can either paste in decimal lat/lng coordinates or click the [DROP POINT] button to drop a new point on the map wherever you want.

Map Types

You can now select a Map Type in the editor to display a different type of map. The default map type is still Terrain, but you can now turn off Terrain to display a regular Roadmap or choose Satellite mode.

Road maps and Satellite allow deeper zoom levels than Terrain, so they’re really useful for things like pub crawls, city walks and hikes where you want a lot of detail.

Player Updates

Based on your feedback, we’ve made some changes to the player to improve the playback experience.

1. Explore view by default – the player used to display a big play button when first loaded. Now the big play button is gone and you can hover over the places in your map right away. To start the animation, click the smaller blue play button at the upper right
2. Clickable links – Links in your place info are now clickable.
3. No delay on slideshows – When you set a place to slideshow mode, the photos will now start to display right away instead of displaying the place popup first.

Here are a few examples so you can see the new stuff in action:

LA Pub Crawl

Runyon Canyon Hike

Alamere Falls Day Trip

More New Features

We’ve also added a few new features in other areas of the site

1. Private user profiles – On your settings page, you can now select a checkbox to set your profile page to “Private”. This means that your profile page will only be visible to friends and it won’t be indexed by search engines.

2. Change your username – On your settings page, you can now change your username. This will also update the vanity url for your page.

3. Resizable maps – You can now resize the map in the Tripline editor. Just click and drag on the bottom edge of the map.

4. Full-width site – The Tripline site will now expand to fill your browser window

Bug Fixes

– Facebook Connect, Facebook App and Facebook photos are now working correctly
– Bug with Tripit Import putting places in the wrong location has been fixed
– Saving place info and uploading photos on the map page is now updating the player as expected
– Embedded videos will now be displayed without having to refresh the page
– We now support the new youtu.be links from YouTube
– You can now remove your profile photo on your settings page

Thanks as always for being part of Tripline and send an email to support@tripline.net if you have any questions, or add a comment below.

Enjoy!

– Byron & the Tripline Team

We’re starting off 2012 by adding some great new features to Tripline.

Instagram Import

Now you can connect your Instagram account to Tripline and import your photos to automatically create maps. It’s another great way to tell your stories.

Click [Create A New Map] and

then click [Create A Map Of My Photos]

We’ll load the 20 most recent photos from your Instagram feed. You can click [+] load more at the bottom of the list to add additional photos. There’s no limit.

Only checked items will be imported. For unchecked items that don’t have location data use the search box to type in, select and add a location. If left unchecked the images will not be added the map.

You can also add Instagram photos to existing maps.  On the map page, click on the camera icon next to each waypoint and choose the Instagram tab.

Foursquare Photos

You’ve been requesting this feature for a while and we’ve been listening! This release includes the ability to include your Foursquare  pictures when you create a map from checkins.

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 iPhone/iPad App & Mobile Site

• Now you can view a gallery of your photos in your maps right on your phone!  Photo upload is still limited to the iPhone/iPad app, but photo display is available on all devices.
• You can now read and create comments on the mobile site and iPhone/iPad app. Remember, comments can be on the trip itself, or each individual waypoint.

Performance Improvements

• Improved Map Player Loading Time: We noticed map loading times were a bit slow when the maps had a lot of points and pictures. So, we did some work and now you don’t have to watch the spinning wheel for longer than a second or two.

 

Thanks a lot for being a part of Tripline.  As always, if you need help with something, please email us: support@tripline.net

 

Originally from Ireland, Oonagh Shiel is a journalist, travel expert and the most tenured member of the Cheapflights.com content team. A mother of three, Oonagh writes with first hand authority about travel trends and top destinations as well as the challenges of traveling with children. She was kind enough to answer some travel related questions we thought Tripline users might find interesting.

 

 

Q&A with Oonagh Shiel

What are the main differences you see between European travelers and American travelers?

European travelers generally have the luxury of more travel time. They also live in closer proximity to other countries and other cultures and, thanks to the European Union, can travel with minimal hassle across neighboring borders. In the US, a surprisingly large percentage of the population does not hold a passport. In a country as vast and diverse as the US, many feel there is plenty to see and do without having to clear Customs. So, traditionally, the travel profile of an European vs. an American has been rather different.

Do you see a shift in the travel habits of either region. Is either one moving in a different direction or becoming more or less alike?

Both are spreading their wings more. The last couple of years has created a breed of value-based travelers who will go further to get a better return on their money and time. In Europe, we saw an upswing in travel to the Middle East and the eastern end of Europe last year when people were looking to to get outside the pricey Eurozone. Western Europe is now seeing growing attention again as well as savvy travelers are recognizing that economic bailouts have driven down travel costs. In the US, travelers are willing to fly a little further to get more for their money. South America is an emerging destination for winter sun. Our Rising Stars Reports, which tracked emerging hot spots, also showed that people are going deeper into “exotic” countries, meaning they don’t just go to Rio de Janeiro when hitting Brazil but rather Cuiaba or Iguassu Falls. Beijing, China, is starting to be a draw but so are Shenyang and Fuzhou.

In your experience how has the global recession affected each of these travel groups?

We see people who felt the pain when their vacation was taken away or curtailed for a year or two and are more adamant than ever about travel. They tie it to points of passion.  Voluntourism is a major trend. So are trips tied to cooking classes or wine tasting or health and fitness goals. Many people are drawn to “green” destinations. They want travel with a purpose. And, as we mentioned above, they are savvy, value shoppers who will try new things or new places to get the most out of a trip.

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We received a great mention on the Cheapflights blog this week in a short article describing “a new breed” of travel sites that encourage collaborative travel planning by harnessing the power of social media.

You can also check out their interview with Tripline Team member, Rick LaRocca, featured in the Waiting to Board section posted today.