The Short Version: when you are vacationing in another destination with someone special, escorted tours and sightseeing buses might not be your chosen method to check out a unique town. Jim Zhu launched the GPSmyCity app in 2010 to greatly help much more separate vacationers find out about areas at their particular pace. The application addresses significantly more than 1,000 locations while offering nearly 7,000 hiking trips arranged by subject, such as nightlife, food, or shopping. Each trip provides a digital chart and details about every interest you will go to. Best of all, the application has no need for cellular or websites, in order to put it to use overseas without accumulating high priced intercontinental charges from your cordless provider. The application can be obtained on both new iphone 4 and Android and has now had significantly more than 12 million downloads since its release.
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Jim Zhu wants to travel and check out new metropolitan areas throughout the world, but he’s not ever been enthusiast of concert tour busses. The guy does not like getting caught in a seat and afflicted by someone else’s schedule. Jim is healthier and energetic and favors the independence of walking from place to put at his personal rate. But standard maps could be troublesome, and before smart phones emerged about world, devices didn’t provide much help when navigating an innovative new town.
But that changed in 2007 whenever Apple founded the iPhone.
“after new iphone premiered and included a GPS purpose, I imagined why not combine these things? Utilize the new iphone 4’s GPS navigation function and place what when you look at the software so you can journey by yourself,” the guy stated. He’d worked in Silicon Valley for 15 years before beginning their own company, so the guy understood the particulars of tech businesses.
As an all-natural problem-solver, Jim chose to manage together with his idea. The guy started GPSmyCity in 2008 making use of the goal of generating a new iphone 4 application that granted engaging walking trips without calling for cellular or online sites. The app officially established for iOS in 2010. “It turned the new iphone into an individual tour guide,” stated Jim, which also serves as their Chief Executive Officer. Upcoming, the application was developed on Android features had significantly more than 12 million downloads since the launch.
GPSmyCity, enabling one discover more about local destinations from professionals, is perfect for partners who desire help navigating a brand new town during an enchanting getaway. Forgo the pricey tour teams and packed concert tour buses and use the app to be on a relaxed, self-paced hiking concert tour designed your special interests â and on your routine.
“we created the app to resolve my very own issue, but there are a lot of men and women online that have similar problem,” Jim stated. “Now that the application features 12 million downloads, that offers me a lot of satisfaction.”
Jim and his awesome staff at GPSmyCity want to travel and explore, in addition they’ve switched that love into a desire for helping other individuals find out about brand new locations themselves terms.
Nearly 7,000 Tours in stores Across the World
GPSmyCity provides almost 7,000 hiking tours in over 1,000 urban centers all over the world. Jim told you that, depending on the city, the application has between some to 30 various hiking trips available.
Lots of the trips have actually particular motifs or subjects, such as love, purchasing, night life, or meals, so you’re able to select types that work best with you and your partner. You’ll be able to just take a dessert-themed tour in Paris or see every one of Amsterdam’s earliest pubs on another concert tour.
You can make use of the app for a staycation and spend a week-end mid-day exploring the components of your own personal urban area you’ve never seen. As well as the software doesn’t take you to spots, in addition informs you more info on all of them.
“for every hiking concert tour, there clearly was a listing of destinations and a map,” Jim stated. “you employ the routing tool on your own smart phone â an iPhone, Android os, or iPad â in order to get from one location to another. At each stop, it comes with an image and explanation that tell you details about the spot.”
The software was designed to work offline and enables you to download maps. Whenever you travel overseas, you’ll not require mobile solution or a connection to the internet to use GPSmyCity. Which a significant advantage since with your smartphone worldwide minus the correct information strategy can lead to an obscenely big costs.
Local people & Bloggers offer Expert Advice
GPSmyCity can include more spots than any additional walking tours app as the organization works with numerous travel experts to generate world-class content material and maps. The team creates certain hiking trips internal, nevertheless they additionally use a lot of vacation authors, blog writers, and locals to produce a number of the a lot more in-depth trips.
Your local specialists write for GPSmyCity and add hiking trips that provide people a traditional, persuasive knowledge of each city. The GPSmyCity team includes strolling trips in brand-new locations every week through the relationship with regional material creators.
“the information continually gets better by utilizing these interactions, so we can cover more places,” Jim said. “We talk about app and functionality, nevertheless the content material should end up being growing and increasing.”
Collaborating with folks who happen to live, work, and play in a city creates much more romantic, special trips than possible hope to be in a travel guide. And the ones times off the crowds of people are the ones partners remember when they get back residence.
The ongoing future of GPSmyCity: Upgrade the application & increase the amount of Tours
Many globetrotting couples echo Jim’s disdain for concert tour busses and would rather discuss a lot more romantic times using their spouse while checking out another spot. And strolling through an urban area only enhances the sense of marvel they feel while on vacation.
Which is why GPSmyCity is really so well-known, however the business actually sleeping on its laurels. Jim, their developers, additionally the content material group tend to be continually improving the app, and GPSmyCity is within the process of adding better functionality to its Android os app, taking it based on the iOS equivalent. The fresh new Android version is planned for release in summer 2018.
And new features âfor both Android and iPhone â can be extra centered on ideas from consumers.
“We have an opinions function that assists you get feedback from people each day,” Jim said. “People deliver tips, and then we examine those and hold improving and enhancing â so it’s an ongoing process.”
Because Jim knows exactly about just how a thought that eliminates a challenge for one individual can resonate with huge numbers of people.