Google is enhancing the way users plan their travel and vacations. Through the latest feature on its search engine called Destinations, it's become possible to arrange any aspect of the trip, whether its the flight or what to do once you arrive at the destination, all from a single search.
Destinations on Google isn't a new website however, instead, it is exclusive to mobile and can be surfaced by typing a location followed by the term "destinations" or "vacations."
For example, if you type "European vacations," you will be shown a grid of major cities in Europe along with what it'll cost to get to each location, as well as the best times to go. Furthermore, if you choose to refine the search by looking for a specific country or city, then Google will present the option to open up an all new "travel guide." Whichever method you chose, you'll always be led to the Destinations feature where you can find specific information to help plan your trip.
Most Destination pages have two tabs, the first being where users can explore the location with a description, photos and videos from around the web, while the second one is where Google will help users book their travel and determine where they'll stay.
One key features about these tabs is the itinerary, since deciding how long you'll spend in each location and where you'll go in between is often regarded as one of the most difficult aspects of travel. Google has spent a great deal of effort on this one part of Destinations, and at launch will have itineraries available for 201 cities - some of which will have more than one.
Granted, Destinations doesn't necessarily compare to the finely honed recommendations of dedicated guides, but it does allow all the information to be accessed on one place - which is what it was designed to do and comes as Google seeks to dethrone the travel industry's two main aggregators: Kayak and Trivago.
As for why Google chose to make this feature exclusive to mobile? In a blog post, Google explains that the reason is quite simple: it saw a 50 percent increase in travel-related questions on mobile phones as opposed to the other leading source.
Check out the reveal video for Google Destinations below:
