TRAVEL | 5 reasons why I love RoadGoat

I am always on the lookout for helpful apps or useful websites when it comes to travel so when I recently came across RoadGoat, I just had to write a blog post about it.

RoadGoat is essentially a website that integrates with Facebook, Fitbit, Instagram and Foursquare to map all of your travels in just one place. You can share your travels or map wherever you like or get recommendations on new places, whereas RoadGoat will also suggest and match you with new locations to go next (based on your previous travels). What a sweet idea!

Here’s five reasons why I love it.

IT’S SO EASY TO RECORD YOUR TRAVELS
The simple interface and easy integration is what drew me in with this website. I love recording where I’ve visited but I do this in so many ways, from check-ins on Facebook and reviews on Yelp to the use of apps like Polarsteps and more. Each way offers its own benefits, but it’s nice to come across a website that does it all for you. I often forget to check in with certain places and, because RoadGoat links to things like your Fitbit, it has checked off places from years ago I forgot about entirely!

It’s a really nice way to record all your travels and it’s actually a really simple and cute interface too. I have used apps similar to this (such as Been) but found they weren’t half as pretty. Likewise, Polarsteps is super informative and pretty but it’s more geared towards scrapbooking and recording stories and photos from travels. RoadGoat does exactly what it says on the tin with little to no effort on your half.

THE SIMPLE INTERFACE
The interface itself is so simple and nice to look at. It literally is just an interactive map – yet the more I use the website, the more I stumble across cool little features. That being said, I’d love to see it developed into an app too.

YOU CAN SHARE YOUR TRAVELS EASILY
The map can easily be shared amongst your friends, to Facebook or even embedded on your blog. I know a lot of blogs do embed maps to show where they’ve been, but this one is actually interactive! Here’s a photo of mine:

IT RECOMMENDS NEW PLACES TO VISIT
Based on previous check-ins, the website recommends similar places to visit. So far, for me, they’ve been quite vague – New York was my top suggestion – but it is early days yet. When I explored this area a little further, I found I could filter suggestions based on what areas are best for. This included things like Beach Town, LGBT Scene, Hippie and Family Friendly which I liked. It seemed the filters were applicable for almost every different type of traveller.

…AND MINI GUIDES TO EACH PLACE
This was something I didn’t spot until exploring further, but each place on RoadGoat has a mini guide! It’s super cute and easy to understand, offering photos, basic information, travellers’ tips and statistics such as how many users on the site have checked in there. There’s also a ‘top picks’ guide for each place and a few links to reputable accommodation and tour companies.

There are a few little teething problems such as struggling to sync my devices when using the website on my phone but nothing major. I would like to see the website developed into an actual app though.

I also look forward to exploring the recommendation element a little more – it looks like this website is on track to become a go-to ‘Yelp’ like feature when it comes to looking for places with particular interests. 

Overall, I’ve been using RoadGoat for about a week now and I can’t help but love it. It helps connect and remind me of previous travels and even though the interface is so simple and basic which I love, the more I use the website the more I discover cool little features. 

I think RoadGoat is a must-have website/tool to use when you’re travelling and would recommend it not just for your next trip but now! The benefit of being able to log-on and sync up your apps to see your previous travels is something that really helps this travel map stand out.

Will you be checking out Roadgoat anytime soon? Let me know!