I’m continually surprised by the smart and unexpected ways that social media tools are transformed and appropriated for fun and practical uses. The clever gang behind the social travel app JetPac City Guides (free iOS) has scoured every public Instagram picture and used the results to create city-specific guides to over 5,000 cities and towns around the globe.
So what does that mean for you as a traveler? The app aggregates photos of local sites like cultural attractions, hipster hangouts, coffee places, beer spots, views, restaurants, etc., and makes recommendations with accompanying Instagram pics. The app also is searchable by categories such as “tribes”—Places Intellectuals Go, Places Students Go, Places Stoners Go, Places Locals Go, etc..
My take so far: I’m liking the opportunity to see photos of places before I search them out, but I don’t necessarily want to make travel choices based on popular vote via Instagram. What do you think?