TripCart is a travel website that helps users decide where to go and which attractions to experience. The site covers many major cities throughout the United States, including New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, San Antonio and Phoenix. Users can browse by city or by top destinations. The “What to do?” menu helps users find activities by category, which includes beaches, outdoor, romance, luxury and family attractions. Users who find a location of interest can click on it to access an overview with Google Maps, descriptions and a list of attractions with easily identifiable icons. A handful of thumbnail images is also available and can be enlarged with a click. The user can add interesting attractions to their trip.

Visit www.tripcart.com

TripCart was introduced in 2005. The application was designed to provide helpful travel information based on location and attraction. Many users have visited the site, however it has not earned significant internet popularity as of yet. The handful of available user reviews mostly comment that the site is free and doesn’t force users to provide personal information or travel details to access its information. Others appreciated the ability to review attractions without the site attempting to sell them something, aside from the ads that are present.

There aren’t many differences between TripCart and other travel websites. The site lets users browse by category or search with a location or keyword. Users can find embedded maps, descriptions and lists of attractions to add to their travel plans. While TripCart is useful, it doesn’t really offer anything new and enticing compared to the many other travel websites that are already popular. Users won’t find quote creators for airfare and hotels, which might be a drawback for some visitors.

TripCart starts strong with a stylish blue background highlighted by travel themed imagery. The homepage gives the impression of a neat, organized website. The problem lies on the location pages. The content is scattered and mingles with a significant number of advertisements. It’s difficult to pick out which parts or the site and which are simply there to generate revenue. The descriptions and attraction lists seem to scroll further down the page than necessary. TripCart could benefit from a serious makeover on its location pages.

New users can join TripCart by clicking the “Register” link in the upper, right hand corner of the homepage. A pop up box appears and asks the user for an email address, username and password as well as a first and last name. After clicking the blue button below the form, the user is redirected to the homepage and automatically logged in. No further verification is required to access the account.

All users can access TripCart’s features for free. The application earns revenue through the advertisements on the site. The advertisements are primarily text links, but they are still rather intrusive due to poor placement. It is difficult to figure out which parts of the page are search results and which are the advertisements. Users can read about many popular U.S. destinations for free, as long as they don’t mind wading through ads.

TripCart is a helpful travel planning resource for users who are visiting U.S. destinations. The application is easy to use, but cluttered with advertisements. The information is valuable, but not extensive. Most users would be better off using TripCart as a secondary or supplementary travel resource rather than their primary planning tool. The interface is user friendly, but taken down a few notches thanks to the text ads.

• Many U.S. travel destinations are covered
• Attractions and locations can be added to the user's itinerary
• Travel plans can be shared with others by email
• Embedded Google Maps are available on each location page
• Icons help users identify different types of attractions
• Descriptions provide greater detail for travelers

Visit www.tripcart.com