TripHugger New Version – Collection Enhancement

Hello TripHuggers! When you come across interesting travel spot or articles about travel, save them in TripHugger so that you can easily draw ideas from collections for your next trip. We just released a new version to enhance Collection functions which include

1. Add a new collection of spot directly in Collections page by clicking “+” on the top right corner of Collection -> Spot tab

2. Collect a web page directly from Safari on your iPhone — Click Share button in Safari to collect a web page in TripHugger (Please enable TripHugger share function in activity list or you will not be able to see TripHugger option in the Share Sheet of Safari after clicking Share button)

You can follow the following steps to easily collect a web page to TripHugger.

 

Open the Page in Safari

 

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Saving webpages to your Collection makes it easy to collect vacation ideas! Open the travel information page you want to collect in Safari.

 

Enable as Share Option

 

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Click on Share button, and the share sheet will appear. Scroll to the right and then tap on More. You will find TripHugger in the Activities list.

 

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Enable TripHugger so that TripHugger will appear on your share sheet. To have TripHugger displayed in the beginning of the share sheet, move TripHugger to the top of the Activities list. Press Done to complete the change.

 

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Then select “TripHugger” to collect the page.

 

Customize Information

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You can customize the title and description to be saved in your Collection, and then press Collect.

 

CollectNewStep6@3x After you press Collect button, the link will be saved with the title and description which you created.

 

Collections make collecting travel ideas and planning trips much easier. We hope that you will enjoy collecting travel ideas anytime and anywhere with the new version!

TripHugger New Version Released — Itinerary Co-editing

We are happy to announce that TripHugger provides itinerary co-editing function in our new release!

Once the leader of a trip turns the co-editing mode on in trip profile page,

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Travel buddies in the same trip will be able to use all functions needed for planning a trip, including

1. Add or delete spots
2. Adjust the spot visiting sequence
3. Increase or decrease the number of travel days
4. Adjust the itinerary by day

Also, you can do planning when your device is offline as well. Once your device is online, all the changes will be shared with your travel buddies. If you do planning simultaneously with your travel buddies, you will see real-time changes made by your travel buddies.

Simulator Screen Shot Jun 22, 2017 21.28.24 Simulator Screen Shot Jun 22, 2017 21.28.24

In addition to co-editing function, the new release also provides the following
1. business hour of a spot provided by Google or Foursquare is offered to you for your reference.
2. spot-to-spot distance can be displayed in kilometers or miles through the setting in each trip profile.
3. UI/UX improvement.

Download / update your TripHugger App now and enjoy co-editing the itinerary with your travel buddies! The download link to App Store is here: https://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/id882313848&mt=8

 

 

TripHugger Tips – Planning trip together with your friends

Cherry blossom season is coming to the south of Japan. Have you been ready with your travel plan?

If you and your travel mates all want to contribute ideas of place to visit, TripHugger is the one for you! One of you who start to create a travel plan is the “Leader”, and the rest of travel mates joined the travel planning are “Trip Mates”. Trip Mates can contribute travel spots that they want to visit to the poll list in the travel plan. Everyone can vote to make their most preferred place to the top of the poll list. Leader can then arrange the plan based on the ordering of preferred spots, and check if the route of travel showing on the map is satisfying by adjusting the sequence of visiting.

Use “Group Chat” to discuss and see what has been changed in the plan, making collaborative planning and sharing in real-time.

If a Trip Mate want to arrange the plan, Leader can use the “TRIPHUGGERS” list in the 2nd tab from the left, click on the cell of the Trip Mate, and assign the Trip Mate as the Leader. The ex-Leader will become a Trip Mate, and the new Leader will be able to do arrange the visiting sequence and do everything in your plan.

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Your questions and comments are more than welcome! Please send us an email to support@triphugger.com. Thank you! Have fun!

TripHugger Kaigi Tour #1 : Tokyo, Autumn, Foliage

How we make TripHugger Kaigi Tour different.

TripHugger organizes TripHugger Kaigi (meeting in Japanese) every month in Japan. Attendees ranges from travel lovers to professionals in travel industries . In every meeting, we discuss with guest speakers and others with different background and interests and plan a trip for a chosen area, season and concept of the trip.

We proudly present the guided tour resulted from the first TripHugger meeting, led by Sei Ouchi-san and Kaori Mizuno-san on November 14th and 15th: “Tokyo, Autumn, Foliage”. Ouchi-san is the expert hiker specialized in Tokyo, Tohoku, Tokai and Koshu area in Japan. He combines hiking with local stories and he shared the stories with his unique point of view. Mizuno-san is a professional tour guide for foreign travelers visiting Japan.

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TripHugger Kaigi Tour #1 on November 14th and 15th:  Tokyo, Autumn, Foliage

 

Description

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We will visit Mt. Mitake which is about 2 hr by train from Shinjuku station. It is easy to hike and the altitude is just 929m. Recently, the mountain is known as one of the best places to see the autumn foliage. But there is more — The mountain is the most ancient place in Tokyo and therefore it has many stories about the god of the mountain. Our guides will share the stories and show you how people has been living on the landscape. Please join us with comfortable outdoor clothes. Your shoes do not have to be professional hiking ones.

Keywords

Cultural Climbing, Low Mountain experience, International exchanges, Tokyo, Autumn, Red Leaves, Autumn Foliage, Mt. Mitake, The view of Tokyo, Musashi Mitake Shrine, Yamato Takeru, Faith to Wolves, The Sanctuary of Farming and Divination, Waterfalls

 

Special Tour Guide

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Sei OUCHI

  • President at loca-rise production(URL
  • Professor of FREEDOM UNIVERSITY(URL
  • Co-founder at TEGAKIMAP Promotion Committee(URL
-What’s the good things of Hiking on mountains with lower altitude?
In Japan, people only live below 2000m high in the mountain area. Japanese believes that a mountain is protected by a god who lives there. Generations after generations, many stories about the mountains and interactions between people and the environment are passed on in the neighborhood but not documented. It will be pity if we just go hiking without knowing the stories from locals which, in my opinion, help us to understand and appreciate more about the relationship between people and nature. Unlike “Peak Hunting” which means that people climbs high and difficult mountains as a record of challenging oneself, hiking in the mountain with lower altitude combines human, culture and nature beautifully and immerse visitors into the place with history.

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Kaori MIZUNO

  • Fully Certified Tour Guide by Government of Tokyo Metropolis. Cert.No: EN03615(URL
  • President at Field Trip+(URL
  • CEO at Pastel(URL

-How did it start?

We found that many foreigners living in Japan felt it was difficult to make Japanese friends or experience Japanese life. I think this is very sad! That is why I started FTP where we can learn and enjoy Japanese culture TOGETHER.

 

How To Register

Please complete the registration by filling out this form.  http://goo.gl/forms/72SB8l3Jpg

★Please kindly ask your friends and family who plan to join the tour to fill in the application form. http://goo.gl/forms/72SB8l3Jpg
★After we receive the application form from you,  we will email you to inform about the payment. The registration is completed after we receive your payment.

 

Trip Information

One day Tour Exploring Mt. Mitake

Date: November 14th, 2015(Sat)
Start: 10:00 JR Ontake station
End: 17:00 JR Ontake station
Attendees:max 25 people
Charge:7,000 yen
Included:Guiding Fee, Insurance
Excluded:Transportation Train, Bus, Cable car, Lift)、Foods & Drinks

Additional Option to stay at a traditional shrine!!

Date: November 14th- 15th , 2015(Sat-Sun)
Start: Continuing from the one day tour
End: 14:00 JR Ontake station on 15th
Stay:Mitake Sanso, a shrine opens for staying overnight. We will stay at big Japanese style rooms and sleep on a Futon mat. (Women and Men are separated). You do not have a private room for yourself.
http://www.mitakesansou.com/
Attendees:maximum 10 people
Charge:2,000 yen
Included :Guiding Fee
Excluded (we pay there): One night stay and dinner(11,000 yen), Transportation (Train, Bus, Cable car, Lift)、other Foods&Drinks

For more information

We will inform you what to bring and wear later after your registration is completed.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact us via email !!
support@triphugger.com

How To Register

Please complete the registration by filling out this form.  http://goo.gl/forms/72SB8l3Jpg

★Please kindly ask your friends and family who plan to join the tour to fill in the application form. http://goo.gl/forms/72SB8l3Jpg
★After we receive the application form from you,  we will email you to inform about the payment. The registration is completed after we receive your payment.
TripHugger
Shiro SOMEYA

Iceland and water 4-1

Akureyri
‘In an Icelandic town, a school, a church, and a swimming pool, are the three essentials. ‘ Said by Runar, our local tour guide.
The first two didn’t surprise me, but the third is quite interesting, I thought.
Then we went to a local swimming pool to get an experience of how local lives. The pool was located in a residential area. There are people from all ages. It was our skin tone and hair color, it was very obvious that we are travelers (no place to hide). The kids were staring at me, but in a friendly way, they were just curious I felt. I had a wonderful time swimming and soaking myself in pools in various temperatures – from super cold to hot. As a side note, we learned that everyone needs to shower naked (in public shower room) before going into the water. Don’t forget to do so, otherwise, staff will show up and tell you!
Sundlaug outdoor swimming pool, Akureyri, Iceland
The photo only captures half of the facility. I took the picture in the early morning before it opens.

Sing with Heaven-Bali

When speaking of vacation, Bali first came to my mind. After watching the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”, I had been holding a fantasy on Bali with its refreshing sea and inspiring mountains. Thus I planned this sweet trip with my BFF. For the purpose of relaxation, we didn’t put many spots in the itinerary; rather, we spent a long while at certain places to deeply take in their essence.

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Before kicking off our trip, we exchanged money for preparation. I felt like a millionaire while holding these cash in hands.

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Since we stayed at the hotel a few steps away from the beach, we had free access to the facilities and picturesque view. The best thing was you’d indulge yourself in this background at any moment either sunbathing or grabbing a drink. While the waves hit the sand regularly, singing a lullaby, clearing our mind, we were intoxicated with its pleasant voice.

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IMG_0577In order to seize every miraculous moment of sunset, we determined to dine on the beach, along the coastline. The background was as spectacular as movie that I didn’t believe in real life. The seafood BBQ was also tasty-fresh and juicy. What more could I ask for while spending nice quality moments here with my BFF.

 

IMG_0488A live band also sang for us, in celebration of our arrival. Recognizing our hometown, they presented a Chinese song-Xiao Wei, in praise of a star-like beautiful lady, to us. I had to admit that we were flattered so we paid tips generously. What a smart scheme, dudes!

IMG_0502When lazily awakened by the tide in another morning, the extravagant breakfast buffet was something we didn’t want to miss. Complete with omelette station, pancake/waffle station, noodle soup, local eats and sweets, we were delightfully satisfied with this long breakfast. Of course we had cups of freshly squeezed juice and Balinese coffee as the perfect ending.

IMG_0509Unfortunately we met a shower when we ultimately finished our breakfast, so we spent some time walking around the high-end hotel. The oriental ornament struck me with a powerful blow, calming me down immediately and inspired me deeply. Quiescent and peaceful, I stood in front the candle and had a thorough contemplation.

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Plumeria, hued as egg, was nicknamed as “Egg Flower”. The easiest way to celebrate its  beauty was to pick one and put it in the hair.

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The shower ended, and so did our stomachs. We were ready for the next feast. In search for some local food, we got recommendation from the hotel porter. This cool restaurant, sitting above the pond, not only provided palatable food, but amusement.  With dozens of pavilions spreading around the pond, the restaurant served like a village. Due to the adequate space between each pavilion, customers enjoyed privacy without disturbance.

 

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IMG_0676Mountains in Bali constructed a completely different climate. Lush and peaceful, mountains washed away our annoyance with its magical power. While strolling along the trails, we found couples of hallowed temples dotting about the mountain. By enshrining local gods, these altars bred rich culture and piety.

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Here was where we ended our trip. By immersing in a private pool equipped by the villa, we breathed the air of freshness, and sang with goddess.

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Dance with Ocean-Penghu, Taiwan

While our plane landed in Penhu, the glaring sunshine embraced us with its open arms. Penghu was extremely hot in summer with little shade, thus every citizen there owned perfect nature suntan without any color difference. In fear of sunburn, we were well-prepared to confront with the wild sunshine with a complete set of tools including sunscreen, hats, caps, coats, sleeves, umbrellas, sunglasses, and pants. To be honest, they occupied a huge amount of our luggages. But all the hard work paid back while we found ourselves immune to the sunbeam. Thanks to the generous sunshine, Penghu successfully built a positive first impression on me-passionate and hospitable. This small island was so adorable that I couldn’t help but fell in love with it. The awaiting vigor refreshed me by replacing my annoyance with a delightful heart.

IMAG1505The infinite ocean, amazing and powerful, compasses the whole island. It provides me an easy access to it while it stands at the end of every road.

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The interesting shape of stones, mimicking a number of items, created a series of folklore. It asked for great imagination to associate the nature to the human world. The top one may ring a bell to Taiwanese since the shape is highly similar to the shape of Taiwan island. The middle one was a pleated skirt with dozens of folds curving upon. Pleated skirt is common in high school uniform, so it contains a sharing memory for those who have attained high school. The bottom one was double-heart of stacked stones. With its exquisite design, it is meant to catch fish in correspond to the tides.

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Unfortunately I never like the folklore circulated among local citizens. It was said that there was a wife standing along the beach welcoming for her husband’s return from the ocean. She repeated it every afternoon until one day her husband did not show up. Upset as she was, she yet believed there might be some chances to meet her husband in the heaven, therefore she committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Sadly she failed to meet her husband since he was not dead yet. Where was he? He leaded a new life by remarrying with a young lady in China. The upset wife turned into a stone lying along the beach, awaiting for her husband’s return. I think the story did not have to turn into a tragedy as the folklore formula usually runs.

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Besides breathtaking view, the ocean feasted us with fresh seafood. The grilled oyster was amazing with salty juice oozing and sweet flesh shaking as if it danced in my mouth. The urchin was soft and sweet, melted as soon as I put in my mouth.

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Of course we did not miss the chance to meet the undersea friends. The undersea world reminded me of ‘Find  the Nemo’ with its spectacular scene. As if a guest to Nemo’s house, I especially like the colorful fish and coral.

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Welcome to the Ocean Amusement Park! In pursuit of speed and amusement, these facilities did not let me down. I enjoyed a bumpy trip above the sea with body bumping and water splashing. The sea water went into my mouth as I screamed at top of my lungs. Hmm… very salty.

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By looking toward the farthest, I said goodbye to the beautiful island as the sun said goodbye to me. Sinking in the cloud, the sun ended its day with a gorgeous shadow. I looked into it and make a promise to come back someday.

 

 

 

Why we started TripHugger?

May, 2013. The weather was getting warm in China.

We just closed a start-up and had learned enough about China for 2 years. Not only trying to figure out where the next location would be, we also started to discuss about ideas for our next start-up. We happened to be travel-mania. Traveling to Cambodia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, United States, Japan, Italy and China has made memorable chapters in our life. We want to help others to have more traveling with less inconvenience and more rewarding experience.

“Let’s try some ideas about Travel!”.  We started to do extensive brain storming and research about possibilities of having a wonderful solutions for travel lovers. Knowing that UI/UX design is crucial, we consulted lots of experts and were so lucky to find an excellent UI designer (I’ll definitely use another column to introduce her). TripHugger is the answer to all the problems we have ever met when we were planning trips together. We designed our solution to be mobile first to provide a handy tool for users to carry around when they’re on the way to some places. We spent a lot of time on building a good technical architecture to deal with the network connectivity problem which we always have on the road and the collaboration problem when a group of friends want to plan a trip together. We are currently staying in Tokyo and TripHugger, with the handy map attached to itinerary and suggested list of spots close by,  is a great companion to help us explore Tokyo and Japan.

We love what we do for TripHugger and we are very thankful to all the users who are keen to provide feedback and help us to make it better.

Our team is currently in Tokyo. Let us buy you a cup of coffee if you happened to be here