iOverlander Travel Resource App– Exploration Portal

In the fall of 2014, I wrote a little review of an upstart web and app-based travel resource called iOverlander. At the time it had equivalent potential to be a runaway success, or just among a million terrific ideas to disappear into the cyber-ether. Three years later on, the iOverlander platform is a tested winner with much of the most well-traveled people in our neighborhood providing it due credit for helping them produce their own overland journeys.

The iOverlander app was developed to meet the main requirements travelers deal with every day: where to sleep, eat, get fuel, find a mechanic, or simply help finding a pretty place to catch the sundown and snap off a few pictures. The finest method to accrue this type of info is of course through fellow tourists. Managing that influx of information, and guaranteeing it’s precise and helpful, is no little task. When iOverlander launched 3 years earlier, it’s safe to state the catalog of information offered was rather thin, if not patently nonexistent in some popular travel locations.

It was throughout my current interviews with Lisa Morris and Jason Spafford, the dynamic duo behind Two Wheeled Wanderer that I when again heard reference of iOverlander. Their positive evaluation was echoed soon after by Richard and Ashley of Desk to Magnificence. It got me as soon as again logging onto the iOverlander site and mobile app to see how the task was developing. There remain a few voids on their map, I was incredibly amazed with how much beneficial information now populates their database.

What I like most about the system is the familiarity of the interface and the simplicity of the navigation. The Google background map is something I utilize often, so it’s a comfortable tool to use whether I remain in my home state or climbing high into the Andes. On a current journey to Peru I constantly checked the app to evaluate the accuracy of the listed resources and was pleased every time.

Like the majority of map-based mobile apps, to obtain the optimum energy out of the system you’ll need either WiFi connectivity or an active cellular signal with information capability. For usage beyond those circumstances the mobile app allows users to download maps of specific areas with the very first 3 downloads incurred at no cost. Subsequent downloads are only $1. Even a small budget can afford a buck.

For travelers inclined to contribute information there are well-defined techniques for sharing that information in one-off submissions, or wholesale data discards. The info provided is vetted, looked for precision, and the collaborates verified before being listed in the resources. Anyone who has handled these types of crowd source jobs has to value the ridiculous headache such an undertaking produces, although iOverlander has done well to keep everything dialed in.

Every traveler, no matter experience and ability, has at some point in their journeys been at a loss of where to opt for food, sleep, or other logistics. The ability to quickly tap into a mobile app to find a mechanic, hostel, or even just a level plot of ground to drop a tent, is invaluable. I confess, I didn’t understand 3 years ago if this project would have legs, however it clearly does. And those legs are on the relocation.

Screen shots and samples

(Above)Clicking an icon opens a pop-up window with all the pertinent information relative to that resource. I have actually remained at the Llangonuco Lodge beyond Yungay, Peru several times and found the info noted on the iOverlander app extremely accurate.(Below)Some icons designate actual camping sites whereas a couple of pinpoint little more than flat ground deserving of a night’s sleep. Although I have only checked the database in select areas in Peru and Ecuador, they appeared trustworthy and helpful like the noted camping place near Keshua Lake, Peru.(Below)If in a mechanical jam, there are substantial listings for service center throughout their worldwide map system. A few even include information about the level of proficiency an offered shop has. This is the kind of info that makes or breaks a journey. For those inclined to send info to the iOverlander team, the interface to format the significant details is simple to navigate and fast to complete. To learn more check out he website or download the Android or iOS mobile app.