IgoUgo.com

Review by Adrian Mann, owner of Adrian Mann Design, providing independent reviews and analysis of travel web sites in the UK.

You may be aware that the 6th Annual ‘Webby Awards’ are coming up soon, so we should have a look at one of the sites in the ‘Travel’ category. This week, it’s Igougo.com, an online community for ‘Enthusiastic Travellers’, and featuring journals, a travel club, special deals, message board, photo galleries and more.

Overall
The homepage downloads in 28.2 seconds – not bad considering the amount of graphics. It’s a nice looking page – the style is based on luggage stickers, passport stamps and travel documents, and is consistently applied throughout the site. The content areas are prominently displayed, and the titles clearly describe what you’ll find in them. You’ll need to register and enter some travel preferences to get the best out of it, but this only takes a few minutes and allows you to specify your areas of interest.

Content
One of the primary areas of the site is “Discover Destinations”, where you can read the journals and look at the photos from fellow travellers, from Antarctica to Zambia. At present there are over 2,000 destinations covered, and you can also add your own. The journals are searchable, and there’s also a map and drop-down menus to help you find what you’re after. You can also see the profiles of the reviewers, and if you add your own, there are ‘Go Points’ on offer, which can be redeemed for travel accessories or Frequent Flyer Miles. The reviews are rated, and the best get “Editors Pick” status. There’s also a gallery of 30,000 photos, taken by travellers.

Another feature is the community centre – a message board and message centre, where users can swap stories and ask for advice, and also send and receive personal mail. There’s a wide variety of subjects covered, arranged geographically for travel questions, with other more general topics such as travelling with kids, luxury or senior travel being covered here.
You can also book travel with IgoUgo, although as this is a US-based site it may be of limited use to UK or European based users. This area functions more like a portal, with plenty of links to travel providers such as car rental companies, tour companies, hotels, cruises and tours. The site also has ‘Special Deals’ for members of their Travel Club.

Featured articles has longer and more in-depth pieces on a variety of subjects, such as Uzbekistan adventures, English stately hotels or a trip to Denmark. There’s also an archive of previous articles. Other areas on the site include travel resources – a collection of links to other travel sites for items such as luggage, insurance, maps and books.

On the face of it, the content look a little limited – but the secret to getting the most out of the site is to be an active member. There’s plenty to read from other travellers, and more likely than not, someone has something to say on most destinations. Even if you can’t find anything, you may feel like writing your own journal and submitting it, especially if you’re first to write on a particular topic or destination.

The personal profile or ‘Passport’ can retain a large amount of information about you and your travel preferences, and there are also additional features for paying ‘Travel Club’ members.

Summary
This is an excellent travel community site. It’s good to see that being an active member will generate rewards in the form of Go Points, as this will serve to keep the content fresh and make the community active and engaging. A scale operates for points rewards, which can be gained by submitting journals, photos, or referring friends. The design is clear and consistent, and the whole site is well-maintained and very active. There is, as you’d expect, a predominantly US perspective, but overall it’s an excellent resource and well worth joining and participating. Recommended.