When we set out to craft the best active adventures in Asia we always start with the essentials...
A fantastic cycle adventure always starts with the essentials: An experienced team of guides and hosts, well-maintained equipment, quality accommodations, immersive sights and activities, and routes that will forever be at the heart of your cycling memories.
With those in place, it's time to take your experience from fantastic to incredible! As the world becomes increasingly connected via travel and technology we have strived to integrate the conveniences of the digital age into your journey - from finding and booking your perfect trip, to on-the-road communication, and post-trip feedback.
Now we've taken our next big leap into the future of travel connectivity - Introducing the Grasshopper Adventures Tour Companion App!
Now, full disclosure, it's not going to clean the dishes or do your tax return, but it will enhance your travel experience. We use the word enhance because there's no replacement for the essentials. You'll still have your friendly expert guide and support team, and the companion app can't reproduce the aroma and taste of an expertly prepared local meal, or the feeling of wind in your hair as you embark on another day of adventure.
So... What does the app actually do?
We first premiered an early Grasshopper App for our Self-guided adventurers. It was designed as a helpful digital companion in the absence of a guide, providing daily briefings, routes, and recommendations for restaurants and local sights. We were proud of our first app, and it made us the first operator in Asia to run a new generation of digitally assisted self-guided bike tours. The next step seemed natural, introduce a companion app to all our adventures. but make it even better!
The new Grasshopper App is available on all of our multi-day cycling adventures in all destinations, with the exception of customized trips, and runs smoothly on Android or Apple devices. It's not just an upgrade from our self-guided app it's a completely new platform and experience, offering interactive itineraries, live chat and calls, pre-trip guides and checklists, group messaging, photo sharing, and a handy location-sharing feature to coordinate meeting points or if you get separated from the group.
With a few taps of your fingers, you can review your daily schedule or the whole of your cycling adventure, access pre-trip arrangements, packing list recommendations, and information about your destination.
Self-guided customers will also receive even more information than before, including insight into exact routing, as well as text and audio sightseeing content. The Grasshopper App is essentially your pocket guide for self-guided bike tours, and now more powerful than ever.
The chat feature makes it even easier to connect with your host and our support office, so you can confirm trip details, meeting points, start times and more, quickly and easily from your mobile phone. Whether you are exploring the highlands of Sri Lanka, cycling down the Thai Gulf coast, going on a self-guided adventure of Japan, or relaxing on the deck of our river ships, you can use the app's Chat Assistant from anywhere to reach your guide, our support team, or receive group broadcasts from your tour hosts that will remind you of an upcoming activity.
In fact, you can also share your live location if you are separated from your group to help your host locate you. It is also handy when meeting up on day one of your trip, making missed meeting points a thing of the past!
So while the Grasshopper App is not part of any digital metaverse and won't facilitate crypto trades. It will enhance your trip and become a staple of the Grasshopper experience, making your perfect getaway even better!