Outbound: A Social Network for Travellers

Connecting with other travellers to share travel experiences, tips and tricks has got to be one of my favourite things about being on the road. I’m a planner, you see. I research a place inside out before I arrive, taking careful note of the best neighbourhood to stay in, where the authentic, local food is at, and how to avoid the biggest tourist traps. This can be very time consuming and sometimes I just wish I could easily connect with travellers who might have the magical answers to all my questions!

Enter the Outbound app.

What is the Outbound app?

Outbound is an app that allows like-minded travellers to connect with one another. Sharing travel tips, recommendations and experiences is one of my favourite things to do — besides travelling itself of course! This is where the Outbound app really comes in handy. Have you ever arrived somewhere new, on your own, wishing there was a simple and easy way to meet up with like-minded travellers? Staying at a hostel can help alleviate this problem, sure, but a hostel is not every traveller’s cup of tea. The Outbound app is essentially a social network for travellers, opening up a world of possibilities.

In essence, Outbound allows you to:

♥ Find other travellers around you or in your destination

♥ Explore upcoming trips and match travel plans with others

♥ Interact with other travellers on the noticeboard

♥ Discover and attend events in any destination around the world

♥ Find wi-fi areas through the wifi-finder

Sounds great, right?

Setting up the app

Once you download the free Outbound App, you will be prompted to create your profile. Here you can upload a photograph of yourself, complete a short bio and categorise yourself in terms of what kind of traveller you are. I love that you can select more than one option, as I see myself as an expat, half of a travelling couple and an adventurer all in one! In the profile section you are also prompted to select from a number of options that will allow you to filter what kinds of travellers you are interested in connecting with, such as whether you want your profile to be viewed by anyone, or just females or males specifically.

You then have the option to populate your profile page by listing your past or upcoming trips. Here, you can also see how many other travellers registered on Outbound are also headed to the same place as you, making it super easy to connect with one another.

The noticeboard

One of my favourite features of the Outbound app is the noticeboard. This is a forum that allows you to post and respond to questions. This forum was a great resource for me during my recent trip to Copenhagen, where I was immediately shocked by how expensive prices were. Fortunately, after posting a question on the noticeboard about where I could find affordable restaurants that weren’t going to wipe out my budget, a female traveller also in Copenhagen connected with me and suggested a number of options for the budget-conscious traveller. This was so helpful!

Search and explore

Outbound’s search function allows you to discover other travellers who are nearby. This makes it so simple to connect with others and to plan to meet up for a drink or to do some sightseeing together. You can search using a range of criteria, from traveller type, age, gender, location and more. You can then message travellers nearby, which is ideal for solo backpackers looking to make friends along the way. If you are the organised type, you can browse the explore page, which lets you know who’s set to be in the same place as you at the same time. That way, you can connect early, ask questions and get set to make the most of your upcoming trip.

Events

Another fantastic feature of the app is the events interface. Have you ever wondered whether you’re missing out on any cool events in the city you’ve landed in? I have! You can search for planned events using this function, or list one of your own! Perhaps you’d like to get a group together to rent bikes and go exploring? Or maybe organise a pub crawl? You can input your location details and dates and start planning the fun.

Wi-fi finder

If you’re anything like me, you’re always searching for wi-fi on your travels. Staying connected to be able to share your Instagram shots around the world is vital, right? The wi-fi finder has been created by travellers who have discovered wi-fi locations on their travels and have saved them to the app for the benefit of others in the future. Whenever I connect to the wi-fi finder, I’m always stunned by the number of places that offer free wi-fi, all within a few kilometres of my location. Furthermore, whilst connected to wi-fi, the list can be saved for later offline viewing. Smart.

 

So can you tell that I love the new Outbound app yet? I can’t wait to play some more with it on my upcoming travels this year. Next stop: Melbourne, Australia!

I believe so strongly in the Outbound concept that I have been named an official Outbound Ambassador! I was not compensated for this review and my opinions remain entirely my own.