Being featured in CNN, Forbes, The Washington Post, and Lifehacker doesn’t guarantee that an app is any good, but it certainly makes me ask the question, “Why is everyone talking about it?”
The app that is on everyone’s lips helps with the simple task of packing your bags for your travels. If I’m honest with you all, I’m incredibly late to the game on this one. For years I’ve been relying on various list apps to keep me organized ahead of any big trips. I recycle old lists and adjust them based on where I’m going and what the forecast is but all the while I’m relying on my head to tell me what I need.
All that is over with the PackPoint app. By answering a few questions about your trip, PackPoint, can check the weather forecast, consult its databases of common items to pack, and generate a complete list of everything you need. Say goodbye to guesswork!
Homescreen heroes
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn’t live without. Read them all here.
Most apps around at the moment rely on a whole host of different features to lure users in and keep them coming back. These include rewards, social communities, in-app purchases, and everything in between. These certainly have their place but when you come across an app that has none of them, you suddenly feel like you can breathe again.
That is the case with the PackPoint app. After a while, I found myself thinking, “Is that all this app can do?” It wasn’t necessarily a negative thought, but rather a realization that this app does one thing and one thing only.
What the PackPoint app lacks in complexity it more than makes up for in execution. Questions are kept to a minimum, settings are easy to adjust, and lists can be effortlessly ticked off or added to. Let me take you through the process and I’ll use a trip of mine as an example.
It was September 2024 and I was heading off to Malaga, Spain. I’ve been to Spain before but only ever to Barcelona. I know Spain can be hot but I had no idea how hot it would be post the August heat wave. I was also mixing pleasure and business, which was different from my Barcelona jaunt. There was a lot I didn’t know about the place I was visiting so I opened up my PackPoint app.
On the first page, I proceeded to fill in details about my trip. This included the location, the date of travel, the length of the stay, and whether the trip was for business, leisure, or both. The interface was intuitive and straightforward, with PackPoint having no problem identifying my exact location of travel from its database.
I had no problems entering the required information but there were a couple of improvements which, in my opinion, could be made. The first is that the date of travel could benefit from displaying an actual monthly calendar rather than relying on users to enter the date as text and the month from a drop-down list. The second is that the color scheme, text, and logos make it harder than it needs to be to navigate through what is required. It didn’t take much to push through but a little fine-tuning would benefit users.
I then clicked “Select Activities”. This brought up a whole list of common activities with the ability to select as many as you want. These include working, camping, beach, and photography, as well as dozens more. There is also the ability to add custom activities, although this feature requires a premium subscription.
Most users won’t need to upgrade but if you want custom controls and Tripit integration, then you’ll have no choice but to pay the premium price. This costs $3.99 / £2.99.
It is when you click “Begin Packing’ that the magic begins. PackPoint takes all your entered information, checks the weather forecast, and consults with their packing databases before providing comprehensive lists of what you need to pack. Everything is broken down into categories so it doesn’t become overwhelming.
At that point, the packing can begin. Each item has a radio button next to it so you can tick each thing off as it goes in the bag. They even put numbers next to some items in case you need to pack multiple things for longer trips. Really helpful.
Now, PackPoint is good but it’s not perfect. If you realize that it’s missed something, you can easily add it to any of your lists. One of those examples is likely to be your passport. For some reason, PackPoint doesn’t include it in the ‘Essentials’ list but you’ll obviously need it if you’re traveling internationally.
Once you’ve checked everything off, you’re good to go. I really like the PackPoint app and will definitely be using it as my go-to solution for remembering what to pack next time I travel. I like the idea of utilizing the premium custom templates to guarantee that I really won’t miss anything I need when packing for that city break, weeklong beach holiday, or night away under the stars.
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paulo.n.hatton@gmail.com (Paul Hatton)
