Hipmunk: A Reliable Travel Companion?

Hipmunk was a travel metasearch engine that allowed users to search for flights, car rentals, hotels, and more for destinations worldwide. It was founded in 2010 by Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman and Adam J. Goldstein and was one of the earliest metasearch travel sites. Unfortunately, Hipmunk shut down in January 2020, but it left a lasting impact on the travel booking industry. The site was known for its user-friendly interface and unique features, such as sorting flights by agony, which took into account factors like price, duration, and the number of stops. Hipmunk's success and loyal customer base can be attributed to its focus on providing a simple, functional, and personalised experience, sacrificing ad revenue for improved usability.

Hipmunk's unique features

Hipmunk was a travel metasearch engine that revolutionised airfare searches. It was founded in 2010 by Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman and Adam J. Goldstein. Unfortunately, Hipmunk shut down in January 2020. However, its unique features left a lasting impression on the travel industry. Here are some of Hipmunk's most innovative and user-friendly attributes:

Agony Factor

Hipmunk's flight search results were sorted by an "agony" factor—a combination of price, flight duration, and the number of stops. This feature recognised that the cheapest flight is not always the best option and that travellers often value convenience over a slightly lower price. The "agony" rating allowed users to quickly identify the most optimal flights for their needs, with shorter flights at decent hours prioritised.

User Experience

Hipmunk prioritised user experience by sacrificing ad revenue and decluttering its interface. It avoided bombarding users with irrelevant ads and excessive text, instead opting for a clean and simple design. Hipmunk also incorporated most customisation options into its main colour bars or placed them within easy reach at the top of the timetable. This streamlined approach made it easier for users to find the information they needed without being overwhelmed.

Timetable Display

Hipmunk presented flight search results in a unique timetable format, with coloured bars ranked by the "agony" factor. This visual approach made it easy for users to compare flight options at a glance, considering price, duration, layovers, and departure/arrival times. The timetable view offered a more intuitive way to understand flight options compared to the traditional text-heavy stack of flights sorted only by price.

Integration with Google Calendar

Hipmunk was one of the first travel sites to integrate with Google Calendar. This feature allowed users to view their appointments alongside flight results, ensuring no conflicts arose. It provided a seamless way to manage travel plans and appointments in one place, demonstrating Hipmunk's focus on convenience and personalisation.

Ecstasy Rating for Hotels

For hotel searches, Hipmunk introduced an "ecstasy" rating, a combination of price, reviews, and amenities. Hotels were colour-coded, with green indicating a below-average price, blue as neutral, and red as pricey. This colour-coding system, along with the large map view, made it easier for users to find accommodations that met their budget and location preferences.

Hipmunk's user-friendly interface

Hipmunk was a travel metasearch engine that allowed users to search for flights, car rentals, hotels, and more for destinations worldwide. It was founded in 2010 and shut down in January 2020.

Hipmunk's user interface was designed to be simple and intuitive, with a focus on providing a decision-making engine for travellers rather than overwhelming them with excessive data. The platform sacrificed ad revenue for a streamlined and personalised user experience, aiming to minimise the time users spent on the site. This approach earned Hipmunk a loyal customer base.

One of Hipmunk's key features was its unique sorting metric, "agony," which ranked flights based on a combination of price, duration, and the number of stops, rather than solely on price. This allowed users to easily identify the most convenient flights for their trips. The "agony" factor was visually represented by coloured bars, with shorter and more direct flights ranked higher and denoted by green bars, while red bars indicated more expensive and inconvenient options. Users could also sort flights by price, duration, and departure or arrival times if they preferred.

Hipmunk's hotel search functionality was equally impressive. It introduced heat maps that visually displayed hotspots for tourism, food, shopping, nightlife, and walkability on a single map, providing a comprehensive overview of potential destinations. Additionally, Hipmunk was the only site besides Airbnb to offer Airbnb rental options, often a more affordable and unique alternative to traditional hotels.

Overall, Hipmunk's user-friendly interface revolutionised travel search by prioritising functionality and simplicity. Its intuitive design, innovative sorting features, and visual aids made it a favourite among travellers seeking a straightforward and efficient booking experience.

Hipmunk's pros and cons

Hipmunk was a travel metasearch engine that allowed users to search for flights, car rentals, hotels, and more for destinations worldwide. The website was founded in 2010 and shut down in January 2020. Here are some pros and cons of Hipmunk:

Pros:

• Hipmunk was one of the earliest metasearch travel sites, delivering results from competing travel websites like Priceline and Travelocity, all in one place.
• The website had a clean and user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to compare different travel options.
• Hipmunk introduced the "agony" feature, which sorted flights not just by price but by a combination of price, flight duration, and the number of stops. This feature was well-received by users as it saved them time and provided a more personalized experience.
• It sacrificed ad revenue for a better user experience.
• Hipmunk had a loyal and growing customer base, with most of its traffic coming from direct sources rather than search ads or organic results on Google.
• The website offered an easy-to-read interface, with a timetable that displayed flights ranked in descending order of "agony."
• Hipmunk integrated with Google Calendar, allowing users to link their accounts and view their appointments alongside flight results to avoid conflicts.
• The website had a hotel search feature that used heat maps to show hotspots for tourism, food, shopping, nightlife, and "walkability" on a single map.

Cons:

• Hipmunk was a smaller player in the online travel booking market, dominated by big names like Kayak and Google Flights.
• The website may have been less well-known outside the travel-nerd crowd, with lower visitor numbers compared to larger sites like Expedia.
• Hipmunk's financial information was not publicly available, so it was unclear if the site was consistently profitable.

Hipmunk's impact on the travel industry

Hipmunk, the travel metasearch engine, was a pioneer in the travel industry. It was founded in 2010 by Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman and Adam J. Goldstein, and was one of the first "metasearch" travel sites. The site allowed users to search for flights, car rentals, hotels, and more for destinations worldwide. Hipmunk revolutionised airfare searches by introducing its agony feature, which sorted flights by a combination of price, flight duration, and the number of stops, rather than just price. This feature was so popular that Google Flights later introduced a similar feature, providing a selection of "best departing flights" based on price and convenience.

Hipmunk's user interface was also unique and highly functional. It sacrificed ad revenue for a better user experience, with a clean layout that didn't overwhelm users with too many options. It also incorporated a user's Google Calendar, allowing them to adjust their travel plans to avoid conflicts with their schedule. This level of personalisation was ahead of its time and is now a feature that users have come to expect from travel sites.

Hipmunk also had a heat map feature, which showed hot spots for tourism, food, shopping, nightlife, vice, or "walkability". This allowed users to see the "where, why, when, and how much" all in a single map view.

Despite its innovative features and loyal following, Hipmunk was unable to compete with larger travel booking sites like Kayak and Google Flights. Hipmunk shut down in January 2020, after being sold to SaaS company SAP Concur in 2016. While Hipmunk is no longer in operation, it left a lasting impact on the travel industry, with many similar sites adopting features first introduced by Hipmunk.

Hipmunk's alternatives

Hipmunk was a travel search website that allowed users to compare and book flights, car rentals, hotels, and more for travel destinations worldwide. It was one of the earliest "metasearch" travel sites, delivering results from competing travel websites in one place. However, Hipmunk shut down in January 2020, and users have since had to find alternatives. Here are some similar websites and apps that you can use:

Cheapoair

Cheapoair is perfect for budget travellers as it offers some of the cheapest deals on flights and hotels. It also has a Price Match Promise, where it will refund the difference or allow cancellation with a full refund if you find a cheaper flight with a similar itinerary on a competitor website within 24 hours of booking.

Flighthub

Flighthub is a user-friendly website that allows you to filter search results for your favourite airlines. It focuses on three main categories: flights, hotels, and cruises, without overextending itself with too many options. Flighthub also offers bonus features, such as a list of the best flight deals of the day and travel guides for major destinations.

FlyGRN

FlyGRN is a travel metasearch site that focuses solely on flights, delivering results from various booking sites in one place. What sets FlyGRN apart is its environmental focus. The site uses the fees it receives from partner sites to offset your flight's CO2 emissions by investing in eco-friendly projects.

Hopper

Hopper is an app available for iOS and Android that predicts flight prices up to a year in advance, helping you choose the cheapest departure dates. It also allows you to book hotels and sends you alerts about price drops and increases. Hopper has a streamlined, user-friendly interface and a colour-coded calendar.

Kayak

Kayak is a metasearch engine and online travel agency that allows you to search for flights, hotels, cars, restaurants, and more, while delivering results from competitor websites. It offers excellent customisability, including flexible dates, the option to omit certain airlines, and a "pin" feature to keep track of flights of interest. Kayak also offers some of the cheapest prices on the web.

Momondo

Momondo is a travel metasearch site that allows you to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and more in one place. It delivers fares from numerous airlines and competitor sites, which can be sorted into three categories: "cheapest", "best", and "quickest". Momondo also has a "My Trips" page, which helps you keep track of all your bookings.

Rome2rio

Rome2rio is a unique travel booking website that allows you to compare every available means of transportation, including flights, train lines, bus routes, and ferry trips, to get from one place to another. It recognises that flying isn't always the best or most cost-effective option and can help you find scenic journeys by train. Rome2rio currently works best for travel within Europe and the United States.

Skiplagged

Skiplagged is a travel search site that uses an algorithm to find "hidden-city" flights, which are multi-stop flights where the traveller exits at a layover city before the final destination. This travel hack can result in significant savings of up to 80%, although it is frowned upon in the industry.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a travel metasearch engine that allows you to compare airfare prices from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies. It offers a wide array of flight options and often has the cheapest prices. Skyscanner does not use cookies, ensuring that prices are not inflated based on your search history.

Vayama

Vayama is a travel metasearch engine that allows you to search for flights to over 2000 airports worldwide, as well as lodging, car rentals, and airport pickup. It specialises in international travel, providing vital information about visas, vaccinations, safety issues, and more for exotic locales in Africa and Asia. Vayama also offers detailed and informative travel guides.

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