Hello Travelers!

Here is an interesting concept. Have a reliable friend at home that you can call or text at any time to get information that you need. True, this power could be used for a number of things including getting stats about your favorite players, learning the score of the game, finding out who won the Apprentice, settling a bar bet or argument about an actor’s original name, but as iKangaroo is a travel website we will focus in how ChaCha can be used to make your life easier when you are on the road.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been “Guiding” for ChaCha a few hours a week. When I first heard about ChaCha and its concept of guided search in ‘06 I was skeptical about why people would need help searching via chat. As of April 2008 ChaCha no longer offers chat search via computer even though ChaCha.com is still alive. However, what ChaCha does offer is the avaunt guard of mobile search and a fantastic tool to those who know about it. As of press time, April 20, 2008, the service is still free but you are charged according to your wireless plan.

ChaCha Text / SMS (text 242 242 )-

How it works: Format your question into an easy to understand information request and send it off to ChaCha. From here a ChaCha Guide will field the question and search the internet for the best answer. They will send you back a response which includes a source link of where the information originated.

ChaCha Voice (1-800-2ChaCha)-

How it works: Call 1-800-2ChaCha and ask your question. There will be someone who will transcribe your question and send it along. Your question will be returned to you via SMS. Easy breezy!

Some tips for getting the best results from ChaCha:

Add as much detail to your query as possible in terms of your location (i.e. I am at 79th and Broadway in NYC, can you find me the closest place with free wifi?).

Remember that Guides are- for the most part- only as good as the internet and that even though the internet has a ton of info not all of it is accurate. It’s best to have it in your mind where YOU would look and exactly what information you are seeking (i.e. the more focused your question, the more quickly you will get your answer and the more accurate it will be).

Remember that the response you get from ChaCha is constrained by the number of characters that can fit into a message, which is 160. So, asking for lists of restaurants or lists in general may not be feasible. One way around this is that all of the customers’ questions are tracked and you could respond to your answer and ask for more options. The Guide would then be able to see what options you were given and then send other options.

Great uses for ChaCha when you are traveling!

• Flight info: If you know your flight number and info you can send it to ChaCha and they will access flightstats.com to get updated info on your flight. Don’t forget to add the airline, airport, date and flight number.
• Finding out opening hours: Nothing is worse then rolling up to a restaurant or museum only to find out that it is closed. To get around this ask ChaCha the hours. With museums you can ask if there is a dress code, if they accept credit cards and ticket price.
• Gas prices: If you are on a road trip and want to find the lowest gas prices then ask ChaCha. Don’t forget to add the location of where you are looking.
• Wine pairings: ChaCha can run checks on the wine you are interested in and what it should go with.
• Weather: If you are heading out for the day, send a quick text to ChaCha with your city and weather request.
• Get reviews: If you are unsure about a restaurant you are about to eat at then send ChaCha the name, address and ask for a review. Sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp give aggregate scores which you might find useful.

At the time of this writing ChaCha is only available in the USA, however, there are plans to expand into other markets. I love the idea of this for a travel tool and think that there is a lot of potential to make the travel experience much more rich. Too many times have I showed up to a closed restaurant- or needed reservations or a dress code- or just missed the closing of a museum, which for now seems that ChaCha will help me not do this in the future. Now in about 3 minutes you can have these questions answered and save yourself the time, money and hassle!

Happy Travels,

Chris

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