Travel adviser and insurance provider Europ Assistance has launched a free trip organizer application that includes additional functionality after a premium upgrade.

The application, which was designed by mobile agency PhoneValley, includes travel tips and reminders, click-to-call functionality for important contacts such as the police and embassies and up-to-date listings for events near the travel location. Users can also buy certain insurance packages directly from the application.

?NetGlobers ? Europ Assistance's community Web site devoted to travel risks ? is intended to value its travel community and recruit new members,? said Alexandre Mars, CEO of Phonevalley, Paris. ?The idea was to design an extension of the NetGlobers online community on the only device you bring with you when travelling ? your cell phone.

?With the Trip Organizer application, Europ Assistance simplifies its customers' lives before and during their trip, when organizing it and when enjoying it,? he said.

Bethesda, MD-based Europ Assistance is a travel adviser that helps consumers plan trips around the world. The company also offers travel insurance.

Travel moves
Phonevalley is the Publicis Groupe?s mobile marketing agency. It provides media planning and buying, mobile service development and strategic consultancy for clients.
 
A number of companies have been working to leverage travel expertise in the mobile space recently.

For example, USA Today has teamed with Gowalla to bring the newspapers travel information and airport guides to applications (see story).

Also, Google is purchasing flight information software company ITA in a move that will allow the search giant to integrate new flight search tools into its services (see story).

The Trip Organizer application is Europ Assistance?s first mobile initiative, and available in the United States, Britain and France.

The application is currently only available for the iPhone, but its developers may extend it to other platforms in the future.

How it works
The Lite version of the NetGlobers application can be downloaded for free in the Apple App Store. Users can upgrade to the premium version from within the application.

Here is a screen grab of the upgrade page inside the NetGlobers application:



?The premium version is also free to all NetGlobers? members and to the people who have signed up for an insurance contract with Europ Assistance,? Mr. Mars said. ?The Trip Organizer application is considered as a high-value membership gift. 

?To access the premium content for free, iPhone users simply need to provide their login/password,? he said. ?Such codes are available after joining the NetGlobers community on the NetGlobers Web site or as soon they have purchased insurance.?

When users load the application, a home screen appears with a navigation bar on the bottom that lets them switch between functions.

Here is a screen grab of the application homepage:

A services section, reachable from the homepage, offers users the opportunity to buy identity theft insurance directly from the application:

Here is a screen grab of the insurance purchase page:

The application also provides users with a phone number they can call to purchase travel insurance.

Other features in NetGlobers Trip Organizer include:
 
? A ?To-Do? section that helps travellers keep track of trip planning and store essential trip information
? A list of countries that users can select to add them to their travel itinerary
? Featured local events taking place at or near travel destinations
? Social media options that allow users to tell their friends about the application
? A ?Tools? section with extra features intended to make travelling simpler

Here is a screen grab of the Tools section:

?Useful Numbers? leads to a page where users can click to call important numbers such as local police, firemen, medical emergency services and the number of the local embassy, wherever a traveller may be.

The Tools section also includes a currency converter feature compatible with 34 different monetary unites and useful phrases in 10 languages, available to premium users.

?We are expecting NetGlobers members will enjoy engaging with the brand and access valuable services and tools before leaving home, as well as once they have reached their destination,? Mr. Mars said.

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York