Web Buzz: Jetpac City Guides lets Instagram photos guide the way

This app provides a quick visual take on popular destinations — it’s like having a concierge in the palm of your hand.

Name: Jetpac City Guides

Available for: iPhone, iPad

What it does: Analyzes public Instagram photos and turns their research into fun, bite-sized, list-driven guides to 5,000 cities around the globe.

Cost: Free

What’s hot: It’s a wild, refreshing destination guide using Instagram photos — whether you’re looking for Hipster Hangouts, Bars That Women Love, Top Outdoor Places, Top Urban Spaces, Top Places to Stay or more. Want to find places where “your people” would go? Just click on the “Tribes” section to find places grouped by Gym Bunnies, LGBT People, Outdoorsy Types, Startup Folks, Surfers, Tourists and Wine Lovers. The images get a “Snappyness” rating based on having the most photos and shares.

What’s not: It’s an adults-only app; you might find occasional suggestive content or nudity as well as references to drugs and alcohol. However, I didn’t see any nudity when I was testing Jetpac on my iPhone 4s. Sometimes the app moved slowly on my iPhone, and I couldn’t get it to load on my iPad 3 with iTunes 6.1.3.

Worth it? Yes. If you love Instagram, you’re going to thank the developers for this app. It really is a different way of looking at a place: Are you brave enough to travel to a new destination based on popular selfies or views with blue skies? When it comes to pics of restaurant meals — that’s an easy “Yes!”