Reference
Keyboard shortcuts, place categories, glossary, frequently asked questions, and troubleshooting.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+K / Ctrl+K | Open search |
| Esc | Close search modal, menus, and panels |
| ↑ ↓ | Navigate search results |
| Enter | Select search result |
| Tab | Navigate between interactive elements |
Place Categories
Restaurant
Dining establishments, from casual to fine dining
Hotel
Hotels, resorts, hostels, and other accommodations
Bar
Bars, pubs, wine bars, and cocktail lounges
Cafe
Coffee shops, tea houses, and casual cafes
Shop
Retail stores, markets, boutiques, and specialty shops
Museum
Museums, galleries, and cultural institutions
Experience
Tours, activities, classes, and unique experiences
Nature
Parks, gardens, hiking trails, and natural landmarks
Nightlife
Clubs, live music venues, and late-night spots
Spa
Spas, wellness centers, and hot springs
Market
Food markets, flea markets, and bazaars
Temple
Temples, churches, mosques, and religious sites
Beach
Beaches, waterfronts, and coastal areas
Neighborhood
Districts, quarters, and areas worth exploring
Other
Places that don't fit neatly into the above categories
Glossary
- Alias
- A system-generated pseudonym (e.g., "Wandering Falcon") historically assigned to members. Real names are now used for all profiles.
- Shadow profile
- A placeholder account created automatically for WhatsApp group members who have shared recommendations but have not yet logged in.
- Dialoger number
- A sequential number (e.g., Dialoger #12) assigned to shadow profiles based on the date of their first message.
- Enrichment
- Additional data about a place or city sourced from external services like Google Places, Michelin Guide, or Wikipedia.
- Tier 0
- Member-generated content — recommendations, quotes, and reviews from the Dialog community. Always displayed first.
- Tier 1
- Identity and verification data from Google Places — address, hours, photos, rating. Factual, not editorial.
- Tier 2
- Curated editorial sources — Michelin Guide, World's 50 Best, Atlas Obscura. Shown as supplementary badges.
- Tier 3
- Background enrichment — Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Unsplash. Used for city info and fallback photos.
- Recommendation
- A member's endorsement of a place, extracted from their WhatsApp message by the AI system.
- Quote
- A notable statement about a place or city, attributed to the member who said it.
- Thread
- A detected conversation topic in the WhatsApp group (e.g., "Tokyo trip recommendations") that groups related messages together.
- Favorite
- A place, city, or region you have saved to your personal collection. Toggled via the heart icon.
- Follow
- A subscription to a city or region. When you follow a city, you receive a weekly email digest of new places added there.
- Submission
- A place added directly by a member via Google Maps URL, rather than through the WhatsApp conversation.
- Homebase
- Where a member is currently based, shown as "Based in [City]" on their public profile.
- Digest
- A weekly email sent every Monday summarizing new places in cities and regions you follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can access Dialog Travel?
Only current members of the Dialog WhatsApp group. Membership is verified by phone number.
How are recommendations added?
Two ways: automatically from the WhatsApp group (our AI captures and organizes recommendations), or manually by clicking the + button in the top navigation and pasting a Google Maps link.
Can I add a place myself?
Yes! Click the + button in the top navigation bar. Paste a Google Maps link (use Share → Copy link to get a maps.app.goo.gl link), or use the "Import list" tab to import an entire saved list. Categories are auto-detected from Google. New places are enriched with photos and details automatically.
Are my messages stored?
Only messages identified as travel recommendations are kept. Non-travel messages are discarded and not stored.
Can other members see my real name?
Yes. All profiles are public within the Dialog community. Your real name appears on your recommendations and profile.
What if I changed my phone number?
Contact your group admin. They can update your membership records.
How often is new data added?
The system processes new messages from the WhatsApp group continuously. Recommendations typically appear within minutes.
What do the badges on places mean?
Badges indicate recognition from curated sources — Michelin stars, World's 50 Best rankings, Atlas Obscura flags, and more.
Can I delete my account?
Contact your group admin to request account deletion. Your data will be removed within 30 days.
Is Dialog Travel available as a mobile app?
Dialog Travel is a responsive web application that works on all devices. There is no separate mobile app.
Troubleshooting
“We couldn’t verify your membership”
This means your phone number was not found in the Dialog WhatsApp group participant list. Possible reasons: you entered a different phone number than the one linked to your WhatsApp, you are no longer in the group, or the membership list has not synced recently. Contact your group admin.
Locked out after failed password attempts
After 5 failed password attempts, you are locked out for 5 minutes. Wait and try again. If you have forgotten your password, use the “Forgot password?” link on the login page to reset it via email.
Map not loading or showing blank
Try refreshing the page. If the issue persists, check your internet connection. The map requires an active connection to load tiles and place data.
My recommendations are missing
Recommendations are extracted from WhatsApp messages by an AI system. If a message was ambiguous or off-topic, it may not have been captured. The system processes messages continuously — new recommendations typically appear within minutes. If your recommendations are still missing, contact your group admin.
Place photos not appearing
Photos are sourced from Google Places and may take a moment to load. Some places — especially newer or less well-known ones — may not have photos available yet.
For any issue not covered here, reach out to your Dialog group admin through the WhatsApp group.
Need more help? Back to Guide home