Google Play Music now powers locally themed music stations within TripAdvisor’s Android app

Here’s something of a surprising Wednesday morning announcement: You can now listen to Google’s music-streaming service directly within the TripAdvisor Android app.

Above: TripAdvisor for Android

Starting today, any Google Play Music user can launch the TripAdvisor Android app and access music stations based on specific locations, for example “Rio de Janeiro” or “Paris.” It’s seemingly designed to help travelers get in the mood by listening to soundtracks relevant to their destination or current location.

For example, if you’re doing some research into a Cuba holiday, you’ll be able to play Cuban-themed songs right then and there. Or if you’ve already landed in Argentina, you may be able to tap some tunes to tango around your hotel room while researching things to do nearby.

If you’re not a Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll be able to nab a 2-month free trial directly through the TripAdvisor app, which isn’t bad considering you can normally only get a 30-day free trial to the music service. Whether TripAdvisor users are the types to sign up to a new music-streaming service on a whim remains to be seen, but this latest tie-up gives an interesting glimpse into Google’s plans to battle Spotify and Apple Music through third-party partnerships. Google reckons it can gain mindshare by shoehorning its service into other popular services, and you never know, it might just work.

We’ve checked the TripAdvisor Android app, and this latest update doesn’t seem to be live yet, so we can only assume it’s being pushed out later today. For the record, Google Play Music is available in around 60 countries globally, including most of Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia.