Skift Take

Travelers today are looking to avoid fees and dig deeper into destinations' local cultures. Startups are smart to try and capitalize on those trends while they last.

This week’s roundup of travel startups wants to make users better informed travelers by providing them with local insights, clear cost expectations, and a more comfortable trip.

For all of our SkiftSeedlings collection, check out our archives here.

>> Buggl is a platform for building and selling travel guides. Users can build guides in less than 15 minutes, set the price, and share it with friends. The startup’s goal is to give travelers’ local insights from similar-minded travelers and to allow locals and travelers to make money based on their trips.

SkiftTake: The platform is great for travelers with tons of local insights into different destinations, but it could be difficult attracting customers with so much free content available on blogs and reviews sites.

>> Urbane creates maps that replace place names with locally crowd-sourced adjectives to give visitors a better way to find the neighborhoods they want to spend time in. The company currently sells physical maps but is looking to build interactive maps online.

SkiftTake: The maps work better as wall art than a travel tool at the moment, but the concept of mapping cities based on culture rather than name is one that has room to grow, especially with travelers’ recent adoration of local lifestyles.

>> Feezing aims to be the most comprehensive data base of travel fees. Airline and hotel fees can be searched by specific properties and carriers. The founder is a former employee of distribution service Travelport.

SkiftTake: Airlines and hotels are constantly looking for new revenue-generating fees making the true cost of travel more complicated to calculate. There is definitely demand for this type of site, but its UX should improve for widespread adoption.

>> Tripper is a new travel app that connects travelers to human interpreters and travel assistants. The assistants can help users with directions, restaurant recommendations, reservations, and emergency help. The app is currently available in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

SkiftTake: Tripper wants to put a local in travelers’ pockets. It is a good tool for independent business travelers or vacationers, but it will need to consistently deliver quality results to keep and grow its customer base.

>> RePoser is a product designed to make flying more comfortable in the economy cabin. The compact armrest fits inside the seat giving flyers a place to rest their arms without taking down the tray table. The startup is currently running a Indiegogo funding campaign.

SkiftTake: Flyers today are interested in any gadget or device that makes their flight a little more comfortable. A low price point will be key to RePoser’s adoption.

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Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

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Tags: fees, guidebooks, skiftseedlings, travel apps

Photo credit: Buggl is a platform for building and selling travel guides. Buggl

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