5 New Travel Startups Try to Turn Inspiration into Reality

This week’s travel startups range cover the travel experience from inspiration to connection to post-booking management, all while using technology to improve user experience and mitigate planning frustration.

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>> TribalTourist has its sights set on becoming the largest adventure travel booking site in Africa. The South African startup offers tours focused on specific outdoor activities across different destinations. Users can search based on destination, type of adventure, and date.

SkiftTake: Interest in traveling to African countries has increased in recent years; however, many first-time travelers to the continent are not educated on the options available on the ground making TribalTourist a viable product should it succeed in meeting users’ needs.

>> Discoveroom is a Greek startup that’s built software to help small accommodations owners manage bookings, inventory, customer service and transactions. Discoveroom is one of several startups that help individuals that run B&Bs to those than rent out their rooms on Airbnb streamline their business.

SkiftTake: The growing popularity of alternative lodging options has also increased consumers’ expectations when it comes to booking and dealing with the owners of such accommodations. Affordable, easy-to-use tools have plenty of demand to meet.

>> En Bloc Hotels is still in stealth mode but has started to send out its monthly periodical called Monograph. The startup has an active social media following tied to the hashtag #TheOtherPath.

SkiftTake: We don’t like to judge a project before it’s fully cracked; however, social media has made it easier to build a brand than ever before. Turning that brand into a real business is a different story.

>> TripOn is an app that connects users looking for a travel companion. Users either post where they want to go, where they’re traveling to or where they are. They can then connect with other users to meet up in a destination.

SkiftTake: Travel connection platforms such as TripOn have come and gone before with rarely gainly traction.

>> Wayfare is a way to travel without leaving home. The app matches users with a different guide from somewhere in the world each week. The guide and user then share a part of their lives in exchange for a peek into their partner’s life. Daily photo missions keep the conversation rolling.

SkiftTake: Finding a way to monetize the wanderlust that many travelers can not act on is an ingenious idea although difficult to achieve. Wayfare is one iteration of how this could be done.