5 New Travel Startups with Clever Solutions to Common Travel Problems

These startups are approaching common travel problems from packing annoyances to too-high fares with creative solutions. We’d like see more innovation like this in the travel startup market.

>> Dufl is a storage, shipping and cleaning service for business attire. Users can send their belongings to Dufl and then select which clothes they’d like cleaned and sent to their destinations before each trip. The service removes the need to pack or carry luggage during a trip.

SkiftTake: This is a great idea if users travel often enough to have a separate set of on-the-road attire. It takes the trouble out of packing, cleaning and transporting their clothes to each destination. The only risk is in having your clothes not to turn up in time.

>> BubbleGlobe is a booking platform for locals-led experiences. Users can search activities in 5 major cities ranging from home-made meals to vespa rides.

SkiftTake: There’s no shortage of platforms for travelers looking to book an “authentic experience” with a local today. The question now is which are going to do the best job at attracting travelers and locals, raising awareness of their services, and converting it into bookings.

>> Itinographer is a mobile app for travel planning. Users can sketch out their itinerary on a timeline and easily move elements around. They can add markers on a map, find directions and link them to an itinerary.

SkiftTake: This app is better for playing around with itinerary ideas than actually sticking to and booking a plan.

>> Frienderly is a networking platform for people looking to connect with new people who want to engage in similar activities. Although created for meeting people within a resident’s city, it could also be used by travelers looking to connect with locals.

SkiftTake: Although locals looking to meet locals might not like their platform being hacked by temporary visitors, this would be a smart way to find out the popular activities that even city residents are trying to get in on.

>> CleverLayover is a booking site that searches roundtrip tickets from non-partner airlines to create cheaper overall fares. All bookings include two flights and a “clever layover,” but often result in less money spent overall than on regular fares.

SkiftTake: This is a good tool for travelers who have more time than money, but most bookers are savvy enough today to search multiple options on the most popular sites with adding another to the inventory.

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