SkiftSeedlings: Very early glimpses of 6 new travel startups

Our newest weekly roundup will share the early-stage travel startups and websites that we find floating around the web. Most are still in the beta stage and we’re expecting to see many mobile apps as well as websites. We’ll be interested to see how they takeoff in coming months.

Trip’inion is a search engine for travel content on blogs for users who are after advice that goes beyond traditional media or information from major travel sites like Expedia and TripAdvisor. Users select a destination and are provided with blog posts. It also gives bloggers a platform for sharing their work. SkiftTake: The quality of content varies widely, so Trip’inion will need to find a unique way to sort through the mess in order to distinguish itself from a simple Google search.

Oneairport doesn’t share much about its services on its beta site and didn’t reply to Skift’s inquiry for additional details. The home page does promise that it will help travelers “get spoiled at airports” and help airports “engage with their customers.” SkiftTake: Frequency is the big challenge for airport apps, which means that Oneairport is going to need to aggressively pursue business travelers in order to find success.

Cityhunch is a booking site for hotels, vacation rentals, B&Bs, and resorts that displays the options on a map.  Each hotel listing includes a street view, neighborhood info, and proximity to landmarks, public transit and the airport. SkiftTake: With new products by Airbnb and Hipmunk, neighborhoods are the hot thing right now. Cityhunch will have to offer something very, very special to distinguish itself.

VacayGent aims to be an “all-inclusive, one-stop social travel experience” where users can create a collage of travel photos for inspiration, book trips with the support of a 24/7 support team, and interact with the Vacaygent community. SkiftTake: We need another social travel planning and sharing site like we need another hole in the head.

Worksurfers aims to connect creative people who travel with short term assignments at their travel destination. The ultimate goal is a marketplace where talent is the currency. SkiftTake: Freelancers who are travelers can already rely on existing work sites to find assignments, and it’s difficult to imagine how this site can cover the world well enough to deliver on its promise.

Arrive also doesn’t share much information about the future site, but appears to be an inspirational booking site that incorporates information from friends and travel agents to help users explore travel options and book their trips. SkiftTake: See our SkiftTake for Vayagent, above.