Skift Podcast: The Invention of Online Travel and How it Changed the Future of Travel Forever

Skift Take

We dig into Skift's new opus on online travel and get some behind-the-scenes insight from its author.

Skift Podcast

Compelling discussions with travel industry leaders and creatives who are helping to shape the future of travel.

Travel went online 20 years ago, and the industry has never been the same.

The new Definitive Oral History of Online Travel, researched and written by Skift news editor Dennis Schaal, features never-before-published stories from the early days that include a surprising amount of back-room drama, untold tales, victory laps, and tales of what might have been.

Luckily, Schaal recorded the interviews with early players including Expedia founder Rich Barton, Priceline founder Jay Walker, Expedia, Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, TripAdvisor CEO and co-founder Stephen Kaufer, and Alex Zoghlin, the first employee of Orbitz.

This week on the Skift podcast, Schaal joins host Hannah Sampson — and audio clips from several of those interviews — to talk about the oral history, what surprised him about the project, and what innovations he thinks will shake up the industry next.

Listen closely for insight into what really went down in the decade that shaped the future in ways we may not yet understand.

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