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Trip planning startups are once again the subject of lively debates, this time fueled by a new wave of AI-powered solutions. On one hand, entrepreneurs persist in their efforts to improve the trip planning process, fully aware of the many predecessors who have attempted and failed. On the other hand, seasoned travel professionals argue that trip planning is not fundamentally problematic, as evidenced by the current graveyard of trip planning startups.
What's striking is that both sides recognize the current way of planning trips is cumbersome and inefficient. Yet, the common argument against these startups is that people enjoy planning their trips. I think it’s important to remember that many of these startups are founded by travel enthusiasts who themselves love to plan trips but have personally encountered pain points firsthand. As much as consumers enjoy planning trips, no one enjoys needless friction and they would welcome a solution that genuinely improves the existing trip planning experience.
Article image #0
*Travel planning apps try to simplify complexity, but it's harder than most people think.*
I believe past solutions simply failed at providing a better experience (trying to replace the planning process rather than improving it) and it can be attributed to a combination of poor understanding of the real issues and inadequate product design, all compounded by a challenging market environment.
👇 My thoughts below:
Part 1: Why People Plan Trips
When I try to approach trip planning from first principles, my first question is: What motivates so many travellers to meticulously plan their journeys and what are their desired outcomes? In my opinion, there are 3 primary drivers behind the urge to plan a trip:
1. Access and Cost-Effectiveness: Travelers plan to secure availability and best prices. Booking in advance often ensures both.
2. Fear of Missing Out: Many travelers visit a destination only once and want to make sure they see all the important things. Nothing is worse than the feeling of realising you missed out on key sights and activities after you get home.
3. Maximizing Enjoyment (the most important in my opinion): most people travel 2 to 3 times a year. Since travel is infrequent and a high stake purchase, they want to make sure every trip is worth it. Planning helps in several ways:
* Making the most of the trip: Time optimisation allows travellers to see and do as much as they possibly can
* Peace of mind: By handling most logistical aspects before departure, travellers can relax and enjoy their experience without the stress of last-minute arrangements
* Informed Decision-Making: Conducting thorough research helps manage expectations, tailor experiences to personal interests, and minimize potential disappointments
Part 2: What Does The Typical Trip Planning Process Currently Look Like?
The typical trip planning process is often outlined by the industry in the following stages:
1. Inspiration: You are constantly in that phase. Every day, you get served with travel content relentlessly whether through ads, TV shows, social media posts, or conversations with family and friends. It’s a constant call to start planning your next getaway which leads you to start creating your bucket list, though you haven’t necessarily decided on your next destination yet.
2. Research / Discovery: You’re nearing the burn-out at work and realise it’s time for a holiday. You actively explore your options, gather information and narrow down your choices. You prioritize destinations based on personal interests, budget considerations, and time constraints. You might spend hours switching between different websites to gather information. This leads to the most commonly used problem statement in travel start-up pitches: “Travelers visit 38 different websites on average to plan their trip” (Traveltech entrepreneurs love Expedia for this precious piece of research!). By the end of this phase, you have chosen a destination and have a rough understanding of what to expect, along with unorganised notes scattered in your phone or on scraps of paper.
3. Planning: Now, you start putting together the details of your trip. You take the information gathered during the research phase, collate the pieces together and organize them in what is commonly called an itinerary. This process involves lining up activities and logistics in a logical sequence, balancing what you want to do with your time and budget constraints. An itinerary is often the result of hours of iterations and comparisons as you fine-tune each step (”What if we fly out on Monday morning to enjoy one extra day?”, “I am not sure we should stay 3 days there, let me check what else we could do around”, etc.).
4. Booking: This step is straightforward. Once your itinerary is set, you book your flights, accommodations, and any other necessary reservations to finalize your trip plans.
Part 3: Is Trip Planning Even a Problem to Be Solved?
Opinions vary, but many agree that a significant number of (most?) travellers actually enjoy planning their trips. Some studies suggest that the anticipation and planning phase can be as fulfilling as the trip itself. Here are a few reasons why:
* Researching a destination allows you to explore its beautiful landscapes and unique cultures even before you arrive. This is a form of virtual exploration that adds to the excitement and anticipation of your journey
* Trip planning can feel like a treasure hunt (”What if on website #17, I find this hidden gem that nobody else is talking about?”). This search triggers a rush similar to scrolling through social media, where the next discovery is just a click away.
* The process of putting all those pieces together is intellectually engaging and once completed, it brings a sense of achievement and satisfaction
Is it a time-consuming process? Absolutely. Isn’t this process messy and fraught with friction? Totally. Then the natural conclusion for many entrepreneurs is that trip planning is broken and needs fixing. But few take the time to deeply understand why travellers are willing to endure the hassle of visiting 38 different websites. Below some thoughts:
* No existing website provides a complete, reliable source of travel information. Most travel websites are designed for conversion, not to make your life easier. They push you to browse through endless lists in the hope of making a sale. As a result, you hop from one site to another, continually searching for new information until the next website does not teach you anything new and you feel you have a complete understanding of all your options. The only standalone product that will provide you with this confidence that you are getting a comprehensive view of your destination without necessarily having to visit another source remains the traditional guidebook. This reliability is the result of years of dedicated effort to ease the traveller's research burden and establish a trustworthy brand.
* Travelers feel compelled to cross-verify information to confirm its reliability. Additionally, gathering different perspectives is important to build confidence they are making the right choices. And while we hate reading the same stuff over and over again, repetition from multiple sources reinforces the idea that a place might be of particular significance and should probably not be missed.
Based on the above, it seems like a successful trip planner would need to:
1. Preserve the enjoyable aspects of trip planning
2. Offer comprehensive and reliable information to eliminate the need for other sources (otherwise you become website #39)
3. Streamline the process to reduce friction and enhance user experience.
And, of course, it must also find a way to make money, but that's a topic for another discussion.
Part 4: Why I Think Trip Planning Start-Ups Have Struggled to Gain Traction
Over the past decade, numerous start-ups have attempted to revolutionize the travel planning process without success. The typical solution is a web / mobile app that combines 1) curated or user-generated content (like articles and points of interest on a map), 2) search & filtering capabilities for easier discovery and personalisation and 3) planning features (such as saving and organizing by day).
Here is my take on where they fall short (focusing here on the product itself):
* Relying exclusively on user-generated content: It can take years to amass a comprehensive collection of points of interest, especially without strong incentives for users to contribute. Result: the content often isn't comprehensive enough and users treat the product as website #39, where they might pick up a few tips and then leave. A variation of this is an app built around friend recommendations since it is the most trusted source of information a traveller could possibly use. However, this requires a critical mass of friends who 1) are using the app, 2) have travelled to your intended destinations and 3) spent the time to comprehensively cover those destinations with their insights. It seems like a lot of conditions to be met before new users can get any value out of such a product.
* Not providing contextual depth: Simply displaying collections of places as lists or map points without context is hardly enough. Travelers want to grasp the essence of their destination and this is actually part of what makes trip planning time-consuming (“What makes this place unique?”, “What are the vibes?”, “What should not be missed?”, etc.). Without providing deeper insights and answers to these questions, users inevitably seek information elsewhere
* Imposing a rigid way to plan: Each traveller has a different way to approach trip planning and by forcing them to organize their plans in a specific way rather than adapting to their natural planning styles, they are creating more friction than they are removing.
Significant market challenges further complicate the picture:
1. User acquisition is highly competitive and expensive. If you don’t have a unique cost-effective growth strategy (community, virality on social media, strong brand, etc.), you’ll be competing with the big guys on paid advertising. Guess what, Booking spent $6.8bn in marketing alone in 2023. Good luck competing with that!
2. Established travel companies have built brand loyalty over decades. Gaining the trust of consumers to the extent that they're willing to share their credit card details with a new platform is an uphill battle. This leads me to believe that building an all-in-one platform for booking every aspect of a trip is unlikely to succeed as it requires to fight several battles at once and surpass each competitor in areas such as pricing, inventory, user experience, etc.
3. The most common business model relies on affiliation where you get a cut from any hotel / flight / activity bookings you generate (building your own inventory is generally not on the roadmap). Since rates are relatively low as an affiliate (~10%), it requires massive scale (back to challenge #1) and a decent conversion rate (back to challenge #2). On top of that, you are actually competing for user acquisition with the same people who pay you those fees.
A common argument against the viability of trip planning apps is that consumers go on a trip only 2-3 times per year on average and since it’s an infrequent problem, they’ll likely forget about your app. It is total non-sense to me and I’ll give an example. I’m a hiking enthusiast and I probably go on a hike 4 to 5 times a year. One day, I discovered Alltrails. For those who don’t know Alltrails, it is an app providing detailed information, maps, and user reviews for hiking trails and outdoor routes around the world. Pretty simple product if you ask me but it excels at making it incredibly easy to access all the information I need to choose the best trail. Before Alltrails, my only other option was to search through Google and various blogs. Because Alltrails offered immediate value from the first use, it has become my go-to resource for planning hikes. Last time I checked, they had over 45m users worldwide. Be more like Alltrails, delight your users the first time by delivering tangible benefits, and they will keep coming back.
Part 5: Why Simply Incorporating AI May Not Solve Trip Planning Challenges
Following the recent advancements in AI, there is not a single day without the launch of yet another trip planning app. Current AI solutions generally take the form of a chatbot which, after indicating your destination, travel dates and some high level information (you are travelling with your partner, you like museums & nature and you are vegetarian), will generate a day-by-day itinerary with ‘personalised’ suggestions. The most advanced tools even populate a map with all the suggested places.
I see a couple of issues with this approach:
* AI offers this unique ability to generate an itinerary in a matter of seconds. As a result, 90%+ of those AI trip planning apps use the same tagline “Save hours on research and travel planning”. Is it really what consumers are looking for? Because I’m not. I personally want to feel confident that the choices I make during planning will lead to a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will remember for years (remember the 'maximizing enjoyment' driver?). If a product can't help achieve that, then it might be missing the mark. Takeaway: aim for a more efficient and exciting trip planning process, not a faster one.
* Why even start with an itinerary? Suppose you come across a stunning beach photo from Thailand on Instagram and want to explore what the broader area has to offer. But before you know it, you're presented with a complete two-week itinerary. Imagine sitting down at a restaurant and being served a random meal before you even have a chance to glance at the menu. That’s how I feel when I use those products. An itinerary is usually the culmination of hours of thorough research, iterations, and adjustments. Suggesting that this entire process can be condensed into seconds is a bit of a stretch. What these products often end up doing is removing an important and enjoyable part of travel planning, which does not seem like a great user experience to me. Takeaway: focus on facilitating exploration first, and let the itinerary formation follow organically as a secondary phase.
* A chat interface works well when users know exactly what they're looking for. However, when it comes to planning a trip, many users are explorers at heart—they may not have precise queries but rather a desire to discover what's available and decide what suits them best. Besides, users are generally bad at expressing what they want. Since the quality of AI-generated responses heavily depends on how good and specific the prompt is, I question whether a chatbot is the most appropriate tool for this task. Takeaway: UI plays a critical role and may need to go beyond chat-based systems to better accommodate the exploratory nature of travel planning.
Don’t get me wrong, AI is remarkable and offers the unique ability to converse with unstructured data and generate content at scale. It holds the potential to significantly improve the trip planning experience. But, unless products are adapted to what users truly need and want, trip planning startups will continue to fail, AI-powered or not.
What are your thoughts?
Dog Travel Gear features a diverse array of products aimed at ensuring bark worthy and tail wagging explorations, from essentials such as crates, treats, travel bowls, and toys, to crucial items like dog first aid kits, a selection of collars and leashes and doggie seat belts, and much more.
Additionally, for fashion-forward furry friends, the site offers a range of adorable hoodies, ensuring that every aspect of your pet's journey is met with comfort, safety, and style. Every product featured on Dog Travel Gear undergoes rigorous testing to ensure a successful and enjoyable pet-friendly journey.
As a dog-centric author, dog travel expert, and advocate for pet-friendly adventures, I recently launched Dog Travel Gear, a one-stop destination for all things essential when traveling with your canine companion: dogtravelgear.com
Our vision is a world where every journey is filled with dog-friendly adventure—a future where dogs are welcomed with open arms in all destinations.
Here are just a few of our featured products:
Pet Life ‘PYURE’ Handheld Travel Filtered Water Feeder — Keep your furry friend hydrated on the go with this convenient water bottle designed specifically for dogs.
Cruising Companion On The Go Food Bag — The travel-ready pouch has a zipper top to help you quickly fill and dispense food on the go.
Dog Baxter Backpack — Get Fido packed up and ready to go with the lightweight, tough, custom-fit Baxter Pack.
Dog First Aid Kit — Be prepared for any mishaps with this comprehensive first aid kit designed specifically for dogs.
Pendleton National Park Pet Beds — Inspired by vintage Pendleton Woolen Mills®patterns, this collection takes us on a journey of the beautiful landscapes of our great National Parks enjoyed by millions over the years.
Paws On The Go Blog: Your Guide to Canine Adventures 🐾 🚗
The site’s blog, "Paws on the Go," serves as a treasure trove of knowledge and expertise in dog travel. Drawing from my lifelong love for dogs and extensive experience in pet-friendly travel, the blog offers invaluable insights on destinations, tips, and resources to make every adventure unforgettable.
👉 Read the blog at dogtravelgear.com/paws-on-the-go/
Some of the stories you’ll find on "Paws on the Go" include:
• Essential Packing Tips for Dog-Friendly Road Trips
• The Importance of Crate Training Your Dog: Creating a Safe Haven
• Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont
• Essential Items for Your Dog's Travel First Aid Kit
• Celebrate National Parks Week With Your Dog
Thanks for taking a look!
Dog Travel Gear thank you! Love your site and your articles!! also love your pet friendly adventure advice!! The first aid kit is a must have for every pet owner!!
Thanks!
If you are a dog owner who loves to travel, Dog Travel Gear is the perfect place to find virtually anything you need!
Love to hear that! Woof!
Some cool products! I travel with my dog. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your comment! Happy Tails!
Sigmund's Request for Proposal (RFP) HUB helps tourism professionals find new business, contracts, and projects.
New business opportunities are organized by deadline and are presented in concise headlines and quick summaries, e.g. "Japan seeking marketing", "Visit California seeking social media management", "World Bank seeking consulting", "Belgium seeking research." with AI providing additional insights into each tender or RFP.
The RFP Hub is for Professionals who provide the following services:
• Consulting (Sustainability, Accessibility, Development)
• Marketing (Web, Social, App, Advertising, PR)
• Research (Branding, Surveys, Data Analytics)
Finding new clients in the tourism industry can be difficult. Wading through government & NGO websites is often overwhelming, time-consuming, and costly. It's a challenge we understand well at The Sigmund Project.
That's why we created Sigmund's Travel & Tourism RFP HUB. Our goal is to simplify the process of finding new business opportunities for tourism professionals of all sizes, making the process more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible.
Why the HUB is different:
✅ The RFP HUB is dedicated to travel and tourism RFPs and opportunities, making it more efficient for tourism professionals to identify relevant opportunities.
✅ A.I.-Powered Platform: Offering detailed insights into any tender or RFP, providing a valuable tool for informed decision-making.
✅ Competitive Pricing: At $129 USD per year it's the most affordable option available.
👉 We are offering a discount to Travel Massive members - use code TRAVELMASSIVE99 at checkout for access to thesigmundproject.org/rfp-hub - $99 for your first year
Very cool!
Hi everyone,
I am looking for an adequate business plan template more adjusted to the travel industry. I have looked online among the thousands of samples, as well as on Canvas etc but cannot really make up my mind. Before I continue looking for hours...is there anyone here with a suggestion? I am looking for something straighforward, simple, that needs to work mainly for Europe as I am based in Germany.
On the sideline: has anyone gone through using AI to fill administrative papers like that? (obviously by personalizing them and adjusting them as necessary). Can it be recommended?
Thank you!
Dominique
Hello, testing this one: www.enterprisenation.com/learn-something/business-connected-digital-series-ai-tools-to-build-a-marketing-strategy/
Hi Dominique, thanks for asking your question here!
What kind of travel business are you developing? Eg. An inbound tour operator? Who is your target market? Are you looking for investment or business partners?
One way of developing a business plan is with a classic startup pitch deck. This is typically ~10 slides and covers the basics like market size, what problem you’re solving, competitor landscape, “why now?”, and revenue protection. I find the pitch deck a good way to structure and communicate your ideas for the business, and get feedback from others.
Hi Ian!
As a biologist and my love for my Mediterranean home, I have been in the process of developing a project to bridge the gap between conservation and tourism. So it will basically focus on science based travel opportunities that should closely work with academia, research and active contribution towards the environment and people in the Mediterranean (like a large network of projects). Target would be soft adventure, often environmentally conscious travellers who are more likely to be younger generations, such as Millennials and Generation Z, likely with higher levels of education and income. But not only - as families and retired persons could also have an interest and that I do wish to make an impact. To be honest I have not determined yet "what I am" as it´s quite a large project. I am definitely urgently looking for investment and as I am drowning financially ( I have given everything up to do this, but I still have a family to feed and no income at the moment). Business partners - no idea where who how. I know that my project can work (I just got feedback from EVOR to apply as it looks good and I have gotten positive feedback from MEET and other) and I know it is an increasing market. To me..I have been dreaming of doing this for the past 12 years. I know the region as I grew up there 20 years within the tourism industry and I just absolutely breathe the region.
So any support help suggestions is so so welcomed :-) (desperately needed :-))
Thank you :) I will look into it. Had started using notion in the mean time.
Hi Dominique,
I've been writing tourism related business plans for decades and have developed a template with essential content sections. Happy to share the template with headings and content guidance.
For content research and statistical information, Google Bard (Genesis) is a handy tool but instruct the AI to include reference citations to cross-check facts and avoid copying content verbatim (use your own words). Once you have your (usually lengthy) business plan written, you'll find it easier to extract and condense key data to compile a pitch deck. Canva.com has several pitch deck templates that are easy to use.
Presumably, you've already registered the brand domain name, so the next step is to build a minimum viable product (MVP), usually a website (using the business plan for navigation/content guidance) and to test the validity of your concept. An MVP and user feedback is essential if you intend to secure co-founders/investors or apply with start-up incubators. If building a website is not viable at this stage, you could use an idea validation prototype like figma.com, although their Pro version comes at a monthly fee.
Hope the above helps and best wishes on your entrepreneurial journey.
Thank you Travel Massive Saigon members for participating in our engaging panel discussion on Media Engagement Tactics for Travel & Hospitality Industry. The panel discussion and networking took place at YUNKA, a new exciting venue in the heart of Saigon, and was co-hosted by PR Newswire.
Special thanks to our moderator Chris Thompson from Harper's Bazaar Vietnam, speakers Megan Ly from PR Newswire, San Luong from Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, Van Vu from What The Pho Youtube Channel, and Lan Le from Luxperia Travel.
📸 Photos by Fred Wissink
👉 See all photos on the Travel Massive Vietnam Facebook page: www.facebook.com/travelmassivevietnam
Thank you everyone for joining our panel discussion and networking at YUNKA earlier this week. Stay tuned for the upcoming events!
great event! great job!
As always, fantastic photos from the Vietnam Travel Massive community — thanks for sharing!
What was the biggest topic discussed by the panel? Any particular take-aways from the discussion?
Hello everyone! I’m seeking advice on transitioning into a more stable role in digital marketing and content creation within the travel industry. Could you share your experiences or tips on finding job opportunities, especially with small travel companies?
More Details:
I have a solid background in digital marketing and content creation, most recently working for a hostel and tour company with operations across Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and the Philippines. This role involved managing a wide range of promotional and content creation tasks aimed at boosting online presence and customer engagement.
Previously, I collaborated with tour agencies in Austria, contributing to projects in Austria, Serbia, and Hungary. This volunteer work was intended to enhance my portfolio. Currently, I'm freelancing as a social media content coordinator, digital marketer, and content creator for a musician, aiming to build more diverse experiences.
Despite my efforts in leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and various job boards, I haven’t had much success in landing a new role. It seems these traditional job-finding platforms aren’t yielding the results I expected.
I’m eager to hear from you—how did you secure your position in this field? Any guidance or leads you could provide would be immensely appreciated as I navigate this challenging job market.
Thank you in advance for your help and insights!
Hi Lindsay, Being visible on Travel Massive is a great start!
Have as many conversations as you can. Connect with people, work your network, attend relevant meet-ups and don't be afraid of asking people for help and ideas. I'd recommend not necessarily waiting for opportunities to be advertised. Proactively write to the companies that interest you. Tenacity and persistence —nothing beats it. Don’t dismiss interim opportunities either. They can be a great way of getting into a business.
Keep going. You'll get there!
I look forward to seeing what other tips the Travel Massive community has to share.
Thank you Mathew! I really appreciate the feed back. I already feel connected to so many new people who are related to my field just by being apart of Travel Massive. I think there are so many websites that help with finding jobs and help connect people but it think it gets a little overwhelming with so many different types of websites to be apart of. Im happy to be apart of such a cool network related to travel. Im here to learn from anybody and whoever can point me in a good direction. I love learning from others.
Hi Lindsay!
Have you tried jobs.traveltechessentialist.com/jobs?
I found my current job through Travel Massive, so always worth to keep looking for new opportunities here :)
Hope it helps!
Hey Allen!
Thanks for the advice, I have not tried this website but I will check it out today and see how it goes. I really love Travel Massive as well, it connects the right people and awesome networking for all things travel.
The "Rain Maker 2 - How to Sell a Big Idea" podcast is a master class in enterprise sales within the travel technology sector. Recorded live at the AWS Dublin office, the episode features lively discussions led by hosts Kevin O'Shaughnessy from Cityhook and Amanda Campbell from Sparkling Communications.
They are joined by a seasoned panel of commercial leaders - Ultan O'Brien from Viasat, Riona McHale from Travelport, and Brian Porter from Datalex. This episode dives into the complexities of selling large, challenging ideas - and technology - to sophisticated customers, emphasizing the critical role of trust and deep understanding of customer needs in the travel industry.
This podcast episode is part of a broader celebration of the 10th anniversary year of the Travel Massive Dublin Chapter. It was recorded at an event in November at AWS Ireland's HQ that brought together key figures from the community to mark a decade of growth and influence on the international travel tech scene.
Thanks to Leslie Graham for photography and AWS Dublin event team for their hospitality.
Pop quiz time! Cartrawler, Datalex, Travelport, OpenJaw Technologies, Viasat, Planitas, Roomex, AirBnB, Hostelworld, TripAdvisor, Daon, Optifly, RyanAir, Aer Lingus, AWS, OpenAI, Stripe ... what do all of these companies have in common?
They support the world's vibrant travel industry globally and have a substantial presence in Ireland. It's one of the reasons why the Travel Massive Dublin Chapter has a distinct travel technology flavour.
This podcast was recorded live from our Dublin event last year where we had a second session about how to sell travel tech. This is "enterprise sales" where, whether you're a startup or an established player selling into the travel business for the first time, can be intimidating and tough to break into. Discussions like this is our chance to learn from the "rain makers" that have been at this for a long time. We like to share notes like this in Dublin at our events and we've captured this as a podcast to share.
Listen to the podcast below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwWD8sQyjnA
🎧 Or listen where you get your podcasts:
✅ Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/travelmassive
✅ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12mRV73oOJMdCPOQ4jGN8N
✅ Apple: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/travel-massive-podcast/id1021133019
Thanks for listening, and enjoy!
PS: If you want more insights into the topic and more, why not explore our extensive back catalogue of podcasts? Highlights include "How to sell to an airline" with Sinead Finn, former Ryanair exec who headed up the Ancillary Revenue function, alongside sales practitioners from Travelport, Cartrawler, and Boxever (now part of Sitecore).
You'll find a summary over on our blog archive:
travelmassiveblogarchive.com/2019/11/rain-maker-enterprise-sales-for-airlines/index.html
These podcasts are a rare and invaluable resource for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge or seeking inspiration from experienced industry veterans.
Great stuff! As a travel tech person it's great to hear very articulate explanation from a front-line perspective of the "SALE". Thanks.
Fun event, great to talk to David on the night.
Hand on heart, this is some world-class advice from some commercial leaders with exceptional expertise and experience in selling to large players in the travel industry. Very rare to find such a treasure trove of actionable insights.
I don't even sell technology to airlines but I loved this podcast! So many fascinating insights and I agree with Amanda that this knowledge is hard to come across in the industry... this is worth it's weight in gold! Thanks for putting this together and sharing with the Travel Massive community.
We set a world record being the first to drive a US School bus the full length of the Pan-American Highway (Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina) - living in the bus and filming a documentary with strangers from around the world!
You may have seen my post last year about driving a school bus from Alaska to Argentina, and, well, we did it! 234 days later we completed our journey from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Fin Del Mundo, Argentina. It certainly was a challenge and we faced many hurdles along the way but we had an incredible team. For those who didn't see my post last year, this was a community-funded expedition with the goal of documenting changes in the landscape, infrastructure and life on the Pan American Highway.
After researching the Pan-American Highway and coming across Richardson’s Pan-American Highway Expedition, we decided that we wanted to attempt driving the entire length of the Pan-American Highway. Richardson’s team of three was the first to ‘drive’ from the USA to Argentina in 1940 in their Chrysler Plymouth. Fascinated by their story and predictions for what the Pan American Highway would turn into, as a team we decided that we wanted to do a similar route and take an iconic American School bus, creating our own challenge; Being the first American School bus to drive from the Arctic Circle to the Fin del Mundo, Argentina.
You can follow our entire journey route over on Polarsteps:
polarsteps.com/GlobalConvoy/8269764-panamerican-highway-alaska-to-argentina
Our goal was to analyse key changes in landscape, infrastructure, and effects of tourism on this intercontinental route, documenting our findings along the way. Upon completion, the goal is to create a feature-length documentary intertwining original footage from Richardson’s expedition and our own.
As we are a small team, we are looking for partners or teammates who work within Film/tv who may be interested in joining the project as we begin to build our documentary.
Below are some short videos we produced along the way:
Alaska to Argentina (Pan-American Highway) in a School Bus!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2iozTnVj4o&list=PLz4xTcA6AzTumY9arqW9pN8PjNp-B_P-G&index=2
Driving a School Bus to the Arctic Ocean! 😊
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwhr9Ru7XQ&list=PLz4xTcA6AzTumY9arqW9pN8PjNp-B_P-G&index=2&pp=iAQB
Surviving the Dalton Highway!! (Alaska to Argentina Week 3)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vylvT5s70OQ&list=PLz4xTcA6AzTumY9arqW9pN8PjNp-B_P-G&index=3&pp=iAQB
We've been living on this bus for 1 month...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R86AKplVTA&list=PLz4xTcA6AzTumY9arqW9pN8PjNp-B_P-G&index=4&pp=iAQB
American School bus drives into Mexico
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7yL2B8ygzA&list=PLz4xTcA6AzTumY9arqW9pN8PjNp-B_P-G&index=5&pp=iAQB
This was the most incredible journey and we could not have done it without the support of our community and teammates.
Now that our journey is complete it is time to sit down and start sorting through our footage and get to work on the doc! If anyone has any ideas, suggestions or wants to become part of the project then please reach out.
Thanks for watching!
epic road trip!!!
Really… what you and the team achieved with such limited resources is amazing! Bravo!
It’s one of my dreams to join the Global Convoy one day and be a part of your adventures.
What was the most challenging part of the journey, and what did you wish you packed before you started out?
Thank you, it truly was epic and I really hope you can join us one day!
Honestly, I think the most challenging part was not physical, it was mental. Keeping group morale high in circumstances out of our control was very difficult when it was unclear what our fate would be. We had a few moments where we thought 'this could be the end', due to countries entering 'a state of emergency', or protesters shutting down roads. Trying to stay positive during this time was very challenging, especially when you are not in your best frame of mind. Living on a bus for 8 months in such close quarters is both rewarding and mentally challenging.
As for packing, there is not too much that I felt I was missing, because it was pretty easy to pick things up along the way. But I think something that would have been useful, would have been to bring our Jet boil and Aero press. Whilst we had a great kitchen set up that catered to 14 people, it was sometimes a little cumbersome to set up to make a quick coffee or tea. It also meant that when we were away from the bus, we had no form of boiling water.
What an adventure. 8 months on a bus with that many people must have been pretty trying but no doubt worth it!
I remember asking you about the Darien Gap last year. Did it all go smoothly getting the bus on a container?
Looking forward to checking out the videos later.
For sure! Yes it was fairly simple. We used a local company called Overland Embassy based in Panama City and they managed to get us on a flat rack, so it wasn’t as much as roll on roll off. In the past we have done the shopping ourselves and it’s always been complicated so this time we thought we would pay a little bit more to have someone take care of it!
Hi! I’m looking for a good affiliate marketing program or app where I can create a few US/International itineraries and make an affiliate income. These are for places that do NOT have affiliate links. Does this exists? OR what sites do you use to share your itineraries in your blogs and why do they work best for you? Thanks!
Hi Stacey, this is a nice one tho: www.linkedin.com/company/smart-guide/
We featured Smart Guide here on Travel Massive :)
www.travelmassive.com/posts/smartguide-733034184
Hello, nice to meet you! I'm Idan from Maslol. Our platform supports tour guides, travel content creators, and digital nomads in creating digital tours or smart maps tailored for independent travelers (FIT). Additionally, our system enables the use of these digital experiences as white-label products, allowing for seamless integration into your own offerings and the opportunity to generate additional revenue.
You can sell\share these digital experiences directly from your website, without needing to join a crowded marketplace or requiring users to download an app!
This is an example of what the digital experience looks like. While this particular example features a historical experience, the content can be customized to suit different themes (note: it must be opened on a mobile device): link-header.web.app/ti?id=1uXpkiDgBa4g2zTCioI6
How would a content creator monetize with SmartGuide? I wasn;t able to tell from their website.
Good question. I would love to know as well.
Awesome! I’ll check it out!
Interesting. So people buy the guide to my itinerary? Are they able to book the hotels, etc through this (if the hotels, etc don’t have an affiliate program)?
I was at that very Jaffa miniature a year ago! Thanks for sharing! I’ll take a look!
We're not SMART GUIDE; we're Maslol. We have a system that lets you create your own self-guided tours. You can add various multimedia, design, and brand your tour as shown in this example: link-header.web.app/ti?id=UxsDhupbkgXiNbVd4tGJ. The tours are accessible on mobile devices through Google Chrome or Safari without needing to download an app, which helps increase sales chances
GPS My City will create apps from your itineraries, and you get commissions when someone buys a subscription. I can provide a contact if needed.
cc @Jan Doleza :)
I've started using this website called Thatch: www.thatch.co
As far as I can tell, it's still quite unknown, but if you can generate interest in your links from elsewhere (like your blog), you can probably start making some money out of it. I have a small YouTube following where I promoted one of my free Thatch guides, and someone donated $5 for it. It's not much but if my small following has generated any income I'm sure a larger audience can get quite lucrative!
Thank you!
I came here to also say Thatch! I've signed up to it but have yet to actually use it properly. I know of several content creators who have had success with it, so it's definitely on my list of things to explore.
Hi Stacey, we've built a way for Travel Content Creators the ability to create trip ideas within our app, then sell and promote those trip ideas for whatever price they feel is fair. You can see details here slide.travel/travel-influencers. We can schedule a call if you feel you'd like to discuss further. slide.travel/travel-influencers.
Regards
I was going to suggest Thatch as well! I have signed up with them but haven't used the platform yet. I also just list itineraries on my website (built with strikingly), so I just have to pay the stripe credit card fees instead of splitting payments with another party: www.savorandsoak.com/itineraries
ReviewReplyAI is a Chrome Extension that I created to help myself reply to Google Reviews for my accommodations businesses, it saves me a lot of time.
How it works:
1️⃣ Open the review modal
2️⃣ Click "Generate Reply" button
3️⃣ That's it! See the magic happen 🪄
It has the following features:
✅ Reply tones
✅ Multilanguage
✅ Include Keywords
✅ Reply when no comments (Based on the stars)
Hey everyone, I'm Rod, a web developer working in the hospitality industry for over 14 years.
Since 3 years ago also running my own short term rentals listing business in Mallorca and also my family owns a little boutique hotel.
Reply to reviews requires a lot of time so I built the extension for ourselves.
Posted it on Twitter and there was a lot interested, @Ian from Travel Massive encouraged me as well so I built it as a product.
Next morning I posted on Twitter again and immediately it had it's 1st customer.
Here's a demo below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndoiuhUEWTM
I got accepted on the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub program and they granted me with a $2.5k OpenAI credit
So I'm giving TravelMassive members a crazy *50% discount using the coupon TMFRIENDS*
👉 Try it out at reviewreplyai.com
Next, I plan to create a proper website and if there is demand to add other platforms like Trustpilot and Tripadvisor
For the ones interested in the tech side, it was super hard to figure out how to inject content on Google because all the parts in the Google Reviews website are iframes
I love where this might go: you mention some future ideas in your post too.
I think if you can balance the "gen-AI" vs "authenticity" this could scale to professional use for customer service and loyalty users.
Nicely done
Thanks a lot Kevin.
Yeah, it's important to find a balance.
Also, I plan adding a "Brand Voice" filed, I think will help with "authenticity".
Hey @Rod, lets connect.!
HERE'S THE NEXT 5 UPCOMING EVENTS:
Join Travel Massive on Tuesday May 7 in one of Manhattan's famed watering holes, for an evening of drinks and light bites, courtesy of our co-host, World Nomads, the global travel brand and travel insurance provider.
Learn more about how World Nomads supports adventurous travelers and how you can get involved with World Nomads as a collaborator, content creator or an affiliate partner, providing an additional ancillary revenue channel.
👉 Important Housekeeping: 👈
📪 The RSVP process is via a waitlist. ALL attendees must join the waitlist. We'll open up spots quickly and add as many attendees as possible.
📧 By registering for this event, you agree for us to provide World Nomads and Intrepid with your contact details.
🚀 World Nomads helps content creators broaden their life experiences and build upon their careers through engaging storytelling guides, master classes and money-can’t-buy scholarship opportunities. Since 2014, the company has awarded Travel Scholarships to more than 50 aspiring writers, photographers, filmmakers and content creators.
🏆 World Nomads will be kindly giving away a number of prizes, courtesy of its partner Intrepid Travel.
The grand prize includes:
• $2,000 towards any worldwide Intrepid trip of your choosing
* To be booked by June 30, 2024 and redeemed by December 24, 2004.
• More prizes to be announced soon.
🌎 About World Nomads
World Nomads is a global travel insurance provider, with more than 20 years of experience protecting, connecting and inspiring independent and adventurous travelers. Our mission is to help you get the most out of your adventures and support you when things go wrong. Though our Footprints Network, travelers are able to support sustainable community projects through micro-donations with each travel insurance policy purchase.
🌎 About Intrepid
Intrepid is a small group tour travel company with humble beginnings that now sends over 100,000 travelers a year on grassroots & responsible travel tours.
TravelCon is the business event for travel creators.
It's back and better than ever in 2024.
Our goal is to help travel creators turn their passion into a profession and then scale their online presence. You’ll be among hundreds of travel creators like yourself who get you, your work, and your passion for travel.
Whether you’re a seasoned creator or on the cusp of being full-time, TravelCon will empower you with the latest strategies, insights, and tools, as well as connect you with the brand and industry reps you want to work with.
What to expect at TraveCon 2024:
• SESSIONS aimed at helping you go pro or scale — learn from success stories & case studies of your industry peers.
• EXPO HALL featuring travel boards, travel brands, CVBs, DMOs, creator service providers, and more — many with specially-curated offers, partnerships, and products to discuss with you.
• INDUSTRY REP MEETINGS that you schedule in advance using our event software.
• FIND YOUR PEOPLE by jumping into meetups based on your platform or niches.
• GOOD TIMES Parties. FAM tours. Meetups.
🎟️ Get your TravelCon ticket today via the button above.
Use code MASSIVE for 30% discount.
📧 Questions? DM Event Organizers Libby or Tara
Link to event pageJoin us in Athens for The Athletic Coup Film Festival: Featuring Untold Stories Of Athletes And Niche Sports From Around The World.
The Athletic Coup was born out of a desire to uncover the hidden gems of the athletic world, including motivational amateur athlete stories and niche sports.
Through the art of film, the film festival brings to life the passion, dedication and triumphs of athletes from all walks of life, inspiring audiences to dream big and strive for greatness.
Travel Massive members are warmly invited to attend the screening which will be held at the Technopolis City of Athens | Gasholder 1 Auditorium «Miltiadis Evert» on Tuesday, 21 May at 19:00. Tickets are only 10€.
We will show five award-winning films that have never been screened in Greece before. From the selection:
REBOUND - Documentary - THE ATHLETIC COUP FESTIVAL WINNER
Sebastien Bellin, a former professional basketball player, is on his way to New York, departing from Brussels Airport. As he was receiving his boarding pass, a bomb exploded in the Brussels airport. As he runs toward security, a second bomb explodes a few feet away. Bellin nearly died in a terrorist attack on March 22, 2016.
With some luck and help, he survives and keeps his legs after 13 surgeries. We see him thanking the Greek doctor who saved him. Six years later, Bellin completes the Ironman Triathlon of Hawaii as a disabled athlete.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov3E5kOiPQ0
Directed by: Tim Vervoort, Vincent Stevens, Gilles Simonet Watertower TV Productions
Country of origin: Belgium
IAN - Short
This short documentary follows the remarkable journey of 72-year-old Australian climber, Ian Elliott. Ian's extraordinary climbing ability defies age stereotypes, showcasing his resilience and challenging societal perceptions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzzmKhCkJ4
Directed by: Matt Raimondo
Country of Origin: Australia
HOME OCEAN - Short
The story of a man raised by the ocean in Brazil. Ocean athlete Joao Daniel Edde developed a unique connection with the water and developed admirable skills, whether underwater or gliding over it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9G5FKKMaE
Directed by: Felipe Eisenberger
Country of Origin: Brazil
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TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW (10€)
✅ Award-winning athlete documentaries
✅ International filmmakers present
✅ 5 films
✅ Filmmaker panels
📍 Technopolis City of Athens | Gasholder 1 Auditorium «Miltiadis Evert»
🗓️ Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 19:00
👉 Buy your ticket at coupfilmfest.com
Bristol Travel Massive is back! After a hiatus during the pandemic, we are keen to get everyone together again and welcome new members.
This re-launch event will be hosted at Runway East Bristol Bridge (1 Victoria Street, BS1 6AA). There'll be plenty of space to socialise, network & mingle. We'll be using the modern bar space with free drinks on arrival and a great value bar selection thereafter.
Runway East has been fighting boring offices since 2014. And they’re relentless when it comes to team bliss. Runway East creates countless opportunities to make your team happy all day, every day. Bask in beautiful, customisable office space, where stuff gets fixed by people who care, and you have space to scale. runwayea.st shorturl.at/BDSWX
Towards the start of the evening, we'll be welcoming two local guest speakers: Ben Lynam from the Travel Foundation, a local NGO leading the way on sustainable tourism development, and Hannah Cox from betternotstop.com talking about her travels to one of the happiest countries on Earth, Bhutan.
Look forward to seeing everyone there!
Link to event pageFree event. Let's meet at a nice bar in Malasaña with Craft Beers, Wine, soft drinks and International Food.
Talking about Sustainable Tourism, Latest Trends and Networking. Onwards 8 pm. we will be there until 11 pm.
NANAI Restaurante. Espacio cultural
Calle del Barco, 26, 28004 Madrid Metro: Tribunal / Gran Via Malasaña.
maps.app.goo.gl/pbemh2mfmMBCoShR6
www.nanairestaurante.com
Veniros a nuestro Evento Gratuito. Hablaremos sobre Turismo Sostenible y Nuevas Tendencias. También para Networking y hacer nuevos contactos en NANAI con cervezas artesanales y comida internacional. Podéis llegar desde las 20 h. estaremos hasta las 23 h.
TBEX Europe is coming to San Sebastian, Spain in May 2024 – meet, network and learn the latest trends, strategies and tactics from each other and the world's leading experts. 🎉
TBEX brings together hundreds of travel creators, CVBs/DMOs and brands re-imagining and redefining the travel and tourism industry. A place to build lasting business connections and life long friendships.
Join us for Pre-BEX area tour experiences, beginner to advanced educational sessions, numerous networking opportunities, stunning evening events and Post-conference FAM possibilities.
For more information and to register visit: tbexcon.com
Link to event pageHere's the 10 latest classified ads:
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