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Here are the 10 most recent posts:
This summer a few of us did Interrail across six countries. We won DiscoverEU tickets and had no exact plan, just a group chat that filled up fast with screenshots, booking codes, and the classic "wait, who paid for the hostel?"
A few things stuck with us more than any single stop did:
1. Booking chaos scales faster than the trip. By day three the group chat wasn't a place to talk anymore; it was a filing cabinet nobody could search. Every new booking meant someone scrolling back through forty messages to find the confirmation, and often it's not even there.
2. Money gets political fast. Nobody wants to be "that person" chasing a friend for 80 kr, so people just don't. It piles up quietly until the last night, when someone finally does the math and everyone's memory of who paid for what turns out to be wrong.
3. "We'll settle up later" always means "we'll argue about it later." The longer costs go untracked, the more everyone's version of events diverges.
4. The best group trips are the ones where money is boring. The moment nobody has to think about who owes who, the trip is just the trip.
By the second week we'd basically stopped using the group chat for logistics. Instead we started photographing receipts and forwarding confirmation emails into a shared trip timeline, with everything landing on its own line by category and costs tallied automatically. It worked well enough that we kept building on it after we got home. It's called Deline, live on iOS since August.
Curious if anyone else has found their own fix for the money side of group trips, or if it's just something everyone quietly suffers through.
P.S. We're looking for Android testers. Deline is already free on the App Store, and now it's Android's turn. If you're on Android and want in, whether you have a trip coming up or just want to poke around, sign up with your email on our website and we'll send you a link. And if you know someone on Android who's always the one planning the group trip, please send this to them. It helps us a lot. Try it out: deline.dev
Really interesting point about group chats turning into “filing cabinets” during a trip. I’ve seen the same thing when planning travel — confirmations, costs and small decisions quickly get scattered everywhere. Bringing bookings and expenses into one shared timeline sounds genuinely useful, especially for group trips. Looking forward to seeing how the Android version develops.
I’ve been looking into how AI-powered search is affecting travel discovery and noticed something interesting.
I ran the same three Barbados/Caribbean travel searches across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity and I got 9 responses in total. Across those responses, 29 different travel brands were surfaced, and no single company appeared in all 9.
What stood out to me was how much the brands changed depending on both the platform and the type of question being asked. Even established travel companies and Caribbean specialists appeared in some searches and disappeared completely in others.
It made me wonder how travel businesses should actually think about AI visibility when there doesn’t seem to be one consistent “AI search result.”
For anyone working in travel marketing, distribution or AI, are you seeing similar differences between ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity when researching destinations or travel companies?
I’ve noticed something similar from the destination side. The results can change quite a bit depending on how the question is phrased, not just which AI platform is used. It makes me think travel brands need to focus less on “ranking” in one AI tool and more on having clear, consistent and useful information across different sources.
That’s exactly the part I found most interesting. Changing the intent behind the question sometimes changed the brands being surfaced just as much as changing the platform.
Your point from the destination side is interesting too. Have you noticed certain types of destination information or sources being picked up more consistently than others?
I’ve noticed practical information tends to come up more often, especially transport, opening hours and the better-known places. Smaller local spots can be very different depending on how you ask the question. That’s actually what made me interested in this topic.
[Michelle L. Jensen](/@michelle-jensen) is the creator of [Travel HerStory](www.travelherstory.com), a blog for millennial women who want to travel, primarily alone. After spending her 20s in the entertainment industry and writing a female-led action-adventure novel, she now focuses on solo travel through film and fiction, highlighting filming locations and literary destinations around the globe.
*This article is part of an interview series with [Top Travel Massive Creators](/creators) and is made possible with the support of Stay22. Thanks Michelle for taking the time to share your story!*
How did you get started as a travel creator?
Back in 2013, I started blogging out of boredom. I was working a desk job at a film and TV studio. I didn’t have much to do there unless something went wrong. On a friend’s recommendation, I started a blog. It initially focused on travel, as I had just returned from my college graduation trip to Europe.
I soon ran out of content because I was stuck at my desk instead of traveling the world. The blog became a collage of things before evolving into the Nerd Out app in 2015. I ran that pop culture event calendar for three years before I had to close it down.
While nerdom holds a special place in my heart, I longed to travel blog; thus, [Travel HerStory](www.travelherstory.com) was born!
How would you describe your content and your audience?
My content is for millennial women who want to travel, primarily alone. I originally focused on budget travel, but I've rebranded to focus on solo travel through film and fiction. I miss my former career in the entertainment industry a little, so I want to weave that back in by highlighting filming locations around the globe.
The same goes for literature. I wrote a female-led action-adventure novel during the pandemic and have been pitching it to agents. It's a long, arduous process, so bringing that fictional magic to my blog has been thrilling. Travel destinations that either inspired the author or are where characters are based (e.g., 221 B Baker St.) are my go-to.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeCsb3RZZPc
What platforms do you create on, and which has been most important to your growth?
I spend most of my energy on [my blog](www.travelherstory.com) because it's the platform I own and fully control. I don't love playing the algorithm game on socials, so I relish having my own space. It's also where the bulk of my revenue comes from, so that makes it easy to justify the time and auditing I do annually.
I'm also active on [Pinterest](www.pinterest.com/travelherstory/), [YouTube](www.youtube.com/@TravelHerStoryBlog), [Facebook](www.facebook.com/travelherstory), [Instagram](www.instagram.com/travelherstory/), [TikTok](www.tiktok.com/@travelherstoryblog), and [Threads](www.threads.net/@travelherstory). Pinterest is the largest driver of traffic behind Google, so I focus on it most. Since other socials don't drive much traffic for me, I mostly use them as community-building platforms.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced as a travel creator?
My biggest challenge has really been finding my own niche. I thought I kind of had to be a little everything for everyone when I began, but as I've grown, I've realized being everything isn't possible. It's okay not to be the expert on all subjects.
Instead, I've been leaning into only what I can offer. Most bloggers didn't spend their 20s in the entertainment industry. Most bloggers haven't written an action-adventure novel. Those things make me unique.
And it's okay that these niches have much smaller audiences than budget travel, because being the big fish in a small pond isn't a bad thing. If anything, it makes me stand out more.
What does your content creation process look like?
I didn't use to plan at all. But when I went to write, I'd get stuck without photos of certain things, like how I got to the location or what my hotel looked like. I'm still not perfect at this; I really goofed on my 4.5-month trek through Europe last year by not photographing much of the transport, but I keep learning how to improve my workflow.
I mainly batch work if I can to get as much done as possible, meaning that I work on Pinterest one day, and then audit posts another so that I'm not swapping between projects. I've also built checklists of what I need to remember to include (e.g., internal links, alt text, etc.), since I can often forget things when there's so much to include for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
How do you work with hotels, hostels and products?
Product founders mainly find me and reach out because they see my other reviews. I've found this to be a great way to try out several items and do comparison posts.
For hotels and hostels, I always reach out once I know where I'm headed. In both cases, a successful partnership looks like a well-written, honest blog post and photos that showcase the location or item.
What are your top tips for being successful with affiliate marketing?
Be genuine. Recommending everything under the sun doesn't work. You have to give your reader some reason to trust your opinion. Maybe you've used that product for 5 years and can speak to how it's held up. Or it may be how much money you saved by using that tourist card. Whatever it is, you have to make a solid argument for it.
Also, don't be scared to say something negative. If I read a review that's 100% glowing, I trust it less, since nothing is ever completely perfect. Even if it's "I didn't like the smell of the soap," that's something.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as a travel creator today?
Learn SEO. I didn't for the first 11 years of my time as a blogger, which meant I had hardly any views and didn't even make enough for gas money.
You have to meet your viewers where they are, and knowing which keywords to target and how to place them is most of the battle. Don't guess what they want. Do research to find out how you can best help them.
Social media also relies on SEO a lot, particularly TikTok, so even if you aren't going full speed ahead with blogging, it's still a useful skill to have.
Who inspires you — in travel, in content creation, or beyond?
This is going to be a weird answer, but I try to stay in my own lane, so I'm not constantly comparing myself to others. I find that when I start looking at others, I end up spending a lot of energy bringing myself down because I'm not doing X, Y, and Z the way they are. It's not a useful way to spend time for business purposes or mental health.
What does the Travel Massive community mean to you, and what's next?
I've just started my journey with Travel Massive, but I love being part of a global community that's in the same boat as me. I've found the travel community to be helpful to one another, rather than competitive, and that's something to be proud of.
I'm headed to Hawaii with family, which'll be interesting as I haven't done a trip like this since 2021. I've hopefully learned a lot about myself since then, and as I'll be working this time, I'm hoping to manage my time efficiently.
I'm slowly building out my [solo travel](www.travelherstory.com/solo-travel-blogs/), [literary tourism](www.travelherstory.com/literary-tourism/), and [set-jetting](www.travelherstory.com/film-tourism-tv/) sections of my blog while auditing old posts. Additionally, I'm working for GetYourGuide and AAA. It'll be a busy fall and winter season for me with all this freelance work.
Really enjoyed this interview. The point about finding your own niche instead of trying to be everything for everyone really stood out to me. I’m building Greece-focused travel content, and I’m learning the same lesson — a smaller, clearly defined audience can sometimes be much more valuable than simply chasing reach. Also great insight about Pinterest and SEO. Thanks for sharing your experience, Michelle!
Thanks so much for the kind words Ihsan! Yes, I feel so much better now that I've found my lane.
Glad to hear that, Michelle! Finding the right lane really makes such a difference. Wishing you continued success with it! 🙌
Members of the Public Councils and the [Almaty Tourism Industry Council](www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/almaty-tourism?lang=en) discussed destination management quality and the digital transformation of tourism at the ["Almaty Future Tourism Dialog"](www.travelmassive.com/events/almaty-future-tourism-panel-discussion-quality-vs-quantity-3885443047), held at [Almaty Management University](almau.edu.kz/en/) (AlmaU).
*Almaty, 25 September 2026 - Representatives of the Almaty Tourism Industry Council took part in the "Almaty Future Tourism Dialog" expert roundtable at AlmaU, which focused on the key challenges and development prospects for the tourism sector. The event centred on destination management, digital transformation, and the introduction of quality standards and certification for tourism businesses.*
#Opening and presentations
The event began with a minute of silence in memory of the [tragic events](www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/24/nine-kazakh-soldiers-die-in-caspian-sea-training-incident) in Mangystau. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Azamat Aueskhanuly, Dean of the AlmaU School of Management, and by representatives of JSC NC "Kazakh Tourism", the Almaty Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the City Public Council, and the Creative Industries Alliance of Qazaqstan.
The business program opened with a presentation by [Yerkin Tikenov](www.travelmassive.com/@yerkintikenov) - Chairman of the Almaty Tourism Industry Council, Coordinator of the Tourism Committee of the Creative Industries Alliance of Qazaqstan, Director of Incide Travel, and Professor of Practice at AlmaU - who shared findings from the "Taldau Almaty" School of Analytics. His presentation covered the digital transformation of tourism within the Almaty agglomeration, mechanisms for the smart specialization of districts, and the development of a distributed experience economy, and proposed recommendations for tourism-related territorial management.
Akbota Kairkhanova of the national company "Kazakh Tourism" continued the official program, discussing how the "Very Nice" Quality Mark program can help raise service quality.
#Panel discussion (watch the video recording below)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuXLRYuw7Ds
The highlight of the day was the expert panel "Quality as a Driving Force for Tourism Destination Development", moderated by Yerkin Tikenov. Experts from government bodies, public councils, the banking sector and non-profit organizations examined the barriers to and incentives for voluntary certification, the balance between regulating and supporting business, and safety standards in active tourism.
[Maksat Bakytovich Tabylganov](www.linkedin.com/in/tabylganov/), a member of the Almaty Tourism Industry Council and Head of Travel at Halyk Bank, took an active part in the panel. Online participants included Yerbol Zhanybekovich Zhanybekov, Director of Sabre Travel Network (Central Asia), and Askhat Onalbayevich Zhanbosynov, a partner at AlfaMedGroup.
In his address, Yerkin Tikenov emphasized the importance of advanced analytical tools - such as analysis of short-term rental market data and travel technologies - for accurately forecasting tourism flows and reducing the strain on the region's ecosystems.
As moderator, he highlighted that effective destination management requires a synergy of efforts among the academic community, the business sector, and civil society bodies - specifically the Public Councils of the national company "Kazakh Tourism" and the City of Almaty. He also noted the pivotal role of market participants' willingness to engage in open dialogue through Almaty's sectoral tourism council.
#Travel Massive Almaty and networking
The program concluded with presentations on Travel Massive Almaty's travel-tech projects, followed by networking and a coffee break. The event proved an effective platform for sharing expertise, strengthening partnerships, and developing practical solutions for tourism growth in the region.
#What participants said
Akbota Zhubanyshkyzy Kairkhanova (Chief Manager, Tourism Product Development Department, JSC NC "Kazakh Tourism"):
"The 'Quality Mark' program has proven its relevance as a tool for enhancing competitiveness. Dialogue with the business community demonstrates that certification is becoming not merely a badge of distinction, but a genuine market standard for customer-centricity and safety."
Gulnara Nurganatovna Katibayeva (Chair of the Public Council of JSC NC "Kazakh Tourism"; Association "Club of Restaurateurs of Kazakhstan"):
"Today, the HoReCa sector directly influences the overall impression of a destination. It is crucial for us that any quality standards are implemented with market realities in mind and help businesses overcome staffing and operational challenges."
Nariman Baktybayevich Abilshayikov (Chair of the Commission on Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Public Council of Almaty):
"The quality of destination management is a multifaceted indicator that affects the comfort of both tourists and local residents. Public oversight and open dialogue help us quickly identify areas for growth in Almaty."
Diana Frolova (Executive Secretary of [KazAlpineClub](alpineclub.kz); Member of the Tourism Committee, Creative Industries Alliance of Qazaqstan):
"Developing active tourism requires an uncompromising approach to safety and the authenticity of experiences. The synergy between the creative sector and professional associations enables the creation of unique and reliable tourism products."
Yerkin Tikenov (Chair of the Almaty Tourism Industry Council; Coordinator of the CIAQ Tourism Committee; Director of Incide Travel):
"Digital transformation and smart specialization are not merely technological trends but a vital necessity for the polycentric destination of Almaty. Success in tourism development today depends on our ability to utilize precise analytics, build effective cross-sector cooperation, and create a distributed experience economy that delivers real benefits to both the regional economy and local communities."
Thanks to everyone who joined us at AlmaU for the Almaty Future Tourism Dialog, and to our speakers, panelists and partners for sharing their insights.
👋 *Stay connected with Travel Massive Almaty. Join the [Almaty Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/almaty-travel-massive-876365886) community and our [Telegram group](t.me/travelmassive_kz) to connect with other tourism professionals in Kazakhstan and be the first to hear about upcoming events. See you at our next event!*
A very relevant discussion. Destination quality today goes far beyond promotion — it depends on how well data, local communities, tourism businesses and technology work together. The focus on creating real benefits for both visitors and residents is especially important for sustainable destination development.
Hi Yerkin, thanks for sharing these updates from Kazakhstan with the community!
Thank you for networking opportunities via Travel Massive as global professional platform
Morocco's travel community came together at Art House Marrakech in Sidi Abbad for [Connect, Create & Explore](www.travelmassive.com/events/morocco-travel-massive-connect-create-explore-5279378741), our September meetup and an extra special one: it marked a full year since [Morocco Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/morocco-travel-massive-444528319) first came together back in August last year. Thirty of us joined, with familiar faces from past meetups mixing right in with a wave of new ones.
The event brought together tour operators, travel designers and DMC founders, tour guides, camp and cultural space owners, digital marketers and creatives from across Morocco's travel industry.
#Meet our host: Art House Marrakech
Seleena and her team at [Art House Marrakech](arthousemarrakech.com) set out to make this a night to remember, and they delivered. The space is warm, creative and beautifully designed, and it connects visitors and locals alike to real artisans and real skills. Whether you're passing through or live in Marrakech, it's a place worth knowing about, and you can follow Art House on [Instagram](www.instagram.com/arthousemarrakech/).
#Travel bingo, then Zwaq painting
A game of travel bingo had everyone circulating the room, trading facts and stories. No hovering in corners here! As always, conversations moved effortlessly between Darija, French, English, Spanish and more, with a huge thank you to Chaima from Art House for translating throughout the night so no one was left out.
Brahim then led us through a workshop in Zwaq, the traditional Moroccan art of hand-painting intricate patterns on wood, the kind you'll see on the doors and ceilings of riads and palaces. It's a craft most of us had never tried before, and it pushed many of us outside our comfort zone, but that's exactly what brought us together: helping each other, laughing through the mistakes, and connecting through the experience itself.
#Behind the camera
Local photographer and videographer [Mehdi Ait Brahim](www.instagram.com/mehdyart_/) and his team volunteered to capture the workshop, the room and the people all night. I loved being able to see the whole event, not just from my own perspective, especially as I often get so wrapped up in talking that I forget all about photos!
Here's a short video from the night, filmed by Mehdi and his team:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gqBFb10Los
#Food and conversations that wouldn't end
The food, catered by Paola and Fatima, was a highlight in its own right, and the tableside conversations just would not end. We had planned to wrap up by 8:30pm. It was 10pm before anyone made a move to leave.
Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate a year of Morocco Travel Massive with us, to Seleena and her team for an event that ran so smoothly it barely felt organized at all, and to Mehdi and his team for making sure none of it was lost to memory alone. The next one is already in the works for November, with Seleena joining me once again, so prepare yourself for our next adventure!
— Christine and the Morocco Travel Massive team
*Want to be part of events like this? Join [Morocco Travel Massive](www.travelmassive.com/posts/morocco-travel-massive-444528319) to stay in the loop for the next event. Contact [Christine DePalo](www.travelmassive.com/@christine-depalo) to host or sponsor an event.*
One year of Morocco Travel Massive! Thank you to everyone who came out to Art House Marrakech, and to Seleena and her team for such a special night. See you in November!
What a moment! So many great experiences, new things to discover, and memories to share. Happy to be part of it! 🙌
Hi, I’m Kenny — though most people in China know me as A Cai.
Travel has shaped almost every important turn in my life. In 2012 I left my job, packed a camera and a backpack, and spent 18 months traveling through more than 20 countries. I wasn’t trying to collect countries. I wanted to meet young people who were building social enterprises, community projects, and practical answers to the problems around them.
I often stayed with local people, carried my own gear, and learned something fairly obvious the hard way: you understand a place very differently when you have time to listen.
That journey shaped BottleDream, the social innovation platform I’ve been building since 2011. Over the years we’ve told stories, built communities, worked with brands on sustainability, and created travel experiences that connect people from Chinese cities with villages, landscapes, and local communities.
Paralight grew from the same curiosity, but for a different audience. When people outside China plan a trip here, they usually find one of two things: a checklist of famous sights, or hundreds of scattered forum threads. Both can be useful. Neither helps enough with the more personal questions. What kind of place will fit my pace? What will daily life feel like? Is this route realistic? How do I handle payments, trains, connectivity, and arrival rules without opening twenty tabs?
So we built Paralight as an English-first decision platform for China travel. It brings together more than 100 place profiles, themed routes, and practical arrival guides. We try to make the trade-offs visible and tie factual claims to sources and freshness checks. We would rather say, “this place may not suit you,” than turn every destination into a recommendation.
The site is live now, and I’m still learning where it really helps and where it feels like one more travel guide. If you work in travel, live in China, or have planned a first trip here, I’d really value your honest reaction: what information would have reduced the most uncertainty for you?
And yes, I still love getting lost in a new place — just with better notes these days.
Hi Kenny, thanks for sharing you project. Me and @kckiwigirl are heading to Shanghai in October for a day (tranist) so I purchased a guide to get some details. It's been more than 10 years since I was in Shanghai so I'm looking forward to visiting again.
More and more travellers are starting with an AI assistant instead of a search engine or booking site. For decades, the distribution model has been pretty well understood: travellers search, large platforms aggregate demand, and operators pay commission for access to that demand. AI changes that.
For travel industries, that raises a really important question: do we just accept whatever the next distribution model looks like, or try to shape some of it ourselves?
My family owns and operates two holiday parks in Australia. We know OTAs provide value, and we use them. But we also know the trade-offs all too well. So if travel distribution is going through another major shift, it’s worth asking whether industries like ours have an opportunity to do things a little differently this time.
Article image #2
*My wife and brother-in-law, at our park in Launceston*
Commission for reach: the deal we accepted
OTAs became dominant for good reasons. They made fragmented accommodation easier to find, compare and book. They also gave operators access to travellers they might never have reached themselves. The bargain was simple: give up a percentage of the booking in exchange for distribution.
Over time though, that relationship has become... complicated 💔 Brand bidding is an obvious (and somewhat damning) example. A traveller searches Google for a business _by name_. The business may have spent years building their brand and attracting that customer, but an OTA can advertise against the search and potentially turn that demand back into a commissioned booking, effectively hijacking customers and selling them back to the businesses that built the product.
For holiday and caravan parks, there’s another issue too: most large accommodation platforms were fundamentally designed around _hotels_. A powered site for a 9-metre caravan, a pet-friendly cabin, or an ensuite site is not another hotel room.
The platforms work, and we use them because that is what's available. But they weren’t built for our industry, and the deal could be better. So why not make a new one?
Many industries have their own 9-metre caravan
Holiday parks make this pretty easy to illustrate. A traveller might ask:
I’ve got a 9-metre caravan and a dog. Where can I stay near Byron Bay?
It sounds simple, but answering it correctly requires quite a bit of information. You need site dimensions, pet rules, availability, minimum stays, access restrictions and seasonal rules. Sometimes you also need to know the traveller’s actual setup - tow vehicle, awning, slide-outs, whether the dog is allowed on that particular site, and so on.
Other travel sectors have their own version of this problem: tours, cruises, activities, regional transport, specialist accommodation. There are always details that matter a lot to the customer that might not fit particularly well into the dominant booking schema. The more specialised the product, the harder it is to squeeze it into someone else’s model without losing useful information.
Discovery no longer has to start in a marketplace
One of the interesting things about AI is that discovery doesn’t necessarily have to start inside a marketplace. A traveller can describe the trip they’re trying to take and an assistant can potentially pull information from several different sources before recommending where to stay or what to book. That means competing for distribution doesn’t necessarily mean building another Booking.com.
For some industries, it may be more useful to become the best source of information about their category - then make that information available to AI assistants, search engines, publishers, industry websites, and other partners. And that requires owning some of the underlying pieces: structured data, availability, rules and booking pathways.
Selling shovels in the AI gold rush
This is one part of the current AI shift that is easy to overlook. When a major technology change happens, the opportunity isn’t always the obvious product sitting directly in front of it.
AI is producing new travel assistants and new booking interfaces almost every day now. But there are also real opportunities underneath the hood. Who has the best data? Who describes the product properly? Who provides live availability? Who becomes the source that all of these new interfaces rely on? This is the particularly interesting bit.
A shared distribution layer, without the commission
With [Total Parks](totalparks.com.au), we’re building a shared distribution layer for the Australian and New Zealand holiday park industry. In practice, that means taking data from different park management systems, normalising it, adding the park-specific information travellers actually need, and making live availability and booking available through different channels. Those channels can be Total Parks itself, an industry or tourism website, or an AI assistant.
The aim isn’t to replace every existing distribution channel. We want to give the industry another one - and importantly, one where parks don’t have to give up a percentage of every booking. For us, AI isn’t just another marketing channel. It changes what is technically and commercially possible.
Article image #large-4
*How Total Parks distributes park availability and bookings through different channels, without taking a commission on every booking.*
Making industry websites bookable
This is where industry and tourism bodies become interesting. Australian state caravan and holiday park bodies already run consumer websites, maintain park directories and spend money attracting travellers. Those channels already exist. They’re already industry-owned.
So rather than sending that demand somewhere else to transact, why not make the industry website bookable? That’s something we’ve started doing. The first Total Parks integrations are already live with industry bodies in Victoria and Tasmania.
Article image #large-3
*The Total Parks booking engine (in the red box) built into the Caravan & Residential Parks Victoria website.*
An individual operator can improve its own website and booking funnel. But an industry working together can potentially own more of the infrastructure sitting underneath discovery and booking.
Holiday parks are our example, but plenty of other travel sectors could make the same argument.
A window before the new model settles
I’m not suggesting the major OTAs are about to disappear. They have enormous advantages: brand, demand, capital, technology and consumer trust. AI may strengthen some of those businesses just as easily as it creates opportunities for new ones.
Article image #large-1
*AI distribution yields mixed results*
But the next version of travel distribution isn’t settled yet. Travellers are changing how they search. AI platforms are still working out how travel discovery and booking should work. The interfaces and commercial models underneath all of this are still moving. That gives industries a window to get their own data in order, build useful infrastructure and make sure they’re part of what comes next.
What should your industry own?
For me, this is the more interesting question. As AI changes travel distribution, what should an industry actually own? The data? The customer relationship? Its own distribution infrastructure? The machine-readable rules and information that describe what makes its products different?
Holiday parks are our test case. If the distribution model is changing anyway, industries shouldn’t automatically assume somebody else is going to build the next one for them.
In short: AI is changing how travellers find and book, the next distribution model isn't settled, and industries that get their data and infrastructure in order now have a chance to shape it. Holiday parks are doing that with Total Parks.
*[Dan Wild](www.travelmassive.com/@dan-wild-2617791319) is the Director of Total Parks, based in Launceston, Tasmania. He's a software engineer who has lived and worked in holiday parks for over a decade. To learn more about Total Parks, visit [totalparks.com.au](totalparks.com.au).*
Hi everyone, I'm Dan from Total Parks. Thanks for reading!
If you work in another part of travel, I'd like to hear what your industry would need to own to do the same, and what's getting in the way.
Hi Dan, thanks for the article and sharing Total Parks with the Travel Massive community.
Congrats on what you've built, this looks really impressive and it's great to feature a Tasmanian-based travel-tech company!
A couple of questions on the distribution side. It seems like you have a two-sided marketplace to build, so how are you attracting holiday parks to connect their inventory with Total Parks? Is the consumer-side expected to be driven by online marketing (e.g. social ads), SEO, or the widget?
Are there any comparable platforms like this outside of Australia?
Thanks Ian - appreciate it mate!
Yeah it’s often said building marketplaces are like two businesses at once… and I’d have to agree 😅
On the supply side - we’ve completely flipped the traditional OTA model. Holiday parks pay no upfront fees, ongoing fees, or commissions on bookings. Our PMS partners (Storable NewBook, RMS Cloud) have also backed us by offering our integrations at no cost. So essentially Total Parks offers a free distribution channel designed to complement existing channels, with economics that can even beat direct bookings.
i.e. an extremely compelling offering that is serving us well for rapid acquisition of supply.
On the customer side, the North Star is simple - unrivalled utility for travellers. We’re not trying to outspend the big OTAs on advertising (brand bidding is a scourge on the industry imo). The opportunity is to build a much broader bookable supply base and use that to create better discovery, planning and booking experiences for this category.
We’re also seeing some interesting opportunities around industry partnerships and emerging AI distribution, but there’s plenty still to prove on the demand side.
The closest I’ve found overseas (within our industry) is GoCampingAmerica in the US, powered by Spot2Nite - although Spot2Nite still retains 12.5% per completed booking.
So the interesting questions for me are - what does shared industry distribution look like when it isn’t funded by heavily taxing every booking? And are there other industries already doing it?
📚 We've published a book!
After years of travelling, living abroad and collecting more stories than luggage, we've finally put what we've learned on paper. I'm still a little shocked I can say that. (My high school English teacher would be too 😂)
Moving to Portugal: A Practical Guide is for anyone thinking about making the move, whether you're retiring, working remotely, starting a business or just after a fresh start.
It's not a legal handbook. It's a practical companion full of real-world advice to help you avoid common mistakes, save money and settle into life in Portugal with a lot less stress.
👉 Get your copy on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0HGGN432Q
If you read it, please leave us a review. For a self-published author, those little stars make a HUGE difference. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you for the support ❤️
congratulations!
One of my favourite countries! I spent six week at Nazaré with my dear friend Amylee (also on TM) back in 2023, and seriously considered moving there haha :)
I built Portpass after getting frustrated with how difficult it was to work out where you can travel when you hold multiple passports, residence permits or visas.
Portpass is a free, private multi-passport travel and residence map for people who hold more than one passport, citizenship, residence permit or visa.
Portpass checks passports, residence permits and visas together, then turns the result into a private, browser-local travel and residence map. Profiles can be saved for later, but only locally on your own device.
Try it out at portpass.world
This is a useful approach to a problem that can make travel planning surprisingly complicated. Bringing citizenship, residence permits and travel documents together in one place could make it much easier for travelers to understand their options before they start planning a trip.
Thanks for featuring the project :)
My pleasure, Erik! I found the concept genuinely interesting, especially the idea of making travel requirements easier to understand. Looking forward to seeing how Portpass develops.
Excellent idea. Always a struggle to find out what you can or cannot do when planning a visit in countries outside of UE. Please mention also Digital Nomad Visa if you can as more and more countries created this kind of tailor-made Visa.
Great idea! Works well and solves my problem.
Hi Erik,
Great piece of work. I did, however, find some links that were broken, particularly in Germany, under an Australian Passport. If you have any time, I'd love you to see my solution. I track in bound and out bound passports and thus depending on the passport used will depend on whether a visa is required. I use a free API for this to happen.
But i love the layout and love how i dont have to subscribe or login for it to store my details. You have my upvote.
Please check out my listing. www.travelmassive.com/posts/plan-organise-and-manage-every-trip-in-one-place-961615507
Regards
Larry
Interesting tool! I noticed that Kyrgyzstan is listed as 60-day visa free but it's actually 30-day since January 2026 (for Bulgarian and probably other EU passport holders) – learned it the hard way while I was in the country during the change. The best source is still my country's Foreign ministry.
I wonder where do you get the data from and how accurate you guarantee it is? If there are any updates in visa-free regime, how do you update that in your tool?
Thats an excellent idea. How do you track changing government rules?
Hi Travel Massive community,
After months of discussing the idea with travelers, friends and potential users, I’ve just launched the first version of Street Whisperer, a new mobile app designed to make exploring a city more spontaneous and immersive.
The idea is simple:
📍 Walk freely through a city or neighborhood
🏛️ Street Whisperer identifies interesting places around you
🎧 It tells you the stories behind them, primarily through audio
🚶 You keep walking and exploring instead of constantly looking at your phone
The inspiration came from something I often experience while traveling.
I’ll be walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood and wonder:
What happened here?
Why is this building important?
Who lived here?
Is there a story behind this street that I would otherwise completely miss?
Most travel guides work by asking you to decide where you want to go first.
With Street Whisperer, I wanted to explore the opposite approach:
You don’t follow the tour. The tour follows you.
The goal is not to replace traditional guides or curated experiences, but to create another way of discovering a destination — more spontaneous, contextual and compatible with simply wandering around.
AI tools and agents played an important role in building the product, but one thing was particularly important to me: I didn’t want Street Whisperer to become another generic, fully automated “AI travel app”.
The product, UX, positioning and overall experience have been shaped through months of conversations with real people and continuous iteration.
Street Whisperer is now live on the iOS App Store and Android:
Now that the first version is out, I’d especially value feedback from people working in travel, tourism, destination experiences and travel tech.
I’d love to hear your thoughts:
Does this solve a real problem in the traveler experience?
Would you use it while exploring a city independently?
Where do you see the most value: spontaneous discovery, cultural storytelling, local exploration, or something else?
What would make the experience compelling enough to use repeatedly during a trip?
And from an industry perspective, where could you see this concept going?
If you’re willing to test Street Whisperer during your next walk, I’d genuinely love to hear about your experience.
At this stage, feedback and conversations are far more valuable to me than downloads alone.
Thanks to anyone who gives it a try — and I’d be very happy to connect with others working on the future of urban exploration and travel experiences. 🙏
This is a great approach to city discovery. The best travel experiences often happen when you stop following a checklist and start connecting with the stories, people, and culture around you.
thanks a lot Ihsan for your comment :)
Happy to have your feefbacks on my app !
Happy to, Niels! I really like the idea behind it. I’ll take a closer look at the app and would be glad to share some feedback.
Hi, I have downloaded the app and wanted to listen one audio but it said that i have used all my credits for the day, but never able to listen anything.
I was trying to understand what exactly the app proposes but a bit blurry for me. Does it proposes the stories of individual places or does it create a tour with several stops?
Do you have audio being triggered when close to a POI?
I only see 2 places near me, but is it possible to see other places elsewhere? How many cities do you have covered?
Thanks.
Hi Johny, thanks for your message
Create an account and share me your mail I will add you new credits for some days. You'll be able to retry for the audio. Each time you click on guided tour for a place it consume 1 credit and you have 7 credits for the free tier.
It covers all the city around the globe. I added a new version of the tool which enables you to choose any city if you want to try :)
Kind regards
I love the idea!! Clearly would be something I could use, Im the one reading all the street signs to learn about what happened in this area.
Thanks for your comment! I'm also the kind of person that always said we can discover the overall history of a city only by analyzing its streets as streets reflects importants moments that happened here :)
This is a great concept! I love the idea of exploring a city naturally and discovering its stories along the way.
Thanks Suresh :) I would love to have your feelings about the app
HERE'S THE NEXT 5 UPCOMING EVENTS:
TIS2026: The New Generation of Travel & Hotel Tech
Get ready to reimagine the tourism industry with the most cutting-edge technology showcased at TIS2026!
In an increasingly connected and innovative world, the tourism sector is transforming. The fusion between the travel industry and technology is opening up a world of endless possibilities. From trip planning to destination experiences, every aspect of the traveler’s journey is being reinvented thanks to technological advances. From intuitive mobile applications to augmented reality systems, innovation is elevating the way we explore the world. In this exciting journey towards the future, TIS 2026 stands as the epicenter of change.
Join us from October 6th to 8th 2026, as we explore the latest trends and technological solutions that are transforming the travel industry. This year Tourism Innovation Summit 2026 offers you a unique opportunity to showcase your latest and greatest advancements to +8,000 Tourism professionals.
Learn more at www.tisglobalsummit.com
Link to event pageThe Flavors 2026 conference, part of Flavors Vietnam 2026, is designed for chefs, founders, operators, brands, investors, suppliers, and innovators shaping Vietnam's F&B ecosystem. A full-day conference held in the exhibition area, it features thematic discussions, events providing direct market information, practical case studies, and high-value networking opportunities—all packed into one day.
📅 October 10, 2026 · 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Le Méridien Saigon, 3C Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
__EVENT_CUSTOM_BLOCK__
Three Shifts Shaping the F&B Industry Right Now
The keynote sessions and discussions focused on three movements shaping the industry today:
Shifting Tastes: From ingredients and flavors to health trends and premium offerings. Understand what your customers want next so you can be the first to serve them.
Changing Consumer Behavior: Shifts in what diners choose, trust, and are willing to pay for. Learn how leading brands maintain their appeal when expectations change faster than menus.
Reshaping the F&B Industry: The real-world shifts around capital, technology, policy, and scaling. Understanding who is experiencing profitable growth and why.
Designed for industry professionals and decision-makers:
* Chefs, restaurant owners, and operators of restaurants, bars, cafes, and hotels.
* Brand and F&B chain management team
* Suppliers, distributors, investors, and funds
* Journalists, media professionals, and content creators in the industry.
Learn more at vietcetera.com/en/collection/flavors-vietnam/conference
Link to event pageWhat if the next big opportunity in travel isn't selling experiences... but owning them?
The future belongs to those who don't just participate in the travel industry, but strategically build and own assets within it.
Join us on October 10 for an insightful conversation on:
🏡 Building and managing profitable Airbnb and short-let businesses
🏨 Owning hospitality assets that generate long-term value
📈 Creating sustainable income streams within the travel ecosystem
🏠 Understanding how to leverage the Federal Government's NHF mortgage solutions for property ownership and investment
💡 Positioning yourself for wealth creation through travel and real estate
Whether you're a travel entrepreneur, tour operator, hospitality professional, investor, content creator, or simply exploring opportunities in the tourism economy, this event will provide practical insights, real-world strategies, and valuable connections.
The travel industry is evolving. The question is no longer just how to sell travel. It's how to own a piece of the ecosystem.
10:00am - 2:00pm
Saturday, October 10
TerraKulture, Victoria Island, Lagos
Come ready to learn, connect, and discover pathways to sustainable growth!
Link to event pageThe heartbeat of the global business events industry.
IMEX America is the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry.
Our award-winning show brings the meetings industry together to do a year’s worth of business under one roof. Suppliers and buyers from every sector of the meetings industry come together at IMEX, held at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas.
Our free-to-attend four-day program offers specialist education, networking and much more, on and off the trade show floor.
Talking Point: Design Matters
In 2026–2027, we’re making Design Matters our Talking Point. Because good design isn’t just good business—it’s how things work, feel and change us.
Design is the ultimate differentiator. It’s design that helps organizations, brands and events stand out and be remembered. So, we’re inviting the global events industry to embrace design as a business superpower. Because it matters.
Where is IMEX America held?
Welcome to Las Vegas! IMEX takes place at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mandalay Bay is the fifth largest convention center in the US, with 2.1 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space. Just a short car ride from the airport, Mandalay Bay is located on the dazzling Las Vegas Strip.
Learn more at america.imexevents.com
Link to event pageRegister for Travel Tech’s 2026 Start-Up Summit
Travel Tech Association (Travel Tech), the unified voice for the travel technology ecosystem, will host its second annual Start-Up Summit, taking place on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at Concorde in National Landing, Arlington, Virginia. The event will bring together travel technology founders, investors, industry leaders, and innovators for a day of networking, education, and collaboration focused on advancing the next generation of travel technology companies.
Why Attend?
The Travel Tech Start-Up Summit is the only conference exclusively dedicated to bringing together early-stage travel technology start-ups, angel investors, and industry leaders.
• Meet founders, investors, and potential partners.
• Build relationships that accelerate growth.
• Join the community shaping the future of travel technology.
• Compete for $10,000—and support that extends beyond the stage
Learn More About the Pitch Competition at traveltech.org/two-weeks-left-to-apply-for-travel-techs-2026-start-up-summit-pitch-competition/
Link to event page🌴 10 days where remote work meets island life
Nomads in Paradise (NIP) returns to Siargao Island, Philippines — and it's more than a conference. It's a 10-day festival that blends world-class talks with surf, wellness, and the kind of networking that actually leads somewhere.
Set in General Luna during peak October weather and consistent swell, NIP brings together 150 location-independent professionals for keynotes and workshops by day, and beach parties, island hopping, and bioluminescence tours by night — all on fast fiber and satellite internet so you never miss a beat.
Because proximity creates opportunity. NIP is where the international nomad community and the Philippines' digital talent meet, mingle, and make deals happen naturally.
👉 Who Nomads in Paradise is for
Digital nomads and remote workers, Filipino freelancers and creators, founders and entrepreneurs, developers, marketers, and VAs — anyone building a life that isn't tied to a desk.
✨ On the program
- Keynotes & workshops from nomad-world speakers
- Coworking sessions with reliable, fast internet
- Wellness day — yoga, ice baths, and fitness meetups
- Island hopping, surf lessons & bioluminescence tours
- Networking dinners and beach parties
📍 The details
🗓️ October 16–25, 2026 (10 days)
📍 General Luna, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
🎤 Featuring Ace Gapuz, Lian Carla De Ocampo, Tressia Lee, Stefan Williams, Nat Barbosa, and more
🎟️ Multiple ticket tiers available — from social passes to full festival access
Organized by NIP & Baybayin Hub, supported by the Department of Tourism Caraga.
👉 Grab your ticket — Spots are limited to 150
View the full program and speakers at nomads-in-paradise.com
Link to event pageHere's the 10 latest classified ads:
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