Tripmates – The MySpace of Travel?
The world of niche social networking has expanded in the travel sector beyond Yahoo Trip Planner and into a new independent site, Tripmates.com.
Tripmates, which I consider the MySpace of Travel and the Tripmates Team calls ‘Yahoo travel meets MySpace – or MyTripSpace, if you will!’,seems like it will be a useful tool for those planning trips with friends, getting tips on discount travel or cheap airline tickets or even flying solo, as the site can help travelers connect with guides or members in certain destinations.
The site is launching at the best possible time as the MySpace generation is now hitting college and the young workers of the AlwaysOn generation now have enough income to plan incredible adventures in their own countries or abroad, and then share their photos, videos and adventures with friends.
Tripmates also hits home for me as I have used MySpace in the past to connect with locals in different countries before visiting for tips of places to visit off the beaten path. A good friend of mine made and maintained good friendships with some Costa Rican members of MySpace who showed him the time of his life on a vacation which would have otherwise consisted of the tour map locations and crowded bus rides.
Anyway, enough about MySpace, here’s the lowdown on Tripmates;
Tripmates is an interactive travel community that connects members before they depart and keeps travelers in touch while they’re away. Tripmates allows globe-trekkers to meet locals or people traveling to their destination, find a “trip buddy” so they don’t have to travel alone, discover current and unbiased travel info from member-generated reviews and discussions, ask a “trip guru” for insider travel tips, and share travel blogs and photos.
Tripmates is ideal for world travelers and weekend vacationers alike, and perfect for students, singles, and couples seeking to explore—whether on a road trip, a semester abroad, or a tropical vacation. Plus, Tripmates offers Tripvite, an exciting group travel feature that takes the guess work out of group trips and ensures no one is waiting at the wrong gate.
Tripmates, the right site at the right time? Yet to be seen but if they can grow their memberbase to the point where tickets and passes are chosen via their site because of user loyalty, they will accomplish their goals.
“We are thrilled to launch the world’s first truly interactive travel community website to connect people worldwide and eliminate the term tourist,” said CEO and founder Sam Rogoway. “Our social network takes online travel to the next level. Not only are we revolutionizing the way people obtain and share travel information, but we are creating a phenomenon of trip buddies and travel dating.”
Travel dating? Awesome.
