TripTogether.com: Say Goodbye to Lonesome Travels

By Kristina Kulyabina

Are you the only one of your friends stuck with the travel bug? Then TripTogether.com is the perfect platform to make connections for traveling all over the world. TripTogether is a social community that allows people to find companions and make plans for a shared vacation.

It also provides you with the opportunity to invite people into your hometown or to find locals in the place you’re headed. Through a live chat feature, people can talk about the world and swap travel tips with real people.

Launched in March 2013, the international company TripTogether, based in New York, has already accepted about 15,000 registrations on its site. It is completely free to join and you must be at least 18 years of age with a valid email address.

How TripTogether.com Works

When you visit TripTogether.com you first choose which part of the world you’d like to visit and then find an intriguing member by searching through the site. The initial search is location based rather than on age, gender or looks.

Site visitors can simply browse through all the travelers who wish to travel the same places and then connect to start planning.

Once you think you have found a potential travel partner, you provide your name and email to join and connect using Live Chat and offline messages. Alternatively, you can sign-up using your Facebook profile. Once you’ve enjoyed your free trial you can continue using the site by purchasing credits.

TripTogether provides visitors with free minutes of Live Chat and offline messages and more free credits if they complete a profile.

Afterward, you will need to purchase more credits to continue chatting. If you communicate with a member who already has credits then you will not be required to pay for credits. Also, all incoming offline messages are free-of-charge.

Once you think you have found a potential travel partner, you provide your name and email to join and connect using Live Chat and offline messages. Alternatively, you can sign-up using your Facebook profile. Once you’ve enjoyed your free trial you can continue using the site by purchasing credits.

Members provide basic personal information such as age, name and an appearance description. They also inform others on languages spoken and desired destinations. The membership is currently global so you can find people from all over the world. TripTogether is working on expanding the countries seen on its site by greater marketing over time.

Friendships made on TripTogether

Chief Marketing Officer of TripTogether Anthony Volpe says if you are looking to date when you travel, then TripTogether is the right source. Although it is not exactly known for dating, the site can result in both friendships and relationships.

“People join the site for a variety of reasons – planning, friendship, dating, advice from locals, sharing costs, comparing notes, discovery. There’s a lot going on!” says Volpe.

TripTogether member Olga from Russia took a work trip to Cebu City and was worried about having a good time because she didn’t have any friends in the city. “TripTogether helped me find a couple of new friends. We hang out from time to time. There are even a couple of Russians living here I found on TripTogether so that’s a lot of help,” says Olga. “Some of my new friends helped me find an apartment here in Cebu City.”

TRIPTOGETHER IN NUMBERS:

• 4,315 CITIES
• 145 COUNTRIES
• 50,000+ TRAVELLERS
• 8,000+ TRIPS DISCUSSED

* Source: Google Analytics

Another TripTogether member, Stephan from Germany says “I’ve been using TripTogether for few months and have met lots of nice people. I’m now planning to go to Vietnam to meet up with a member from Australia.”

Volpe also says that although a number of members have found new friends while on the road, others are more cautious and want to get to know people first. “We always urge members to take care and learn about other members before meeting up.” Some members have traveled to meet more than once.

How did it all begin?

TripTogether is owned by Deroches, an Internet investment company established in 1993. The founders of the site saw an opportunity to bring travelers and those who love to travel from different parts of the world. “Most people prefer to travel with someone but not everyone has a friend or partner to go with,” said Volpe.

“We wanted to help change that. It’s also the perfect time for a social travel network because trends have changed dramatically in recent years. Over 54.3 million travelers now come from the BRIC countries – almost a 50 % increase in five years.

“It’s all about having an active and varied membership with real-time communication. Other sites we come across are often too restrictive and don’t offer real-time features. We believe travel should be about freedom of choice,” he says.

So far, TripTogether has had overall positive feedback from its members. Volpe says that although no one has reported any marriages as a result of a TripTogether meeting, he hopes that someday if it ever does happen, members will tell him so they can include it on the website.

Bringing Travelers Together

“It’s all about having an active and varied membership with real-time communication. Other sites we come across are often too restrictive and don’t offer real-time features. We believe travel should be about freedom of choice,” he says.

So far, TripTogether has had overall positive feedback from its members. Volpe says that although no one has reported marriage statuses, he hopes that someday if it ever does happen, members will inform the site.

Kristina Kulyabina is a graduate of the University of Mass who enjoys traveling in her spare time. Her next destination is a long-term trip to Thailand.