Similar to the true Globies spirit, Tripbod, a London based start up company, is seeking to connect travellers and locals, while cutting out the corporate middleman in the process.
Local travel advice can make all the difference – whether from a friend who lives there, a relative who has been there, or even a local bus driver who gives you travel advice on the area – they can all add that something special to the trip.
Tripbod has a global network of trusted local experts who can provide travel advice for not much more than the price of a guidebook. An adviser (also known as a tripbod) can give pre-departure trip planning advice based on their local insight, experience and passion. Tripbod offers independent travellers a platform to connect with trusted local experts to share travel tips. Local experts can create personalised itineraries and bespoke travel ideas based on the travellers needs and interests, or even spend the day walking visitors through the best of what their city has to offer.
So, whether you’d like to earn some extra cash and show someone the best of your home town, or whether you’d like to connect with a local on your own travels, there’s plenty of interesting travel opportunities to explore. To find out more, visit: www.tripbod.com
Other innovative organisations that share a similar ethos are Couchsurfing, whereby members share some free space in their home to travellers, and receive the same welcome in return from other hosts as they travel themselves, While it may be a couch, an airbed, a meal or just a drink, the site aims to link hospitable people with one another around the world, without any financial exchange. Check it out at www.couchsurfing.org
And if you’re more picky with your accommodation, you can still mix and stay with the locals via AirBnB. The site allows people to advertise spare rooms in their homes, ranging from basic hostel to five star hotel style lodgings. AirBnB offers far cheaper prices when compared to a hotel or traditional bed and breakfast, but it’s probably still pricier than a backpackers’ hostel. See the website: www.airbnb.com
One of the best resources of all is the Globetrotters very own Mutual Aid, which has been around far longer than any of the above. Simply post your enquiry on the Globetrotters website, present it in person at a Globies meeting, or contact the Editor to pass on the message for you.
