Travel Startup Focus on ‘Triptease’

The first time I met Alasdair, I received the hard sell. I liked him immediately (and I still do, truly) but it was like meeting with someone whose life actually depended on my ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. I remember exactly where we were, the balcony cafe at the conference center in Girona, Spain (during TBEX). I have never felt as bad as I did walking away from that conversation, when I felt forced to tell Alasdair I couldn’t help him. There were so many reasons at that time.

Fast forward a few months to London, at World Travel Market, where I’m sitting with Chris behind the display of some South American country in one of the largest exhibition halls in Europe. I’m in a slightly better place and Chris is a smooth operator. I sat down with the intention of saying no just as I did in Spain.

Instead, I said yes.

Why? Because passion compelled me to. Alasdair and Chris are both part of the incredibly talented team behind Triptease. As different as night and day when it comes to the way in which they operate as salesmen they do have one thing very much in common. They’re incredibly compelling in their passionate belief that their site is the best solution to a problem.

What’s the problem? That travel sites, generally, SUCK.

It’s an opinion I share. I even hate the design of my own blog and yet every time I go to change it, I simply stop — overwhelmed by how large of an undertaking it would be to make it what I want. Still, I’m unhappy with the design and usability. But I digress…

Triptease is the kind of site I would design if time and money were both limitless for me. When all was said and done, that’s another reason I eventually said yes to Chris. To Alasdair. To the whole team behind the site.I said yes, I would contribute to the site and I would also help promote Triptease in any way I could. It’s not a job, it’s something I do because I want to. It’s a passion project.

When I was in London this spring and I found out things were really coming to a head — the private beta version of the site was about to launch and become a public beta — I decided to pay a little visit to the Triptease Tower just off Trafalgar Square so I could cheer on the team, see how development was going and film a little video that would give some insight into the site and team I believe in so strongly.

Hopefully, this will ignite a spark in you not unlike the one that burns in me.

Triptease is inherently simple, a travel review site that is BEAUTIFUL. It’s not yet a booking engine, it’s not a deals site like Jetsetter or Tablet. It’s a place I go to dream about the travels I’ve not yet embarked on and a place I feel inspired to visit places I had never even considered. It’s where I go to be teased and to tease others with reviews of the wonderful places I have been.
What will you use Triptease for? Tell me what you think of it in the comments, I’d love to know!

And P.S. I have never been paid a penny by Triptease nor will I be. They do not sponsor me. If this post comes across like one giant ad, you’ll have to excuse me. It’s truly my passion, and that alone, that causes my enthusiasm.