Researching travel destinations is a nightmare — but the solution is staring us in the face
We think traveling is the best thing in the world. And we’re not alone — last year 1.4 billion people left their homeland to discover a new part of the planet. The chance to embrace new cultures, meet incredible people and make memories to last a lifetime is one of the most valuable gifts we can ever offer ourselves. And the best place to find those experiences is in local hostels, bars, restaurants and attractions. Unfortunately, identifying those locations is also one of the worst things about traveling.
Almost inevitably we turn to the internet, and spend endless hours trawling through the myriad of information available online. Before we know it we’re lost in a bewildering array of options, overloaded with recommendations from strangers, and none the wiser as to spend our time.
People are storytellers by nature. Whether it’s our ancestors sat around the campfire, our families around the dinner table, or new friends mingling at the hostel bar — telling tales of our experiences comes naturally to us as human beings. We are constantly seeking out the advice and learnings of people we know and trust. But when it comes to planning travel trips, we chuck all that out the window and seek the wisdom of random strangers on TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Social media isn’t much better. It’s filled with friends begging for recommendations for an upcoming trip and countless online groups exist for travel advice, but none of it really does the job. If we are lucky a friend will comment a bar or restaurant you “have to try”, but what happens if nobody saw your post or no one replies with anything vaguely useful? Do you go in blind? Do you pick something at random? More often than not we arrive at a new destination still feeling completely confused, and rely on the first thing that pops up on Google. As Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank would say, “There has to be a better way!”
There is now!
We’re rag-tag team of travelers have built Wandri — an app which lets you recommend your favorite places and share them with your friends. The next time you are researching a travel destination, you can find tips and tricks on locations via our platform from people you actually know. No more aimless googling, no more reviews from random strangers.
How are we different?
- No more ratings: Recommend your favorite places and chose different tags as your reasons (happy hour, burgers, live music, dive bar, etc.). No more justify your 4.3 star review because it was good but not great.
2. Only see friends’ recommendations: Looking for a happy hour bar? Rely on what your friends say is the best spot. By following only people you know you eliminate the bias and pointless stranger reviews. Also, if you and a friend follow different people your results could be completely different!
3. Less choices: The paradox of choice is an observation that having many options to choose from, rather than making people happy and ensuring they get what they want, can cause them stress and problematize decision-making. Instead of showing you every restaurant and hoping you can decipher between them we limit your choices to only the top 25 places (based on friends).
Part of being a wanderer, a storyteller and a human is sharing knowledge with each other. Together, we can give ourselves and our friends the best chance of creating great memories as we travel around the world, without a search engine in sight. Wandri is available to download for free via the App Store.
About the author
Joe Falciano is a keen traveler and Wandri’s founder on a mission to rid the world of crap travel recommendations. Joe has studied abroad in Italy, taught English in Thailand and currently moving to his 4th US state. From visiting a secret basement bar in Michigan to pouring €3 euro whiskey in a Barcelona dive bar, he’s always on the hunt for fresh travel ideas and experiences.
