Documenting A Trip

I’ve always liked the idea of documenting a trip, leaving breadcrumbs for others to follow, or at least consider as they are planning a similar trip. The Gotham Gal and I do it very differently but we both do it.

She writes a blog post, chock full of photos, and a few links, every day recounting the prior day’s activities. Here’s her post on the day we recently spent on Lake Como. She has written hundreds of blog posts like that (according to her archive page, she has written 357 travel posts). If you are planning a trip to South Africa, you can go to her blog, search on South Africa, Cape Town, or some other keyword and get a bunch of posts like that which you might want to read while planning your trip. You can do that sort of thing for many places in the world that she has visited, with our without me and our kids.

I like to checkin to places on Swarm, save them on Foursquare, leave tips and photos, and then add them to lists on Foursquare. I’m building one now for the trip we are taking. I’ve built lists like this for Tokyo, Paris, and many other places.

Joanne’s approach is more like a travel magazine or the travel section of a newspaper. It’s great but you have to consume it in bulk quantities. What I like about my approach is it is microchunked down to the smallest atomic unit, the place, with value added metadata (tips and photos), and then built up into lists of various sorts. It feels more like a database that I am building than a magazine.

But both of these approaches work and deliver a lot of value to travelers who might want to follow in our footsteps. And we follow others in their footsteps so what goes around comes around. We use travel magazines, travel sections of newspapers, blogs, and Foursquare to plan our trips. Last week I read online a Food and Wine article on the Piedmont wine region, and it in, I read about a restaurant called Piazza Duomo, checked it out on Foursquare, and we booked a lunch there the next day. It was a fantastic lunch, now documented in a Gotham Gal blog post and a Foursquare tip.

#Blogging On The Road#Food and Drink

Comments (Archived):

  1. Jan Schultink

    I leave more and more reviews on Tripadvisor, it has become a vital marketing channel for many small mom and pop tourist businesses (guided tours, restaurants, boutique hotels, etc.) that cannot afford big marketing spend and have no clue about SEO.I planned my past holidays to Iceland, British Columbia, and Alaska almost completely based on Tripadvisor input.

    1. sigmaalgebra

      Yes, quite broadly and inevitably, the Internet and its many tools, e.g., Google, are greatly increasing the importance of the small and specialized compared with the large and one or a few sizes, styles, cases, etc. try to fit all which, even with various printed guides, etc., were what was inevitable before the Internet.

    2. awaldstein

      Agree completely.Only reference guide to Tulum that is of any value.

    3. LE

      Tripadvisor can be exhausting.People also tend to be polarized by some early thing that happened to them either positive or negative which then colors the rest of what they say. (Going on whining at times..)But even more importantly it takes some work to find the details that really matter to you as opposed to someone else. And how to weigh different factors. To me having a restaurant right on the beach is important, more important that the pool area or whether there is a wine bar in the lobby etc. Or maybe I care about the exercise room and I’m more critical than someone who doesn’t use it. Fred and Joanne care about having unique dining experiences I’ll be happy with some good Italian food or Sushi (and not being in NYC my standards [1] and what it takes to make me happy are way lower as well).My point is it takes a great deal of work to read everything online pro and con and make a decision. It’s actually work.[1] I always give more weight to reviews by NYC people knowing they tend to be more critical and not as easy to please as a generality.

  2. jason wright

    i like to read lightly about a place before i go, but i don’t want to see photographs. that would spoil the immediacy of my arrival, as if i’d already been there.

  3. Twain Twain

    You’re both a lot more disciplined about documenting trips than I am!What do you make of tools like Caterina Fake’s which let users leave notes and photos of places they want to remember: https://findery.comAlso, there’s a new app from Gensler the architecture firm where travelers can pinpoint places according to their emotion state there:* http://vimeo.com/99847581I have videos of myself racing a camel across the Sahara, shot before the days of social media timelines, which would have been fun to document as a memory there and then.Occasionally, I do put together Google Maps like “Best Dim Sum, Restaurants and Pudding Houses in Hong Kong” for friends who are heading there and want to eat in authentic places rather than the tourist traps.

    1. William Mougayar

      Thanks for these 2 App tips. I’m going to try them out. They look really interesting!

      1. Twain Twain

        Back in 2011, I prototyped an app that was a mid-point between Poppyseed and Findery.In the end, I decided there was a larger idea in that that I wanted to focus on so I did.

        1. William Mougayar

          At least you were realistic.

  4. kirklove

    When you told me about this trip I was impressed. The reality is outstripping that. #DoingItRigt

    1. fredwilson

      I am documenting it on a few other places like PeggSite and Tumblr. Those are not so much for leaving breadcrumbs. I enjoy thinking about the best moments and best photos of the past day or two which is how I use them

      1. kirklove

        Yup, I’ve been enjoying those (thanks for the #pimping)Mostly, I’m super happy for you and Jo. I know this trip meant a lot and I’m glad it’s living up to and exceeding the hype. (unlike say bailing early on remote Japan – which I still don’t forgive you for ;p).

  5. William Mougayar

    I’ve been following your travel breadcrumbs via Foursquare and Tumblr, and some of these postings & pictures are like a preview trailer to more substantial posts that GG might write.When planning a long trip, I typically annotate on a Google map the targetted spots so I can see an estimate of travel time & transport between locations.Can you show a Foursquare map of where you have been? And how many kilometers have you driven so far?

    1. fredwilson

      Yes. The map is right next to the list I linked toI do what you do in Google Maps with Foursquare lists, like the one I made for our day in Nice two days ago. https://foursquare.com/fred…I make that in advance and then use it to navigate around town.

      1. William Mougayar

        Seeing what you did with Foursquare lists & the auto map it generates gave me an Aha moment. I thought it was a choir to make lists from checkins, but it’s not.

        1. fredwilson

          Yes. That’s what I did with the Nice list I linked to

      2. William Mougayar

        I went back to the Foursquare Lists, and I admit I haven’t used them to their fullest. They are a hidden gem.Also, another cool thing that Foursquare has is the Save to Foursquare button. It’s a Chrome extension that lets you Save any place from a Web page into Foursquare. https://foursquare.com/abou

      3. JimHirshfield

        OK, on desktop, I see that list of places in Nice. But not on mobile.

      4. David Semeria

        There are 7 tips in that list and they’re in 6 different languages. The language issue isn’t really felt in the USA, but it’s a big issue in most other places.This is one of the few areas where European startups have an edge over US ones.

  6. awaldstein

    Been enjoying both of your accounts greatly.I admit I do it differently in Europe as travel is either work or wine related and in both cases I have local experts on the ground to steer me, if not manage me.Waiting till you get to Portugal btw!

    1. William Mougayar

      Yup. The local experts/friends angle can give you an unfair advantage vs. touristic destinations.

      1. awaldstein

        This is why say repeatedly that your networks are your greatest product. Available to all with hard work and smarts.

      2. Drew Meyers

        The most crucial aspect of a great trip: insider info.Insider info requires trusted local contacts. They either provide the right tips/advice for an amazing experience… or, even better, they embark on that experience with you, or provide a warm introduction to one of their friends/contacts that does.

        1. awaldstein

          A referral is inside information and a function of networks.Going further is a business whether money changes hands. The gap between the two is a large one in my experience.

        2. William Mougayar

          I’m sure you like that angle 🙂 When are you releasing your App?

          1. Drew Meyers

            Soon. Private beta in the next week or two.

          2. William Mougayar

            i’m ready for private testing 🙂

          3. Drew Meyers

            Just sent you an email. You’re now in the super private beta, ahead of the regular private beta.ᐧ

    2. fredwilson

      We are spending quality time in a number of wine regions on this trip; Piedmont, Provence, Languedoc, Ebro River Valley (Rioja), and the Duoro Valley in PortugalWhile this is not a wine trip, we are trying to drink the local wines and eat the local food in each region we visit (advice I got almost 15 years ago from Mario Batali that has served us very well since)We also are trying to visit one of our favorite producers from each region as we pass through. We did that with Bruno Rocca in Barbaresco and we already have plans to visit Olivier Pithon in Languedoc, and Quinta do Noval in the Duoro Valley.Whenever we drink a wine (at a meal or a winery visit) that we love, we email our friend who owns a wine retailer in upstate NY and purchase a case of the wine from him.This is just a small part of what we are doing on this trip but we both enjoy it immensely and there is nothing quite like the feeling of looking all around you and seeing nothing but grapes in all directions that have likely been there for hundreds or possibly thousands of yearsI guess I just wrote tomorrow’s blog post or at least a draft of it 😉

      1. awaldstein

        Great comment as I know you a bit better through it Fred.I’ve blogged endless and talked incessantly about how to me wine is a lens into place and culture. Great to see how we bond on this.What is really fascinating with the new Cal natural winemakers btw is that it is the very beginnings of culture. They are first generation, new, and almost no one can afford to buy the land. There are a group of genius winemakers, a community that sleuth out ancient plots of vines, then either share the harvests of switch off to make wine from them. Culture in the making.I’ve never been to the Douro or Languedoc but there are great winemakers in both and have friends there.Have a terrific trip!

        1. fredwilson

          Thanks Arnold

        2. LE

          I’ve blogged endless and talked incessantly about how to me wine is a lens into place and culture.Here is what I would find interesting. [1]Can you quantify what you spend on wine per year (in terms of wine you buy, trips you take etc.) and the economic benefit you get from doing so? Even in general terms (although I would be curious how much you spend on wine per year).On the surface it seems like “Arnold likes wine” (and so does Fred) but it seems that the total gain from you being into wine is way greater than just enjoyment from drinking and experiencing wine or socializing around it. I’m thinking this because things that I have spent money on in the past (which to others seem like hobbies or diversions or even stupid) [2] have led to not only business but clear economic and social [3] benefit. To the point where its pretty easy for me, seat of the pants, to justify (not rationalize) what I have done and what it has cost me. To others it seems like “he is wasting money on X”. They don’t know the full story. [4] [5][1] In the same way I don’t read about sports but I like to read about sports business in the WSJ..[2] Which people have made fun of in some cases.[3] As in dating[4] One of my problems with people thinking they can learn everything by reading a “medium” article, comments on HN, a post mortem on a failed startup, a blog post “how to”.[5] This is different than someone thinking of course that if they “take a hobby or interest it will lead to X”. (Doesn’t work that way. )

          1. awaldstein

            I can tell you to the penny how much–but I won’t ;)I built my blog many years ago and combined a wine and marketing blog under my site that drives consulting and advisory work.Wine is to some degree and percent, marketing for my business.Verifiable actually.

          2. LE

            It’s really fascinating how you have used wine as a way to differentiate yourself (and enhance your image) from other people who do the exact same thing that you do. (Meaning not wine related consulting).I’m trying to think of an analogy (which is normally trivial for me to do) but I can’t business wise.I’m sure there is an cute MBA term for it something buried in some course somewhere (but what good is that?).Closest I can come is the yiddish word “shtick” said in a positive way. In other words every business (or person) benefits from an angle that gets attention and makes people take a bit more notice. Even if that angle is really unrelated to what they are offering. (An unusual label could be a “shtick” for a wine bottle at least when selling to someone like me who is clueless!)I remember reading when the restaurant “Vetri” opened in Philly (award winning). There was this picture of some old meat cutter they kept in the front of the house and was featured in all these newspaper articles about “how it was brought over from Italy” or maybe his “grandmother used it” [1] or something like that. The press ate it up. It somehow added cache to a place that the only thing that should matter (like with your consulting) is the end result.Have commented positively before on how I noticed your page and the use of that “shtick” to enhance what you do.[1] Along with how he operated it to cut the various meats with his own hands. Shoveling that sort of angle is a family trait (I knew his father for a long long time and I know how he thinks).

          3. awaldstein

            Thanks.It’s been a successful experiment.Over 80% of initial business meetings I have initially start with a question on wine or something I wrote about wine.It’s a great connector. Something I know a bit about, have a knack for talking about and connect well with people.When I have business drinks at my buddy’s bar/restaurant Racines (which is not infrequent) it’s always a treat. Special treatment by the owner who is a friend, and invariably wine bloggers or winemakers or restauranteurs pop in and say hello.I’m there to work, which I do, but this is part of who I am.

          4. Vasudev Ram

            >I’m trying to think of an analogy (which is normally trivial for me to do) but I can’t business wise.>I’m sure there is an cute MBA term for it something buried in some course somewhere (but what good is that?).Interesting point. There actually is a term for it – a marketing term, which you used yourself in your comment above – “differentiate”.But maybe you meant something else.In any case, the idea of differentiation is interesting.I had read a book on a while back by either Ries/Trout/both.http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…Being into sales, you probably know all that already.But the topic is interesting.

          5. Vasudev Ram

            >I had read a book on a while back by either Jack Ries / Al Trout/both.Though Trout has co-authored this book (with Steve Rivkin, not Ries):Differentiate or Die.I think it was actually this one that I read:The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (by Trout and Ries)Both are mentioned in the Wikipedia link about Jack Trout in my previous comment above.Some of the points in the 22 Laws book didn’t seem that useful, but many were. I seem to remember that Trout and Ries were all the rage some years ago.

      2. William Mougayar

        Why don’t you create a new Foursquare List for Wineries only, and use the “Collaborate with my friends” feature, and let @awaldstein:disqus add to it.

        1. fredwilson

          I might do that

        2. awaldstein

          I will spare the community my building monoculture rant on wine regions.Reading a proof of a book by a friend who starts by describing an experience sitting on a deck in Bordeaux looking out across the beautiful perfect vineyards and realizing that she was witnessing the death of the earth, the end of wine as an expression of terroir.Monoculture is the antithesis of health and the wine industry is especially prone to this.Interesting topic.

          1. William Mougayar

            I think your suggestions would only go to Fred’s Foursquare list.I agree industrialization is threatening artisanal/pure wine making, same as it’s happening to cheese making. Authenticity and originality are tough to preserve, but they are the best expressions of the local expertise, history and peculiarities.

          2. awaldstein

            I think its threatening the planet itself William.I am convinced that the most interesting question for tech, for society, for culture, is how we feed the world’s population without destroying the planet.Especially interesting when you ask how ag tech can help in this context as there is simply not enough land on the planet under current ways of thinking to feed everyone.The agfunder team is addressing this somewhat as a funding direction.

          3. ShanaC

            We have to be much more flexible about plantsThat, and develop an urban 4h movement, with an emphasis on teaching kids care and breeding.Seeds are for people to build off of.

          4. Vasudev Ram

            Is it possible to have vineyards without monoculture? i.e. with multiple types of plants, not just vines? Interested to know, since I have a bit of a farming background.

          5. awaldstein

            I believe that biodiversity is the perfect state of nature and it can survive and thrive that way.Of course yields are much smaller but with wine, this doesn’t matter. It’s a luxury item and the market will support those who make great product in spite of the low yield.With food this is not of course as simple a discussion although more and more I am seeing and buying food products that are Bio-D an approach in wine that I”ve been a vocal supporter of for a decade.

          6. Vasudev Ram

            >I believe that biodiversity is the perfect state of nature and it can survive and thrive that way.True. I did know that, having read some books about the subject – there was a very good book that I had read many years ago, called “The Forest and The Sea”. I forget the full name of the author … update – googled the title and found the author and a description of the book :-)http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…He writes about a lot of things, and is very interesting; one of the things I remember learning from the book is the notion of symbiosis – how various plants and animals do things that support each other in natural ecosystems. It’s not just the obvious examples like the fact that animals feed on plants and plants in turn get nutrients from animal dung or droppings, for example. There are other forms of symbiosis; such as certain species of plants growing near certain other species, and the first secretes some chemical that keeps away pests of the second plant, while the second type of plant in turn does something (maybe nitrogen fixation) that helps the first type of plant.But my question was more specific – probably didn’t make it very clear – whether grape vines can be grown in multi-culture or poly-culture – whatever is the right word, or cannot be grown like that, maybe due to some reason like they need more sunlight, so cannot grow well in the company of other types of plants.

          7. awaldstein

            Yes…but is the answer.Any short and easy answer masques the complexity of the question.A very good one.And somewhat above my pay grade.

          8. Vasudev Ram

            True, no easy answers. It’s a complex field.

          9. Vasudev Ram

            True, yields would be smaller, but only for yields of the vines. If well-planned multi-culture was done, the overall yield – of the vines plus other plants and trees grown in the same fields, including plants of different heights, so that all could get some sun, has the potential to be a lot higher, just like forests have a much higher overall output of plant matter than monoculture fields plantations. Ah, remembered the right (or one of the right names) for what I was calling multiculture / polyculture in my comment below – intercropping. I’ve read articles earlier that some people make good use of this technique to get more product per unit area, and at the same time it is better for the environment.

          10. awaldstein

            Great discussion.I’m a neonate in this field, not so with the wine world, but everything abstracted from there to general agriculture breaks.There are no true thought leaders that I can find so open to referrals.Even a simple discussion like the pros and cons of calories per acre over nutrient density per acre is unfindable to my knowledge.

          11. Vasudev Ram

            Yes, good discussion. I’m new to the field too, so can’t give any names of leaders offhand. But coincidentally, I did come across this site just yesterday, as part of some stuff I was researching:http://www.navdanya.org/They are in areas related to agriculture by more sustainable means, and biodiversity, and their work looks interesting, at the least. Seeing it for the first time, so can’t comment on it more.

        3. awaldstein

          Presuming you ‘featured’ the post.Have to say that while in concept I like it, feels wrong to me, like pinned post on Facebook. Takes a conversation and makes it feel like an ad.Design approach is the issue.

          1. William Mougayar

            Was playing with this Disqus feature. It seemed that Fred’s long comment was epic. I don’t recall him writing such a long comment ever, that it was worth a featured shot :)I thought it added to this original post in this particular case.

          2. awaldstein

            It’s a great comment and was pleased I stuck a chord with him.I believe it warrants highlighting.My comment is not that it doesn’t warrant calling out–not at all. But that the way it was called out has just the opposite impact it should have.The dynamics of comment communities is that all actions should increase discussion and bring awareness to buried threads.The highlight feature feels like a billboard, not a microphone.

      3. Kasi Viswanathan Agilandam

        Made it to the “Featured Comment” … something new on Disqus??

        1. William Mougayar

          It’s been around for a while, and Fred blogged about it. As a mod, I felt like using it today on Fred’s long comment, since we haven’t used that feature so much. – If it doesn’t get used much, Disqus might take it away :)Do you like it?

          1. kenberger

            i like it.Another thing i’ve been suggesting for a very long time is that the blog posts themselves can be voted “BoAVC” (Best of AVC). Exactly like craiglist has long had.This would be very useful for Fred right now in his quest to repost his “best” posts, while away. He is currently doing this using most comments and other Disqus metrics, which might get similar results but is not quite the same. You can favorite the *discussion* now, using Disqus, but also not the same thing as favoriting the *post*.I recognize that the reason it is tough to do what i’m talking about is because Disqus is awesome but handles the comments section, not really the actual post. And we here all play in the Disqus sandbox, not so much in WordPress, etc.

      4. Vasudev Ram

        > there is nothing quite like the feeling of looking all around you and seeing nothing but grapes in all directions that have likely been there for hundreds or possibly thousands of yearsGreat line, and the reality must be even better.

      5. Elizabeth Spiers

        A suggestion: My all-time favorite wine producer is Lopez de Heredia in Haro. They’re probably the most traditional in Rioja. Their cellars look like something out of Edgar Allen Poe and for temperature control, they open doors and windows. (That said, they have a storefront designed by Zaha Hadid that looks like something out of Space Odyssey 2001 and is fairly incongruous with the rest of the property.) They have amazing aged white riojas, which most people are not used to drinking, but they’re really memorable.

        1. awaldstein

          Can’t go wrong with that choice Elizabeth.Big fan of the wines and the spot as well.

        2. fredwilson

          Wow. Adding it to my to do list right now. Thanks so much Elizabeth

        3. fredwilson

          elizabeth – i took this photo so i could post it in a reply to this comment. you’ll have to click through to the web to see the photo in the comment. we drank this wine the other night. it was a 1981 Lopez. and it was fantastic.

          1. Elizabeth Spiers

            I’m jealous. I’ll bet it was amazing. I also like Muga and Rioja Alta, but Lopez de Heredia’s Vina Tondonias are my absolute favorite. If you guys liked them, Astor Place sells a lot of their old vintages, both reds and whites.

          2. fredwilson

            ah, good to knowthanks

    3. Dave Pinsen

      Would be cool if Fred & Joanne see some of the Vasco da Gama-related sites in Portugal. They may have seen some on their trip to South Africa as well.

  7. William Mougayar

    For planning, I use the Michelin red guide, and sometimes the green ones, but it’s complemented by reference checks from other sources, friends, or locals.

  8. JimHirshfield

    On mobile, the link to your foursquare list doesn’t work. It just launches the 4sq app.

    1. fredwilson

      Yup. I saw that too. Bummer

      1. JimHirshfield

        I’m able to go into 4sq and find your profile, and from there scroll through your submissions (reviews, photos). But they weren’t in chronological order. Nor was I able to find any lists. We lists deprecated?

        1. fredwilson

          More like relocated. I can get to mine in the app. Haven’t tried to get to others’. I will check that out

          1. JimHirshfield

            Thanks for the tip!

  9. JLM

    .Trail of breadcrumbs?More like caviar or at least a croissant?Have a great time. You earned it.JLM.

  10. vadimoss

    My friend from the startup chile created an app for documenting trips, so others can follow. Check it out http://epiclist.io it’s a very easy to use mobile-first app. They are featured as the best new app in 37 countries.

    1. Drew Meyers

      Looking forward to meeting the founder (ola). Recently started a “travel startups tribe” for startup chile participants/alum in the travel vertical — and realized Epiclist got incubated in generation 7 of startup chile.

  11. Drew Meyers

    I’d be curious to know hard numbers among travelers that breakdown documenting trips between your approach vs your wife’s approach (more traditional travel blogging) vs not at all (publicly). My gut is the largest segment doesn’t document at all, aside from taking photos that are then shared w/ family & friends privately or on FB. The 2nd largest segment takes your wife’s approach…travel blogging. And the 3rd segment is your approach of micro documentation.I believe we’re going to see a shift away from travel blogging as we know it today. Discovery of travel blog content is crazy hard. Most don’t have an existing audience that will consume it, but want to create content that other people will actually see & not build their own audience (which takes months/years). I wrote more here: http://www.tnooz.com/articl

    1. awaldstein

      Instagram is a monster tool for travel photo strings. Way moreso in my nets than Facebook or Twitter as it is by definition a network building.

      1. Drew Meyers

        yup agreed. i don’t use instagram much, so i just see it more on fb

        1. awaldstein

          Powerful.The only platform I know of that naturally builds community.Nothing feels like spam and has a gravity that makes it easy. All pics I put out there start on Instagram and from there with a click, ediitable for every different net, I seamlessly push to FB, T, Tumblr.

          1. Drew Meyers

            Too many selfies for my tastes. There are very few people whose photos I care to browse/peruse for no reason other than entertainment, and many on instagram don’t fall inside that list.

          2. awaldstein

            From a pure photo site there is nothing like tumblr of course but it is not a communications tool as much as a display platform for my usage.

    2. thomasknoll

      This is why I love Trippy.com It hits on a number of documenting/sharing behaviors, and is a nice mix of advice from locals and people who have traveled somewhere before. It can be very visual and wordy, or simple and “atomic”:http://www.trippy.com/quest

  12. LE

    I’m encouraged that you haven’t broken the blogging addiction. I was a bit concerned that you would be MIA and crutch with an abundance of the legacy posts.

    1. fredwilson

      I like writing. Its a habit

      1. LE

        Terming something “addiction” isn’t meant to imply something negative at least when I use it. I run every day. I feel that is an addiction because of the reward that I get. I can dig up support for that but I’ll just go with “school of common sense here” from my observation of life. I’m also addicted to taking pictures I can’t stop myself. And other things as well that I find pleasurable.A habit can be an addiction but for example brushing your teeth (a habit) is a bit different. Nobody would argue they get a buzz from brushing their teeth.I say the reward system in your brain with blogging is such that it goes way beyond habit. And I’m sure of it as well. Nothing wrong with that either. Nobody ever got anywhere without some kind of obsession.

  13. ShanaC

    You’re actually one of my favorite people to stalk in order to find coffee 🙂

  14. Gregory Magarshak

    Fred, I remember when traveling through Europe a few years ago I encountered a number of problems that I wished an app would fix. Do any of these resonate with you?1) I wanted something where I could type in “Paris” and it would download and SAVE all the maps, tourist attractions, video tours, etc. as well as most common phrases for voice -> text translation -> voice, so I could just walk around and get a lot accomplished without using my internet connection . Because data was very expensive, and I think it still is. I don’t know how big of an area this would be for VC investment, though, because there’s a good chance that roaming data costs will eventually come down. Even though they were a big pain in the butt when traveling.2) The other thing I kind of missed (I was staying at youth hostels, going to pub crawls etc.) is an app that would just connect me with other travelers based on criteria I specified, such as age, sex, language spoken / where they’re from, etc. And make plans with them for later that evening. Basically something that would let me see what group activities are forming and then go join those activities, or start my own and have others with the app discover them. Random exploring and being open to adventure can be fun, but once again it is also very reassuring to know you can put together definite plans and get together with the kind of people you want in order to have a good time any given evening.Do you know of any products like this? I’ve been sort of involved building a whole platform like that for the last 3 years, but I am surprised that I haven’t been able to find many direct competitors to it. There was plancast a while back and also swarm kind of does it, (although it drains my battery quite a bit) … and then there’s meetup. But I don’t use meetup to plan spontaneous get togethers with friends or fellow travelers … and plancast seemed to kind of wind down. I was curious as to your thoughts about this space.(PS: Also I would recommend http://www.wikivoyage.org/ when traveling)

    1. Drew Meyers

      “2) The other thing I kind of missed (I was staying at youth hostels, going to pub crawls etc.) is an app that would just connect me with other travelers based on criteria I specified, such as age, sex, language spoken / where they’re from, etc.”We are working on something in this area..

  15. pointsnfigures

    I will have to use foursquare on my trip to NYC next week.

  16. JamesHRH

    The internet is eventually going to evolve into a set of tools that fit basic personality types.I am thinking about starting a company called Enneagram Internet and having website that are called 1 through 9.Then the 7s can go to Gotham Gal style blogs and the 5s can go to Fred’s FSquare tips and the 3s can go to the top 10 lists……

  17. JPN

    Hi,We’ve been following your blog for a while. Huge fans.When you get the chance, check out Bonjournal!Bonjournal is the simple way to record and share your travel adventures. The app helps you easily collect all the beautiful moments, stories and pictures from your journey into a single narrative.https://bonjourn.al

  18. awaldstein

    Fred–I realize that I’ve forgotten to say–“Have a great trip! And thanks for sharing it with us.”Enjoy

  19. Tom Labus

    Have a unplanned adventure while leaving your phone(s) in the hotel

  20. Jacqueline Dominguez Palacios

    I suggested trying My Mezcal.From El Aguacate, Guerrero.Mexico by Acapulco.

  21. Brandon Burns

    Joanne’s posts are more fun (sorry!). Especially when a sub-par restaurant is involved. Man, can she rip someone apart! She needs a TV show.

  22. Salt Shaker

    Ditto on Lopez de Heredia in Haru (Roja). Muga located literally across the street.

  23. Essa Saulat

    Hi Fred, just thought you might appreciate this https://esplor.io/trips/k8g… It’s a sample trip from my startup Esplorio. You can sign up and connect your networks to create one for yourself 🙂

  24. Stan

    Fred, thats a great post and what you describe is pretty much what we are working on our app Epiclist, helping people to discover and share personal travel experiences. You are very much invited to check it out and see how you like it: http://download.epiclist.io/The “footsteps” you mention are exactly the reason why we have built our app, making for travelers to simply share their steps on the go, while helping others to follow those and discover new insights for their own travel plans! The result is an always evolving place to explore amazing places with help of each other.Feel free to read more on Medium: https://medium.com/p/b7652e

  25. Reda Benembarek

    Great post. I find the most difficult part about documenting a trip is to easily package all the moments captured into a coherent beautiful output that can be easily shared, downloaded or printed. We are working on a social app called Fanzine that automatically generates photo magazines in seconds with the photos people capture on their iPhone. Users can also collaborate on photo mags with friends.The idea is to mix instant mobile photography with the world of creative design to make photo sharing a lasting, beautiful experience.Here is a Fanzine mag we created over a week in Punta de Mita, Mexico:http://fanzineapp.com/magaz

  26. Koen D

    Your first sentence “I’ve always liked the idea of documenting a trip, leaving breadcrumbs for others to follow, or at least consider as they are planning a similar trip”, is exactly the startup my cofounders and I have been building in the past months. Our app called Polarsteps (currently in closed beta) enables you to automatically create at trail of breadcrumbs on a map, and to tell your travel story in a way that is much more appealing than current travel blogs. Would love some feedback, you can see a sneak preview at http://www.polarsteps.com!