Help me Loink you

You are probably wondering … WTF does Loink mean?

I need your help. I’d like to not only introduce you to my startup idea, but I also need you to be apart of it. I need you to tell me what intrigues you. I need you to tell me what you think might work. Most importantly I need you to tell me what totally sucks.

Loink: Linking you to Locals Worldwide

PROBLEM: Loink addresses the inability to seek, connect and communicate with specific individuals of who can provide a unique local experience to travelers. Think uber for peer to peer adventure travel and authentic tourism.

BACKSTORY: Semester at Sea is an abroad program that allows students to circumnavigate the globe in an educational setting. The program empowers participants to immerse themselves in ways they would not ordinarily have the opportunity to do so.

Throughout my experiences traveling on Semester at Sea (Spring 2006 as a student & Spring 2014 as the Semester at Sea Videographer) I have recognized a void in our connected world. While we are in the midst of the technology age, the world remains disconnected from specific local knowledge.

When I first traveled on Semester at Sea as a film student I set out to fly fish in every country we visited. I filmed as much of the experience as possible.

As I began to cut the film I realized something. I realized the lack of a simple solution to geo-code my clips and attach all that specific information I spent many hours collecting prior and during my trips. I wanted to share the unique people and places I visited so other people could access those experiences and intuitively interact with the videos and information. Therefore, empowering them to go out and experience something similar.

Loink must have a social impact. We need to connect travelers to experiences that positively affect local communities and environments. The goal is to bring authentic tourism to people and places that deserve it but lack a vehicle to get their name out there. All the people with something to offer and no means to get that experience in front of people should have a simple, easy way to do so.

LOINK’S WHY: We believe individuals deserve to be empowered by new experiences and connections that will inspire exploration within their passion.

Loink’s purpose is to positively shape the world by enabling entrepreneurs to use their local knowledge to build a business around.

END GOAL: A solution that allows people to connect to authentic experiences worldwide. For example, let’s say you wanted to climb the highest mountain in Vietnam (Vietnam is not known for high mountains)you would have to do hours of research to find the people with the local knowledge to help you get to the top of Fansipan. Instead of doing the hours upon hours of research, you would have the ability to directly connect with the locals in Lào Cai Province.

HOW TO GET THERE: Of the world’s 7 billion people, 6 billion now have SMS mobile phones (dumb phones). Currently, these dumb phone users lack the ability to intuitively connect to smartphone phone users beyond the capabilities of SMS texting. By including SMS functionality we are providing a new vehicle for budding entrepreneurs to connect to travelers seeking a unique local experience through a web, smartphone and SMS application globally.

Loink is a platform which allows users to log travels and attach specific people and local knowledge to videos, photos and locations. Loink also enables people to trade, sell or barter specific local knowledge and authentic experiences.

Here’s where I need your help

Being a medium newbie, I have been able to get a taste of the potential medium has to offer. As I brainstormed ways to get Loink’s story out there I realized medium is the perfect place to invite others to share their opinions and ideas. I want to tap into the many possibilities this unique community offers. With that said, please let me know your thoughts.

If Loink were alive today, would you use it?

Would a platform like this inspire you to go out and experience authentic tourism? If not, what would?

I am currently a student in BDW’s 50 week program.

Follow RE: Write for more articles from BDW Students

This post supports my mission to empower people to get out and immerse themselves within the things that drive their purpose and passions.