Five Travel Startups Doing Cool Things, as Described by Disney Songs
There are three questions taking over my social media feed right now:
- Apps made by Russians making my face look old. Is it safe?
- The new Lion King movie. Why?
- Cool new travel startups. Who are they?
I’m not going to attempt to answer any of these questions because I’m not smart enough — and I’d rather let the social media universe do the answering because, you know, social media conversations are always civil, healthy and nuanced.
What I’ll do instead is use two of these subjects as inspiration for a more important conversation. At TourRadar, we still have our startup mentality, focused on innovation while continuing to grow rapidly. We’re always looking around the travel industry for inspiration from incredible startups attempting to solve complex problems (like maybe helping travelers search for, compare and book very complex multi-day trips, for example).
I attended Phocuswright’s Battleground: The Americas in July to find some of this inspiration, and I can assure you I was by far the dumbest person in the room. There are so many intelligent, inspirational entrepreneurs creating amazing products in travel right now, and nothing makes me feel more inadequate at life than being next to these people. So, I want to write about what I saw in the only appropriate way I can: by comparing them to Disney songs.
Here goes.
Daycation — Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast)
This was a no-brainer. Thank you Daycation for being the easiest Disney song to attach a company to. Daycation connects travelers to hotel amenities and experiences for the day, without having to pay for a room. For example, through Daycation you can book access to a hotel pool even though you aren’t staying at said hotel for the night. It’s a great and simple concept; it helps hotels add another revenue stream and it solves a problem for travelers—just like Beauty and the Beast solved a problem for me when I was five years old. I needed a French-speaking candlestick in my life and I got it.
Keteka — You’ll Be in My Heart (Tarzan)
Keteka is in my heart. It’s a travel website formed by two former Peace Corps volunteers that connects travelers to day tours that positively impact developing communities. As a former Americorp volunteer and now a touring industry ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶t̶ professional, this really hit home for me. I love when a company’s goals are focused on making a positive impact on a community. This is what we try to do at TourRadar by connecting travelers to local multi-day tour operators/guides that they otherwise would never have heard of. Keteka has the opportunity to make a big impact on day tour operators in developing communities, just like Phil Collins made such an impact on both Tarzan, the movie, and Steven Gerrard back in the day.
Timeshifter — Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book)
Is an app for jet lag a necessity? If you’re anything like me and you somehow turn into a Game of Thrones white walker every time you fly into a new time zone, you would say yes. Yes, it is a necessity. Timeshifter claims to be developed by world-renowned scientists to help you create your own personalized jet lag plan based on your sleeping patterns. It’s a fun idea and the first app from the group that I actually downloaded immediately to learn more. The app is based on a subscription model and, although I haven’t taken the full plunge into trying it out yet, I can see a market for it in corporate travel, professional athletes, etc. Just like Timeshifter, there will always be a market for a thousand remakes of a story about a young boy being raised by wolves and befriending a singing bear.
Exosonic — A Whole New World (Aladdin)
Exosonic won Phocuswright’s Battleground competition this year and it’s easy to see why. It was certainly the most ambitious presentation. Exosonic is building a quiet Mach 1.8 passenger aircraft that can fly supersonically with a muted sonic boom. Wait, that’s it? Their co-founder and CEO, Norris Tie, claimed that Exosonic will cut long-haul flight times in half, opening up a whole new world to travelers who hate long haul flights. Can a Mach 1.8 supersonic aircraft live up to a Mach 20 Gillet razor? Only time will tell.
Knock Knock City — Be Prepared (The Lion King)
How many travelers are prepared to do some last-minute exploring after checking out of their Airbnb or hosted rental? Not many, says Selin Sonmez, co-founder and CEO of Knock Knock City. The platform lets travelers store their luggage at local businesses as they wait for their check-in or check-out time, or when they just need a spot to store bags while shopping, attending concerts, festivals, etc. I’ve certainly had the pleasure of lugging my suitcase from cafe to cafe after flying into a city in the early hours of the morning and waiting for my 2pm Airbnb check-in time. The app connects travelers to businesses like boutique stores, co-working spaces, gyms and coffee shops, who leverage the extra private space in their store that they already pay rent for. It’s a cool idea.
Now, was it a cool idea to remake Lion King, one of the top Disney movies ever created? I’ll leave that debate up to my social media feed.
