Plan, Experience, & Share with MyTripGuru.com
Mytripguru was created in 2009 to help travelers find things to do based on their personal travel preferences and to recognize individual travelers for their unique knowledge and travel experiences. Mytripguru was started by Nicolas Johansson, a traveler who has seen some of the world but wants to see a lot more.SJ: So what inspired you to build MyTripGuru.com?
NJ: I was inspired to build Mytripguru.com because I was not satisfied with the way the Web supported my trip planning process. Travel reviews were too one-dimensional and usually did not fit my particular needs. Furthermore, I never knew who the travelers were behind the reviews. As a traveler who prefers a large element of outdoor and adventure activity on my trips, I never knew if the advice I was getting was from another traveler who had similar interests. Thus the idea of the Guru Ranking was born, as a way to differentiate between and give authority to travel reviews.
SJ: When did you first launch?
NJ: We soft-launched Mytripguru at the end of September, 2009. We have been adding features each week since launch and are pleased with the way the site is coming along.
SJ: Trip planning is a crowded space. How do you intend to attract visitors to your site?
NJ: Trip Planning is undoubtedly a crowded field, but it is also very fragmented. This in large part reflects the market as a whole, where tourists/travelers have very different needs and behavior patterns. That said, we want to attract users who have something to say and who want to be recognized by the travel community for their contributions. This includes serious travelers, travel writers and locals who have insights and knowledge to share.
SJ: So what differentiates MyTripGuru from Uptake, TravelMuse, or Nileguide?
NJ: I think Mytripguru is unique in the sense that it has the ability to provide travel advice to a very broad consumer market. The Guru Ranking lets readers get highly relevant advice and the flexible activity filter system allows searching from multiple angles. These aspects help provide trustworthy and authentic reviews.
SJ: How do you monetize?
NJ: Monetization is achieved through a mix of ppc ads, affiliate programs and sponsored activity listings. Sponsored Activities allow a tour provider or an attraction to promote themselves within the Activity pages (similar to the way Digg.com presents stories on their home page).
SJ: You offer listings for suppliers/operators, are there other value adds that you offer that are not apparent?
NJ: Mytripguru embraces local providers and encourages them to add reviews about things to do in their regions. By contributing local knowledge, their Guru Ranking improves. This offers a great free promotional opportunity for locals who benefit by showing the community that they can help with other “legs” of a trip. The Guru Ranking also virtually eliminates the effectiveness of fake reviews, because both quantity and quality of reviews are key components in the Guru Ranking.
SJ: What is your partnership strategy, if any. What sorts of strategic partnerships are you looking for?
NJ: As a startup dependent on user-generated content, we naturally have the classic chicken and egg problem. Visitors need content but without visitors, content creation is a challenge. Any partnership at this point therefore needs to address the content part of our business. This can be in the form of content syndication, white label Q&A, or another form of content delivery. We are very open to exploring different avenues of partnerships.
T4 Review: In many ways MyTripGuru shares some similarities with the new social marketplace from Tourabout.com as well as the question/answer platform Travellr.com. User acquisition will be a big challenge for MyTripGuru but, then again, it always is for b2c travel start-ups. Overall the site is well laid out has some nice features including the guru rating and reviews and the ability for activity operators to sponsor ads. As Nick mentioned, the chicken vs. egg will be the biggest challenge for MyTripGuru moving forward, but like all entrepreneurs I’m pretty sure Nick already knows that.
I have used Mytripguru for some time now and I got to say that it have significantly improved my travel experience, most recently to Mexico and Germany! The guru rating is definitely a feature that makes a difference!
/Markus
Hi Stephen,
Many thanks for the interview and the write up! We are continuously adding features and making improvements to the site so I encourage you to check back soon.
Kind regards and happy travels,
Nick
Thanks for sharing this – the site is layed out nicely and the ads are well placed. Looking forward to watching this site!