The company sent $330 million in trips to tour operators and experts in 2018 by betting on the growing trend of Do-It-For-Me tourism.
SAN FRANCISCO – Stride, the first marketplace for all experiential multi-day and multi-destination packaged trips planned by experts, is announcing the launch of TripFinder, the first online matchmaker that pairs travelers with their perfect trip. The company is also announcing JetBlue Technology Ventures as a new strategic investor.
When planning a vacation, travelers search upwards of 38 websites before picking a final destination and a third of travelers admit to wanting someone or something to do the planning for them. The complexity of experiential trips often makes planning feel like work and is creating travel search fatigue among travelers, many of whom have become accustomed to the ubiquitous convenience of the Do-It-For-Me economy. As a result, travelers often refrain from taking their dream trip altogether.
Stride offers the widest selection of expert-planned experiential travel across the world, including multi-day tours, tailor-made experiences planned by destination experts and self-guided adventure travel. With TripFinder, Stride now makes it easier to book an epic trip that fits your personality, based on factors like style, pace, budget, and experiences – all in under 90 seconds.
Here’s how TripFinder works:
- Answer a few questions about where you want to go, if you want time for a nap, the type of adventure you’re seeking and more
- Refine your vacation style based on things like pace, level of accommodation, size of travel party and budget
- TripFinder analyzes the 30,000 professionally-planned adventures from 164 countries and more than 1,200 tour companies on Stride’s platform and matches you with three trip options
- Book with confidence by reading Stride’s 100,000+ reviews and knowing your trip was planned by an expert
“The internet has greatly expanded our options for travel but has not given us the tools to match the right trip for our needs. And increasingly, travelers want everything done for them. We’re making finding the perfect experiential trip easier and faster than ever,” says Gavin Delany, CEO, and founder of Stride.
“We know consumers want to have amazing travel experiences made as seamless and easy as possible for them. Stride’s platform quickly unlocks journeys across the globe for every taste and budget, and offers a scope beyond that of travel agents,” said Amy Burr, Managing Director of Operations and Partnerships at JetBlue Technology Ventures. “We’re excited to support Stride on this next phase of growth as they continue to shake up the booming tours and activities industry.”
Stride was founded by Gavin Delany, a travel industry veteran who spent two decades as an executive at Viator and Starwood. Since launching in 2016, the company has earned substantial traction from both consumers and suppliers. In 2018 alone, Stride sent $330 million in trips to tour operators and experts.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
