NB: This is a viewpoint from Drew Meyers, co-founder of Oh Hey World.
You never hear anyone say "No, I don't want to travel" if asked. Everyone wants to travel, yet most have excuses why they don't.
It goes without saying, as a self-professed travel addict, I want more people to be inspired to spend their money on travel experiences they'll remember in 30 years rather than physical goods forgotten the moment they're out of sight.
People aren't traveling, and there's a disconnect somewhere. Desire and action don't match.
Acknowledging the disconnect, I'm still not convinced there is any need whatsoever for websites attempting to solve the "travel inspiration" problem.
As I've said, travel inspiration is not a pain point in need of a solution.
Why?
Well, I spent the last week in Hawaii with seven close friends for a wedding. After that amazing trip, we couldn't help but be inspired to take another trip and started planning before we even left Hawaii.
Now granted, the vast majority of our friends are avid travelers (hence, the reason they are such great friends), so that makes sense -- it's not exactly hard to get any of us on another airplane.
And over the past few days, I've seriously contemplated no fewer than five different trip options for 2013 and 2014: Iceland. Nicaragua. Belize. Panama. Brazil. Oktoberfest (again). The Trans Siberian Railroad. Bali (again). India.
The number of websites I've looked at?
Zero.
All my "travel inspiration" came from my conversations with trusted travel companions over the past weeks and months (and, yes, years).
My best buddy and I were at the airport in Honolulu on Friday talking over drinks about a trip we should take this fall or winter. We discussed the pros and cons of various destinations, and texted with two other high school friends of mine in the states (one in Seattle, the other in Vegas) throughout the process.
Separately, a different group of friends spent a good hour trading group texts Saturday about a location for a 2014 "America-thon" (began in Santorini 2010 and continued this year in Oahu). The top preference is currently Brazil.
Another two friends are thinking about going to Asia for their honeymoon later this year. They don't know where to start since they've never been to that part of the world before and are only occasional travelers.
They have asked me numerous questions about where to go, what places are safe, how easy it is to get around, etc. Reading something on a website isn't going to convince them to go to Asia instead of Mexico. Yet a conversation with me just might.
How do people get inspired to travel?
They talk to those they want to travel with either in person, on Skype, via text, or with a messaging app like Whatsapp. Or they talk to trusted contacts with travel experience in the region they want to visit.
They don't rely on websites. I firmly believe most people want to be told what to do in the vast majority of situations. Travelers are no different: a website can't make a decision for you on where to go next.
And so it begs the question, as an industry, how do we truly inspire more people to actually travel -- my major entrepreneurial goal -- right now?
In my mind, the most authentic way is to increase the pool of people potential travelers have to converse with, and facilitate the trip discussions in a broader group that includes looser connections, while still remaining inside a trusted and secure environment (which email, phone, and text are).
When we nail that dynamic in the travel industry, I believe we will have found a way to get more people on the road.
What form does your travel inspiration come in, and where do you get it?
NB: This is a viewpoint from Drew Meyers, co-founder of Oh Hey World.
NB2:Travel inspiration image via Shutterstock.
