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What influences YOU to travel?

I recently got into a great conversation with my partner about the growth of apps focused on travel discovery and inspiration. It seems like so many travel tech founders are convinced that they can help you discover your dream vacation through a little Q&A and connection to your Facebook friends--eliminating hours of research and emails with friends.  Investors have forked over millions believing in this concept.

We don't think this travel inspiration via survey is the answer.  TripAdvisor is probably the best example of an online tool that helps users decide on places to go, where to stay and things to do.  TripAdvisor is successful because of user generated DATA that users TRUST. At Hoowenware we envision having the capability to analyze several sources of data to provide you recommendations based on your behavior and people like you (similar to Netflix and Amazon).  

In the meantime, tell us--what influences you to travel? Please take our quick (60 second) survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWL322P

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Those who plan understand

Almost every American born in this country has experienced group travel at some point even if it was a 15 mile bus ride to the zoo for that elementary school field trip. Yet far too often many people give me a blank stare when I explain that I'm building an app for group travel management and collaboration. Over the past couple of weeks I have been travelling the country pitching Hoowenware to various judges, friends, family, and potential investors. In half the cases that light bulb comes on immediately in people's head.

"Oh, that would be perfect for our family reunion abroad next year" or "Man, I really needed that for this bachelor party trip I planned last month." 

In the other half of cases, I get a blank stare or the immediate question of "Well, how is your app different from Expedia or TripAdvisor?" That's when I give the courteous smile and continue to explain even though another part of me has died on the inside (I exaggerate..lol).  Ultimately, it seems like only those who plan FULLY understand the arduous and frustrating process of coordinating multiple people for travel (especially if minors or people who are geographically dispersed are involved). 

Sometimes people can relate to the frustration of photo sharing after a trip, but not the difficulty of pre-trip marketing, management, and collaboration. And this difficulty spans many different types of travel not just student travel and bachelor trips: weddings, retreats, ski trips, golf trips, mission trips,...the list goes on.

Check out this short cartoon that explains a little bit more:

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This is my 60 second pitch used to enter the NBMBAA Innovation Whiteboard Challenge taking place Wednesday, September 10th, 2013 in Houston, TX. I'm ecstatic to be 1 of the 10 semifinalists selected to compete for the $10,000 grand prize!

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BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) is a non-profit organization of professionals working in or having an interest in the Computer Science and Information Technology fields. BDPA interviewed me about my experience participating in their annual High School Computer Competition as a student and later as a coordinator. In this interview we discuss how my experiences in BDPA shaped my personal and professional development and how it has lead me down the path of entrepreneurship.

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Vacation Rentals: Highs and Woes

Vacation rental houses really took off with the popularity of timeshares in the 90's, but have since evolved as a sustainable way many people earn secondary income from their properties. I am a big fan of VRs because hotel rooms can be so run of the mill, customer service can be lacking, lack of privacy, and lack of amenities to have that "homey" feel while on vacation (sometimes I like to cook and sit on big comfy couches).  I have probably spent close to $25,000 on vacation rentals in my travel lifetime--mostly through VRBO (which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner). The VRBO UI/UX leaves much to be desired when compared to AirBnB or Hotels.com, but they have definitely improved over the years and especially since their acquisition of Homeaway.com which was is VR site that doesn't have as many properties, but has a much better interface.

I've recently been tasked with researching VRs on VRBO for Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard in August.  Here are a few pictures from properties that caught my eye:

I love houses that provide an allure that a traveling family or group could never find in a block of hotel rooms.

Luxury is a key factor when deciding upon which house to select. 

A dinner party or potluck night during a week long vacation is always great!

And I absolutely LOVE decorum that reflects the environment  & culture of the vacation destination.

VRs are also a very economical way to go for group travel. If your average nightly rate on Martha's Vineyard during August for a 4 star hotel/B&B is $300 and let's say you and a friend stay a week--that's $1,050 per person. Alternatively, you get a 3 bedroom house and find 4 - 6 other people to share it with you, it can bring your per person cost for that entire week down to $500!

The biggest challenge with VRs as opposed to hotels when it comes to group travel is coordinating, booking, assigning rooms, beds, roommates, and much much more. Currently, I'm relying upon email, Excel, SurveyMonkey and GoogleDocs. I haven't even begun to collect payments yet and it has already been an arduous process. Have you found an easier way? Let us know! In the meantime, we'll be building tools baked in Hoowenware to make VR shopping, sharing, and booking a much easier process for your vacation.

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Check out my 2nd Video Log for Hoowenare

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What effect would a Florida Tourism Boycott have?

I recently saw a post on facebook about a mother from Spain who was planning a trip to Florida this summer but is seriously reconsidering because of the recent State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman verdict. It was quite an interesting letter because she compared the human rights and justice issues in Israel to that of Florida. As a mother she fears the safety of her son in a state were certain legal "loopholes" can allow for a man to get out of his car, follow a teenager which elicits and altercation and fatally shoot said teenager with no repercussions.

As Americans we often think of how these things affect domestic affairs, but rarely put ourselves in the same classification as Egypt or Israel where injustices sometimes go unpunished which may adversely affect tourism. Maybe tourism $$ is not a big deal for some countries, but it is a big deal for Florida. If the world decided to boycott Florida tourism they would definitely get the message.

Let's take a look at the facts and figures*:

The tourism industry has an economic impact of $67 billion on Florida’s economy making it Florida's Number 1 industry!

Florida experienced 87.3 million visitors in 2011 and 91.4 million in 2012 (a record number) which places it as the top travel destination in the world.

26 million visitors came to Florida in the first quarter of 2013 (January-March), an increase of 4.7 percent over the same period in 2012.  This makes the first quarter of 2013 the biggest quarter for visitation in the history of Florida tourism.

 10.2 million overseas visitors and 3.6 million Canadians came to the Sunshine State in 2012

Of course, the tourism industry provides jobs for over 1 million people in the state Florida, thus, a tourism boycott would affect many more than the lawmakers, enforcement, and politicians that can drive change.  But, it is food for thought. The wallet is often times the most painful place to hit 'em!

(*source: http://floridataxwatch.org/resources/pdf/2013TourismFINAL.pdf)

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#TBT: Check out this video interview I conducted last year with MIT's very own startup lab: The Beehive!

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This is my first of many video long introducing my landing page and crowd-funding campaign. Please show your love and support as I embark upon this journey! www.hoowenware.com/support.html

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Travel Partner Compatability

I recently experienced my first July 4th weekend on Martha's Vineyard and it was almost perfect. The only downside was a little travel partner drama. I invited a couple of really cool friends to join me on the Vineyard for the holiday because its one of the best weekends here, I have my own place and room to spare. One friend committed a week in advance the other committed a day in advance, but I tried my best to make it work given I only have a 2-seater vehicle and a studio cottage.  Well, I'll just say things didn't go over as smoothly as I would've hoped. As much as I love my nearest and dearest friends, for some of them we just don't have travel compatibility. I'm a very independent, self-sufficient traveler who likes to bounce around and do stuff rather than lounge around all day. I don't have an issue with travel partners who prefer the more relaxing, restful vacation over action packed adventures and long party nights. The only time conflicts arise are when the expectations of the roles/responsibilities of your travel partner(s) differ greatly. 

Have you ever experienced inviting friends to join you on an epic trip that you really didn't want to go on alone, but by the middle of the trip you almost wish you would have gone alone?  Here are a few tips that I think will help you have a better group travel experience:

Before the trip, establish what type of events/activities/attractions your travel partner(s) may or may not want to do.

If you all differ on certain activities, put together a tentative schedule that outlines which things you'll do together and which things you'll do apart.

Pick destinations and accommodations in locations where it is easy for everyone to get around and do their own thing. Its no fun for anyone being "trapped" in that remote log cabin in the mountains regardless of how beautiful the view is.

Be very transparent about the rules & plans for shared resources (e.g., car, gas, house, food, alcohol, etc.). One group I hung out with this weekend had an informal "house meeting" whenever decisions that affected everyone needed to be made like inviting over guests late at night.

Be as flexible and patient as you possibly can. After all, these are probably your friends and you don't want a vacation to end that relationship. It can be more difficult to adapt to someone else's agenda when you've spent so much money and time to take that much-needed vacation, but in the end you'll appreciate the good company more than that museum you just HAD to see. It'll be there next year.

Hoowenware actually provides great tools to make things like this a little bit easier.  By allowing everyone to post arrival/departure info, different activities/events and get RSVPs everyone can view and build their own schedules. Try it out! Travel on!

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Recoding to Code

Being a founder of a tech startup who can code is very important to me, which is why I am taking my time to relearn the fundamentals of web development. It can be quite frustrating at times, but I think having past experience in high school and college really helps me isolate problems and troubleshoot effectively.  The bad part is the simplest things can be super time consuming.  In the end,though, I think I will find it very rewarding to know I truly had a hand in building something "with my two hands." Code on...

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You're moving where to start up?? Why?!

I get a lot of different responses when I tell people that I moving to Martha's Vineyard island to work on my startup full time this summer: shock, humor, doubt, envy. The decision to build the first release of Hoowenware in MV was actually pretty well thought out. I have been visiting The Vineyard for an occasional week or weekend vacation long before people found out the Obamas vacation here. During my last trip in August 2012 it dawned on me--this place has an undeniable magic. From the very moment I step on that ferry in Woodshole, MA I feel it! The 45 minute ferry ride gradually gets me in the zone, so that when I pull off the boat in my little red roadster, I'm happy to never leave 3rd gear (that means I don't go over 35mph for you automatic transmission folks). This place calms me, inspires me, and gives me clarity. I see why so many famous authors, artists, and politicians have made summer residency on "The Rock."

As it directly pertains to starting Hoowenware, the focus is in travel and tourism and I have never actually lived in a non-metropolis tourist destination. The Vineyard is one of the most vibrant places to be summertime in New England. Eventually, Hoowenware will expand into a valuable B2B platform where even the small mom & pop companies (tours, parks, charters, etc.) can use the platform to target group travelers. I intend to use my 2.5 month here wisely: talking to potential customers and really investigating the ins and outs of the industry. And of course a few weekends on the beach are in order. :-)

[hoowenware]

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

I remember being tickled endlessly by my auntie!