The travel industry is changing. Travellers want to spend less but at the same time enjoy an authentic experience of the country. Especially millennials are changing since their reasons to travel changed from partying to experiencing a new culture and eating local foods (Lane, 2016). This trend is in line with the new sharing economy, which was already a $26 billion market in 2014 (Divvy, 2014). In this sharing economy, individuals are able to share their home WiFi network in exchange for receiving free WiFi at hotspots worldwide with Fon and borrow tools and gardening supplies of their neighbours with Peerby. How exactly does this sharing economy change the way we travel?
First of all, when searching for an accommodation, we no longer just look at large hotels, but start searching at Airbnb or Couchsurfing for a local stay and have a completely different experience. However, when going on vacation, it is also important to have a good place where your pet can stay. Therefore, there are apps that can be described as the Airbnb for dogs, called DogVacay, or their competitor, Rover. With these apps you are able to find a verified dog-sitter, who went through an application process including reference checks and phone interviews, to make sure that your beloved pet will have also have good stay.
When arriving at your destination, you might go to the local tourist information centre or are overwhelmed in the streets of your local stay with people offering trips. However, when you really want an authentic experience, it is better to find your local guide at Showaround of Vayable. With these platforms, you are able to find a guide with similar interests, who will not show you the main tourist attractions, but take you to places where locals go to.
Furthermore, Uber and Sidecar are also platforms which should not be forgotten when thinking about the way the sharing economy changed the way we travel. At the end of the day, when having dinner in a restaurant is not local enough, you can go to the platform HomeDine, where you are able to see who is cooking a meal in the neighbourhood, meet new people and share a local cultural experience.
To conclude, the trend nowadays is to share and at the same time have a more unique travel experience. The only thing left unshared for now, are the planes to go to your destination. However I expect that this is only a matter of time.
References
Lane, L. (2016, January 15). Are Millennial Travel Trends Shifting in 2016?. Retrieved 19 September 2016, from
Divvy (2014, December 15). Economic Advantages of the Sharing Economy. Retrieved 19 September 2016, from
