Just like my favorite adventurous chef, I like to travel with no reservations. While I’m a staunch advocate of spontaneity, I’ve consequently found myself at many a bus stop in a foreign country, confused as to what to do next. When traveling abroad today, it’s absolutely necessary to take an arsenal of apps with you. The problem is, none of the travel apps available are a one stop shop for all your traveling needs. To combat this issue, Atlanta-based Faretrotter has developed an app to help you get from A to B and everywhere in-between. They’ll be at One Spark in Jacksonville this week to showcase their product and look for investors.
Founded by Justin Hill, “Faretrotter is a door-to-door, multi-modal travel application that can search and book all parts of your trip in one interface, in real time, from any device,” explains Hill. “We’re trying to evolve with the industry, make travel searching and booking an easier experience, and be inclusive of all travel methods, not just flights, but everything from trains to buses to ride-sharing.”
Justin got the idea for Faretrotter when traveling Europe in 2012. “Over the course of planning and booking the trip, I visited over 20 websites, translated between French, German, and English, made currency conversions between the Euro and the US Dollar, and combined and compared flight, train, bus, and public transportation schedules and fares,” he recalls. “The idea was literally conceived on a train between Brussels and Hamburg to make this whole process easier.”
“Traditional travel agents can only tell you about planes and rental cars and just simply don’t tell the big picture of traveling,” says Hill. “Our direct competitors are Rome2Rio, GoEuro, Waymate, FromAtoB, and Wanderio, but we’re the only Americans out of this group. Our algorithms operate off of real time fares when possible, so when having to decide which airport to fly into or any other travel decisions that need to be made, like surge pricing, our approach is the most inclusive and holistic of our competitors. In most cases, we share revenue with the travel providers. So, if you book through us, we receive a small percentage of the ticket booked.”
Justin is an Atlanta native and a Georgia Tech alum. After graduating with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, he experienced two medium to large acquisitions by the age of 26. He moved back home in the summer of 2014 after being involved in his second acquisition. He and his team of software developers are proud to be based in Georgia’s capital. “The startup scene is Atlanta is taking off and the local talent pool is top-notch,” says Hill.
While Hill has been bootstrapping Faretrotter thus far, he mentioned that he’ll be looking for seed funding soon as well as his first hire. If you’re heading to One Spark, be sure to check out Faretrotter.
Follow Faretrotter on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faretrotter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Faretrotter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/faretrotter/
