The Top Travel Tech Startups In New York City

New York isn’t just one of the world’s most popular travel destinations, it’s also home to some of the most exciting travel startups ready to disrupt the way we explore the planet in the future. Here are some of our favorites.

Away

Away manufactures high-end suitcases that come packed with features and are affordable. The company started out when Jen Rubio called fellow co-founder Steph Corey, and complained her suitcase had broken on a trip to Zurich. Rubio was frustrated there wasn’t a luggage brand that made high-quality products that weren’t expensive. The two entrepreneurs then went ahead and designed exactly that, and made it affordable by selling direct to consumers.

Rolling Globe

Rolling Globe lets you package your own vacation and sell it to others. When we go on vacation we’re all happy to tell our friends how amazing it was when we get back, but with this e-commerce platform, you can actually make a profit from convincing others to go, too. Founded in 2014, the company gives a commission to users whose holiday itineraries are booked through the site.

Visit.org is a platform for social impact travel experiences, that allows users to find do-good organizations to travel with. The company allows users to support and interact both virtually and in-person with organizations that are attempting to do good in the world. For those who want to go on vacation to an exotic destination but worry about the negative effects tourism is having on the place, this type of solution can put your mind at ease that you’re giving something back at the same time as enjoying yourself.

Organizing a philanthropic activity during a vacation can be good for the communities you visit

Skift

Skift provides, news, analysis, and more to the travel industry. The company acts as an intelligence source for industry professionals and travelers and also hosts events and conferences. Skift was founded in 2012, and was named after the Nordic word for shift or transformation. Co-founders Rafat Ali and Jason Clampet started the company out of their bedrooms and have managed to grow it to 44 people while avoiding venture capital investment.

Regal Wings

Regal Wings, a Brooklyn-based company, caters to the high end of travel. The company sells bulk airfares to travel agents, big companies whose employees travel a lot, travel managers, and lifestyle/concierge companies. Regal Wings only deals in first or business class flights, however.

Alice

Alice is a platform for hotels to run more smoothly. The company helps hotels manage staff work and guest communications across departments in the hotel. Alice was created around five years ago and has raised $13.5 million in investments, including minority funding from Expedia. The system means that if a guest uses a text message to ask for clean bedding, the message is sent to the right worker who can help out. Guests in hotels are also able to request services through apps and other methods with the platform.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.