Bindu Trips, a new itinerary-based website, meets travelers’ needs in the middle, between knowledgeable guide books and opinionated social platform sound offs
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) September 18, 2017 -- A new travel website, BinduTrips.com, has launched, targeting travelers interested in getting the best experience for their time and money. Written by the world’s most published travel journalists, the itinerary-based website spotlights trips by those who have “been there and done that.” The site is searchable by destination, theme or interest, budget, season, length of travel, and type of traveler.
Bindu Trips fills the void many travelers have been seeking: the authoritative voice in travel that has created the absolute best trip – tried and tested – to whet the appetite for an authentic sense of place before the trip begins. The trip builder lets users save and modify existing itineraries. The site also allows travelers to connect directly with writers to craft a personal journey mined from the seasoned journalists’ experiences.
The site launched purposely after a collective exhale from the travel industry – the U.S. Labor Day holiday and unofficial end of summer – as airline prices dip after a heavy load of family vacationers. For travelers unencumbered with school schedules or mandatory office vacations, now is the best time to take off.
Whose Vacation Advice? Someone on Social? Or Someone who knows.
More than 150 guidebook authors, photojournalists and veteran travel writers – years immersed in their destinations – have contributed to Bindu Trips. Users hone in on in short term getaways, discover how best to explore a popular city or filter specifically for off-season trips. Research shows that travelers plan most often by formulating an itinerary. Regardless of how much time is available, it’s a precious commodity. Travelers show focused motivation to experience the best in the time allotted.
Ask anyone about San Francisco, or London, or Hawaii, and they will talk about their journey, including the smallest details. (They might even forward you their blog or brag about their reviews.) But it’s their trip; the choices they made which were successful – or not – for them. “People investing time and money in travel don’t want an amateur’s vacation. They want recommendations from someone who knows the sensory difference between Long Island and Long Beach, besides the obvious fact that they are on two different coasts. After they arrive at their destination – sure, take a look at some Yelp comments for a meal,” says Kim Grant, founder of Bindu Trips.
How Bindu Trips Works:
Bindu Trips is different. Users may follow in the footsteps of a writer who has recently been to a destination, or has covered it annually for years in guidebooks. If a Bindu Trips user wants a personal itinerary crafted by their favorite journalist or for a favorite place, it is available by consulting directly with the author for a fee. But otherwise, the expert’s immersive knowledge of a place is offered to Bindu Trips’ users for free.
Bindu itineraries show and tell why a destination deserves a look, and how long a traveler should visit, organizing the time available (from 48 hours to an epic week). The site’s curated itineraries save travelers money, avoiding tourist-y traps and restaurants unworthy of a visit. “Bindu writers omit more choices than they include in a published itinerary,” says Ms. Grant. “There is more to a place than a Top Ten List by someone who has parachuted in for the first time or crawled the web bookmarking click bait.” She should know: she’s been a guidebook writer and editor of travel apps and sites for more than 30 years, is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and on its Editors Council.
Some Sites Don’t Reveal Enough about Distances, Regions and Neighborhoods.
Grant watched bigger travel sites fail because they were built by engineers and technologists relying on algorithms, rather than responding to travelers driven by desires. She shares one of the biggest A-HA moments in the creation and testing of the site: “What we observed during web testing was confusion over city neighborhoods. Travelers are most disappointed when they plan a great trip but end up in city neighborhood or somewhere on the coastline that’s different from what they expected and intended. It then costs time and money to go back and forth, and it’s a glitch they remember about their trip. San Francisco’s SOMA is pretty different than Fisherman’s Wharf, right? They need to know that before booking a hotel.”
Boston author Mara Vorhess, for instance, describes the differences between the Italian North End and the gay South End; between the more Brahmin Beacon Hill and the more international Back Bay; between the more contemporary Seaport District and the 19th century warehouses of the Fort Point District.
Bindu Trips Has the World’s Best Travel Writers on One Site.
Bindu Trips features itineraries by the world’s A-list of travel writers. Authors hail from the ranks of Lonely Planet, NatGeo, Moon, Rough Guides, Fodor’s, Frommer’s, DK Eyewitness, and Countryman Press; from About.com, Huffington Post/travel and Matador.com; and from the travel app innovator Sutro Media. See the full roster of experts at https://bindutrips.com/our-story-authors/.
How did Bindu Trips attract the best of the best to contribute their destination knowledge? Simple. Bindu Trips treats them as partners and lets them tell their story their way. The site gives journalists latitude to craft itineraries in ways they determine are most valuable to the visitor. Writers benefit from a revenue-sharing advertising model – the first and most generous on record – that pays them for their years of travel and accumulated knowledge. Writers can also be paid to produce custom and branded itineraries for individuals, groups, non-profit organizations or corporate retreats, with an understanding of the on-point nuances of each. Hiring a local meeting planner in Los Angeles for after-conference activities could cost in the thousands. Using a Bindu Trips writer to create a custom group itinerary could save thousands, and the writer just might lead the excursion.
New Regions Will Be Added Based on Seasons and Reasons.
Coming soon, users may also add comments and suggestions to a posted itinerary, fulfilling the personal comment role of social media channels. Instead of posting something on Trip Advisor to an unconnected audience, the user can get in front of the author themselves. Bindu Trips’ geographic coverage includes the United States, plus the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. New destinations and itineraries within these regions are added weekly.
Content for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island will appear with plenty of lead time for booking specific seasonal travel (skiing in Banff, sunning in Sydney). The content is always growing – as the possibilities are infinite. The name Bindu is a Sanskrit word roughly meaning “point containing infinite possibility” and authors are compelled to live up to its name.
Headed to Vegas? As author Sara Benson says, “Buzzing casinos, sultry nightlife, glam shopping, and star chef's restaurants aren't all that Vegas promises.” Ms. Benson offers highly curated options including Las Vegas for Bachelors and Bachelorettes, one last amazing blow-out party for the bride or groom; Las Vegas for Families, to keep the kids entertained in an adult playground; Las Vegas for First-Timers, what every Vegas newbie should try; Las Vegas in 24 Hours, to make every second count; and Las Vegas Off the Beaten Path, where locals, artists, hipsters, barflies, and curiosity seekers hang out. Read her full stories at https://bindutrips.com/destination/las-vegas/. And check back for more itineraries; the possibilities are infinite.
To access the depth and breadth of content, visit https://bindutrips.com/. To save favorite destinations, itineraries and specific points of interest – and to build a specific trip or daydream with a bucket list – be sure to create an account.
Although Bindu Trips may seem like one more site in the cloud littered with travel options, its intuitive take on how to plan and execute trips – with cyber hand-holding by the world’s best travel journalists – may make it the only browser tab worth keeping open.
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About Bindu Trips
Bindu Trips is a free, responsive website known for its varied, expert itineraries and its trip builder. The site features curated content from more than 150 of the world’s best indie travel writers. Site users may connect individually with those experts for itinerary comments and recommendations. Bindu itineraries help travelers organize and execute a trip depending on their interests, budget, season for travel, length of travel, and the type of traveler they are. Based on research by users looking for valuable content, Bindu Trips emphasizes getting it right for the best trip for a traveler, while leaving the “explore places around you” to the almighty Google and the Starbuck’s app for the nearest location.
Founder Kim Grant is also Editorial Director. She is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, a member of the (San Francisco) Bay Area Travel Writers and a media delegate to the U.S. Travel Association’s prestigious IPW. Publicist Susan Wilson is managing publicity, reachable at Susan.Wilson(at)susanwilsonmarketing(dot)com, 480-824-3015.
Follow Bindu Trips on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bindutrips), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bindutrips/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/bindutrips).
Connect with and follow Kim Grant and Susan Wilson on TravMedia, https://www.travmedia.com/, where news and images of Bindu Trips reside, or go to https://bindutrips.com/press-room/.
Some content, in destinations where Bindu has not identified an expert contributor, is curated with permission from the official destination marketing organization. Bindu Trips is always interested in working with quality journalists on destinations not yet covered, or for which they have a deep dive specialty. Contact Kim Grant.
Kim Grant, Bindu Trips, https://bindutrips.com/, +1 (617) 901-9628, [email protected]
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