Fairytrail is redesigned for finding nomadic friends and adventures worldwide!

For those interested in our journey, please read on. Or skip to the bottom to see what’s new.

 

How It Began

My name is Taige, a product manager living in San Francisco at the time. Many of my friends complained they don’t travel because they don’t have anyone to travel with, so they’d stay home and Netflix.

I’ve spent most of my career in marketplaces and built a couple apps before, so I thought it’d be fun to build a marketplace where people could match on adventures. Airbnb had recently launched Airbnb Adventures so there was existing inventory. We just had to connect those who were interested in the same activities. In the winter of 2019, we launched Fairytrail to help people match on adventures by Airbnb, GetYourGuide, and Viator.

We launched by posting in a few travel Facebook groups and saw some strong interest.

We had thousands of users and even started to get bookings!

As we were preparing to fundraise, Covid hit and our commission-based travel booking business model fell apart because people couldn’t travel anymore.

Instead of shutting it down completely, we made a pivot to become a friends and dating app because the vast majority of our members were single remote workers. The team disbanded, and I joined Indeed’s Incubator team. In the meantime, Fairytrail continued to grow.

Today, the Fairytrail community counts over 50,000 members and is the world’s largest social app for nomads.

 

Why We’re Building Again

I had considered other startup ideas during my time away from building Fairytrail. However, what drew me back to Fairytrail importance of the problem and our thousands of users.

 

Meaningful Work

It’s not easy out there, especially for people who aren’t always in one place. There’s a perspicuous lack of support and community for remote workers, nomads, and travelers. Having moved around a lot growing up and now a remote worker, I deeply understand the challenges and want to address the problem of loneliness.

There’s a Chinese proverb that says “happiness is doubled when shared. Sadness is halved.” Strong, supportive relationships are one of the biggest factors for wellbeing, and there’s nothing more meaningful to me than helping people find happiness through great relationships.

 

 

 

Strong Demand

I receive daily emails about app issues, which I take as a positive sign. It shows users are engaged and care enough to provide feedback. This motivated me to keep going.

 

Our Research

As I worked on a refresh of the app, it was clear users felt more strongly about making connections rather than discovering/booking adventures. 

Members were split on how they used Fairytrail. About 50% were using it for finding travel buddies and 50% were using it for short term and long term relationships.

 

Knowing the app brings hope in dark times is truly touching. 

 

What’s New

Fairytrail members inspired us to completely redesign the app with a focus on making connections and chatting. Here’s what you can expect.

 

Nomad specific features

Unique tools to help you meet fellow explorers. Profiles now display your nationality and mobility, whether hybrid or fully remote. To make it easier to plan meetups, you can now search users by their upcoming destinations.

 

Better user experience

No more adventure matching and other steps that create friction. Now, it only takes 1 minute to sign up and start connecting.

 

Solo travelers, couples, or families

You can now create an account for yourself, you and a partner, or even your entire family. Choose to match with other solo travelers, couples, or nomad families.

 

Real profiles

99.99% of Fairytrail users are real people. Our fraud detection, human moderators, and verification system help ensure a high quality environment and safety.

 

Free forever plan

Use Fairytrail for free forever after verification. Power users can opt for a silver or gold plan for a premium experience.

 

No more bugs

Completely rebuilt app. No more broken push notifications, payment errors, and photos not uploading.

 

Get The New App

The new Fairytrail app is now available in the App Store and Play Store. Existing users just need to update the app and log in. If you forgot your password or never created one, simply reset your password.

 

Thanks again for believing in us and your support.

Onward and upward!

Taige & The Fairytrail Team