How do you simplify the messy process of travel planning?

People spend a lot of time researching and planning travel, with no good, multi platform solution to keep everything organized. My partner Jordan Stolper and I set about to address that need with gliider, a research tool that helps you gather and save travel infomation from any site on the web, and then get deals specific to your trip. 

Challenge

To design a tool that helped users organizing the messy and often overwhelming process that is travel planning. We needed to attract users, while also building a business. 

What we did

We built an app designed for travel – with trips, folders for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and more. Each time users scraps data from the internet, they were creating valuable information about themselves, their behavior and their interests. We partnered with sites such as Expedia and Travelocity to serve up deals based exactly on users' preference. 

The evolution of the core gliider interface – the gliider wing. 

Below is an early video prototype we used to demo the product, drive trial with new users, and sell the platform to potential investors. 

Outcome

We launched in 2009, around the same time as evernote, and with similar core features – with the main point of differentiation being gliider was purpose designed and built for travel. Ultimately, the business model did not through off enough recurring revenue to make us a sustainable business and gliider was acquired by Travel Ad Network in 2010.

Media Coverage

New York Times: http://bit.ly/7BDMXD and http://nyti.ms/beXgYu
TechCrunch: http://bit.ly/henpt
Wall Street Journal: http://bit.ly/GaQgJ
Conde Nast Traveler: http://bit.ly/brdqmp
People Magazine: http://bit.ly/80TVOy
Jaunted: http://bit.ly/cWsPnM
Travolution: http://bit.ly/aCzxrS

Awards

Finalist, PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit, Orlando, 2009
Shortlisted, Globe Travel Innovation Awards, London, 2010 

Appearances

Presented live demo at New York Tech Meetup, New York, 2009

I am proud to say I have had the true pleasure of working with Jared. He is a sculptor of design and business--- he turns every endeavor into art and sculpts away the excess to reveal the essence. I had a blast writing music for Gliider's promotional video. All I can say is that I hope to work with Jared more. He is a joy to work with and true friend. Drew Beam