TripAdvisor, a site that offers free guides and reviews for various traveling adventures, has just acquired Wanderfly.
TripAdvisor has been slowly but surely integrating more social layers to its platform, with Friend of Friend reviews and a Local Picks Facebook app for restaurants. But the company’s acquisition of Wanderfly is taking that social integration to the next level.
Wanderfly is a site that aims to make the traveling experience, from planning to booking to actually traveling, the most personalized experience possible. After receiving $1 million in funding back in early 2011, the company promised to add more social connectivity into the travel experience and has surely delivered.
Wanderfly now lets you sign in with Facebook and add real friends to follow their travel wishlists and experiences. The site also lets you make recommendations about the city you live in, and see other people’s recommendations in an easy-to-use, beautiful UI.
The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but co-founder and CEO of TripAdvisor Steve Kaufer had this to say:
The Wanderfly team understands the value in social travel planning. They’re a great asset as we continue our developments in this area and I am delighted to welcome them to TripAdvisor.
TripAdvisor is a free travel guide and research website that offers reviews and information TripAdvisor operates sister sites in other countries (the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Japan and India). Apart from the obligatory reviews of hotels and other attractions, TripAdvisor has some nifty features. Users can quickly and easily post their vacation videos and travel marketers can showcase their properties by featuring their videos on TripAdvisor for free. They also offer a personalization tools allowing users to save...
Wanderfly is the best place to discover and share personalized travel recommendations. Our premise is simple: everyone travels differently, so we all need different recommendations. We’re here to make travel planning more personal, simple, fun, human and inspiring. Wanderfly is venture-backed by notable VCs and angel investors, including Charles River Ventures, MentorTech Ventures, Jason Calacanis, Dave Morin and Roger Dickey, and supported by a distinguished advisors, including John Gerzema, Kevin Farnham, Khoi Vinh, Ravi Simhambhatla and Eric Bradlow.
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
San Francisco, CA
Berlin, Germany
