Tripmates.com
Miracle travel hook-up or just another Internet dud?
MELISSA HIEBERT STAFF
I always have dreams of travelling to places that are off the beaten path. I mean, why would you go to boring old Mexico for spring break, when you could be living it up in beautiful, sunny Antarctica? Unfortunately, there are not many people who share my sentiments, and as such, it’s a little diffi cult to fi nd travel companions.
But then I heard about a website called tripmates.com, claiming to help people connect with other like-minded travellers in hopes of fi nding travel companions. Th e promo e-mail boasted: “Tripmates is the newest, hippest solution for the Myspacer who loves to travel. Combining social networking with a travel twist — Tripmates meets the needs of the student traveler.” I’ve never really been into the whole Internet networking thing, but the glowing e-mail piqued my curiosity, and so I decided to check it out.
Th e fi rst thing you have to do to become a part of this “interactive travel community” is sign up and create a profi le. Asking questions like the status of your relationship made it appear like every other typical “meet people” online community, and did not have very much to do with travelling. Also, the website features many pictures of goodlooking young people having the time of their lives, and seemed like it was trying way too hard to convince people that it is really the hippest new thing, and that all of the cool kids are signing up.
Once you sign up, you can search other people’s profi les in order to fi nd people who are looking for “tripmates,” and send them messages. You can also become a “trip guru” for certain locations that you know well, such as your hometown. Other things that you can do are write travel reviews, create trip blogs and photo albums, and read other things people have to say about certain locations and hot spots.
Th e site, however, is really in its beginning stages. Th ere doesn’t seem to be a huge number of people signed up, and therefore potential tripmates and destinations are very limited. (Th ey didn’t even have anyone looking to go to Leaf Rapids, Man.. Apparently, Leaf Rapids isn’t even a real trip destination. Damn website.) Obviously fuelled by the ads of travel companies and tour planners, it just seemed like every other gimmicky online community, in which there is a lot of profi le-surfi ng but not a lot of action. It’s the type of site that you browse for a few days and eventually lose interest in and forget your account password anyway.
Th e idea is there; it would be good to have a community in which students can search for people to travel with and get fi rsthand information on their desired destinations. Th e execution, though, a little too closely resembles the “meet people” mentality of Lavalife or some other website that promises the world, but rarely (with the exception of perhaps the odd hookup here or there) delivers.
One good thing came of my experience though. I did fi nd one other person who was looking for a tripmate to go to Antarctica with, and sent him an invite. I have yet to hear back, but I am still hopeful. Woo hoo, Antarctica here I come!
