MIKE'S IDEA: Changing the way we share travel and meaningful stories with video kiosks
Travel With Meaning will offer unique travel opportunities and discounts to members who share meaningful stories at video kiosks around the world.
+ What is your name?
Mike
+ Where are you located?
United States
+ In one sentence, tell us about your idea.
A travel storytelling network; encouraging, inspiring, and supporting travel through sharing authentic, meaningful stories while giving back to local communities.
+ Describe your ideal collaborative partner or partners.
Our ideal collaborative partners are like-minded travelers who have professional and life experiences that come with epic stories, wins, and lessons along the way. We are interested in connecting with businesses and individuals who have launched, grown, and scaled global networks, experience in membership and loyalty programs, eCommerce experts, design geniuses, SEO leaders, and programming wizards. Individuals who have strong relationships with; global tourism boards, airlines, automotive, hospitality, lifestyle brands, tour operators, and distribution networks.
In collaborative partners, we want to work with local hospitality partners, NGOs, college and universities, tourism boards, and humans around the world who’ve been moved, touched, and inspired by travel. People that have a story to share and resonate that travel and life-changing adventures are very personal to each of us. We want to grow an open-source network sharing travel stories. Want to join us?
+ What is the most immediate or most pressing challenge you're facing right now?
We’re looking for collaborative partners to help mold our concept into an effective revenue generating plan, raise funds to pilot, and scale over the next three years to create a new way to share and sell travel.
+ What is it about your idea that makes you feel good?
For the past four years, Travel With Meaning and Founder Mike Schibel has been interviewing extraordinary travelers from various professional backgrounds to hear travel stories that have impacted their lives and careers. TWM has hosted 25 live events and 64 and counting TWM podcasts. There is something magical, authentic, and real that happens when someone shares a meaningful travel story. Travel bonds us and connects us through the people we meet and experiences we have. Launching TWM has never been about me, always about the WE. Sharing these stories is personal and crucial for growth and healing post-COVID.
What makes me feel good about this idea is the human connection and bond when these travel stories are shared in an authentic manner with a deep understanding about a place, the local community, the culture, and how you as the traveler experienced.
+ What makes your idea innovative? Why has no one ever done it before?
TWM is creating an open and free way of sharing travel that encourages, inspires and supports the future of travel. The model is a kiosk, modified phone booth, shipping container (places to record content) at various locations around the world.
Travelers and locals will have the opportunity to share stories and answer travel-related questions on video, creating UGAC (User Generated Authentic Content). It’s free to make a video, if travelers want to pay a small membership fee they will unlock deals for travel and experiences locally and globally. A portion of proceeds raised will go to the non-profit organizations selected by our collaborative partners in the region. The funding will come from local partners especially tourism boards and a city / country government funds as well as local businesses that will directly benefit from the UGAC.
From our collaborative partners both for profits and non profits the content will also share about the growth, threats, issues and innovations of that region, specific place, or location.
Partnering with college and university students from around the world in journalism, filmmaking and marketing programs will also support the content for TWM TV network to go along with UGAC created by travelers and the likes. Content recorded will live on Travel With Meaning’s platform and channels. There will be a weekly recap show in different regions and languages showcasing the TWM TV Team inspiring stories and some selected UGAC content. TWM TV will also be an APP think WSL (WORLD SURF LEAGUE) network on Apple TV, Amazon, Roku .
Travel With Meaning is a trademark in travel, making it an open-sourced conversation for ALL to share locally and connect globally through personal travel stories.
+ Who will benefit the most from your idea?
Everyone who celebrates travel! Travelers who’ve been touched by travel and have a story to tell. Tourism boards/hospitality brands looking for ways to authentically engage travelers locally and globally. Local nonprofits earning funding from travel deals and auctions offered to members.
+ Ideally, when would you launch this idea?
I've already launched my idea
+ Indicate which UN goals your idea relates to?
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Gender Equality
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Reduced Inequality
Quality Education
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Climate Action
Life on Land
Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
+ At Sigmund, we are interested in ideas at the intersection of People, Planet, and Profit. How does your idea relate to these three categories?
At our core, TWM believes it’s the people we meet when we travel that make the journey more fulfilling. We are firm advocates of breaking down all judgments to give people a chance to see the world, connect and build bridges, not walls.
As stewards of this planet, we believe in acting responsibly while on this journey. Travel With Meaning is looking to partner with local environmental and social action non-profits to offer giveback opportunities. TWM is currently working with the organization Leave No Trace, sharing the importance of respecting and supporting nature. TWM is a member of the Impact Travel Alliance (ITA) as well as the Transformational Travel Council (TTC).
Profitability comes in different revenue streams:
Membership: Monthly membership fee $10-$20 unlimited uploads, unlock travel deals, exclusive auctions, and monthly giveaways. UGAC content is free to upload, but travelers are not able to access the deals, auctions or giveaways without a membership.
Collaborative Paid Partnerships with tourism boards, hospitality brands, and venues for the kiosk, content, podcast, and website advertising.
Merchandise - Travel With Meaning is a lifestyle brand and will offer merch for travelers to celebrate the experiences and adventures that have meaning.
+ If you have a website for your idea, please enter the URL below.
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