Stride Travel launches online search and review marketplace

Stride Travel, a search and reviews site for pre-planned experiential travel, has unveiled of its online marketplace for guided tours and organised travel.

Stride Travel, a search and reviews site for pre-planned experiential travel, has unveiled a new online marketplace for guided tours and organised travel.

The San Francisco-based firm claims to be the first site to enable users to search and read reviews for all pre-planned trips.

This includes traditional group tours, private guided trips, safaris, independent adventure packages and small ship cruises.

Users of Stride can compare thousands of group tour and organised holiday options from more than 400 global travel providers.

They can also read reviews from travellers and experts, compare itineraries, and book directly with travel suppliers.

Stride has commercial agreements with companies such as Intrepid Travel and Explore Worldwide to smaller specialists like Rothschild Safaris and Pacific Delight Tours.

The company recently closed a seed investment round, led by TDG Ventures and including travel industry veterans Adam Goldstein, co-founder and chief executive of US travel search site Hipmunk, John Owen, co-founder of JetBlue Airways and Baris Gultekin, co-founder of Google Now.

Co-founder and chief executive, Gavin Delany, said: “Today’s consumers expect to be able to read reviews and easily compare options on any major purchase. Adventurous, international vacations are no exception.

“Yet today, the major travel review websites do not have a category for reviews on multi-day tours and operators.

“There are many frustrated travellers and tour operators who want a third party to provide this service and Stride is filling this void.

“Stride is uniquely positioned as a third party to provide credible reviews and ratings that validate suppliers’ strengths and differentiation.”

He added: “Stride’s open business model aligns our interests with those of operators and travellers by transparently matching travellers with their perfect tour company.”