Growing up in the market town of Ulverston, on the edge of the English Lake District, where visitors to the region headed straight to the predictable honey pot areas of Windermere and Kendal, was frustrating. They rarely ventured off the beaten track to discover the hidden local treasures and what treats they were missing!
Travelling further afield in gap years, throughout University, and ever since, we found the sure-fire way to escape tourist traps, time and time again was by speaking to the locals. With hyper-local, hyper-current insider knowledge, there's no-one better qualified to advise you on the places they call home.
YourSafePlanet was founded in 2007 by Sally Broom to test whether connecting travellers to trusted contacts really made their trips better. It did. Travellers said the service gave them personal insight into new places, helped bring second visits to destinations alive in a new way, and also saved them time, money and hassle.
From Your Safe Planet to Tripbod
Tripbod built on the foundation of Your Safe Planet, continuing to focus on the real value that the service brings to the traveller whilst developing a business model to also benefit the suppliers. The service connects travellers and local operators directly, by-passing the middle-men and ensuring the human connection and authenticity isn't lost.
Tripbod continues to develop as an umbrella company for social enterprise within the travel industry. Bringing grassroots operators and entrepreneurs under one trusted brand, without sacrificing their independence, Tripbod aims to level the playing field and make a real difference in the travel industry.
The Tripbod travel mantra
The Tripbod travel mantra is about local travel in every way:
- Experiencing places from a local perspective
- Protecting local environments
- Spending money locally
- Using local services
- Conserving local resources
Travel should be adventurous and flexible and access to the right information empowers you to travel in just this way. Tripbod's local travel advice and print-at-home personal trip plan and map allows you to get off the beaten track, safe in the knowledge that you have everything you need in your back pocket.
Human local destination support during your trip can be an added bonus. Contact with a Tripbod during your trip is not included in our service but we can recommend some fantastic services that provide locally sourced meet-and-greet and day tours.
Contact us to find out more.
Tripbods deliver the right travel information
The internet is flooded with travel information - some of it good, some of it bad - but with so much out there i'ts hard to know where to start or what to trust. The result is wasting time and energy on a task which should be fun - trip planning! Tripbod gets you straight to the source of the information you need: a trusted local person on the ground where you want to go, providing personal, relevant, up-to-date ideas and advice for your trip.
Tripbod gets you straight to the source of the information you need. A trusted local person on the ground where you want to go, providing personal, relevant, up-to-date ideas and advice for your trip. They are your friend at the other end!
Planning online with your Tripbod is simple and stress-free. Private planning tools allow you to connect and communicate at times that suit you, and the one-to-one service means your questions - however general or specific - won't go unanswered. No more wasted journeys to boarded up restaurants or getting stranded out-of-hours, a trip planned with Tripbod means you'll hit the ground running, whatever your destination.
How it works
Who are Tripbods?
Tripbods are fantastic local people who we've been lucky enough to meet through our personal and professional networks. Like us, they're genuinely passionate about where they live, natural travellers, and supportive of sustainable local tourism.
All Tripbods go through a unique and thorough vetting process which ensures that they really are the best and most trusted local travel experts:
Trusted: All Tripbods are interviewed, have independent reference checks and share our values
Local: All Tripbods are connected to the local culture, community and environment in the areas they cover
Travel: All Tripbods are passionate about travel, adventure and exploration.
Expert: All Tripbods have a proven level of expertise in a particular area of travel, through study, qualification or experience.
Ultimately Tripbods are travellers just like you, and understand what it means to be a good friend in a new place, determined to make a positive difference to your trip.
How we find our Tripbods
