Singapore-based Anywhr, launched two years ago, to “surprise and delight” travellers by planning holidays to unknown destinations (literally) on their behalf has taken its mystery travel planning model global.
Co-founder Zelia Leong said, “We are marketing globally in the UK, Berlin and a few other European cities… [choosing these destinations] based on their travel and their openness to the concept.”
Anywhr helps travellers embrace spontaneity by booking flights and accommodation to mystery destinations, revealed to them just three hours before they are due to depart.
Since its launch, Anywhr has developed a customer base of a few thousand travellers. With just a core team of 20 based out of Singapore, Leong said “the biggest challenge is taking it global… and how we build the team globally.”
“When I travelled at the beginning, it was to explore destinations [for Anywhr]. Now, we have explorers who do that… to see if places are worth going, if they’re worth it, or what kind of traveller would like this place.”
Another challenge is how to market the product to different demographics worldwide. Leong said it will use a local approach when angling marketing messages that are most appealing to each respective demographic.
“We will communicate the selling point differently. Hong Kong travellers for example care more about authentic experiences… but for Singapore, they care more about personalised planning.”
Anywhr is also growing its technical capabilities to keep up with the pace of demand and to expand its range of trip options. In fact, while the idea is simple in principle, much effort and expense is devoted to building the technological components of the business.
“We are a tech-driven company. We are the only ones building an algorithm to translate pricing from anywhere to everywhere, based on your preferences,” said Leong.
A lot of the process is actually automated, according to Leong – from getting the prices, matching the data, finding the destination, checking the weather, to working with ministries of foreign affairs to identify spots facing any unrest.
When it comes to bookings, she said, “We work with partners such as Amadeus to integrate our flexible flight pricing algorithm, to ensure our travellers get the most reasonable live prices for their trips.”
Setting it all up to begin with was unsurprisingly very complex. “The GDS took us very long… it’s a very retro system.”
In its efforts to excel in personalisation, Anywhr is working with Oxford University to get a firmer grasp of what psychological traits ultimately influence individual tastes and travel styles.
“For Anywhr, you take a personality quiz and we match the destinations from there. We are looking to be even better at planning… we want to help you plan trips better than you would yourself.”
Every booking is also personalised based on budget, travel preferences (e.g. if they prioritise luxury accommodation over flight expense, and the type of experience they are seeking).
“You will also tell us where you have visited, don’t wish to visit, and everything else you’d like us to consider when booking your trip – you will even take a ‘Travel Style’ quiz for us to understand you better, and match you to your own Anywhr journey,” said Leong.
When it comes to tours and activities once they arrive, Anywhr provides a “travelogue” chock-full of local tips, activity suggestions, and emergency helplines should the need arise. “But it’s up to you to go and explore.”
But despite all the automation in the backend, Anywhr is fiercely committed to being personal and to retain the power of the human touch.
“When people read our travelogues, they say they can really feel the heart of my team.” It all falls in line with Anywhr’s overall mission of being “different, personal, and possible.”
Though an exciting and novel idea, taking the leap from loving the idea to actually booking a trip is often driven by a multitude of reasons. “We do a lot of break up trips, it’s extremely common. New career changes. Basically changes in their life, or they just want to go on a holiday but they don’t know where to go, or they’re lazy to plan.
“We had a traveller (from Brunei) who went on four Anywhr trips one year. The first time, they went as a couple, then as a whole family with their baby and parents, the third time as a couple and now, just the dad and their four-year old boy.”The aim, explained Leong, is to send people to destinations they would not have otherwise ventured to on their own. Her favourite moment, she recounted, was when a customer did not even know the place existed before travelling there.
The aim, explained Leong, is to send people to destinations they would not have otherwise ventured to on their own. Her favourite moment, she recounted, was when a customer did not even know the place existed before travelling there.
The aim, explained Leong, is to send people to destinations they would not have otherwise ventured to on their own. Her favourite moment, she recounted, was when a customer did not even know the place existed before travelling there.
Lead image: Getty Images
