ShermansTravel Media
ShermansTravel Media is a privately held, New York-based online travel publisher founded in 2002 that curates hand-picked travel deals, destination guides, and expert advice for individual value-seeking travelers, monetizing via affiliate commissions from cruise lines, tour operators, and OTAs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What ShermansTravel Media does
ShermansTravel Media, LLC is a privately held, New York-based online travel publisher founded in 2002 that operates ShermansTravel.com, a direct-to-consumer media site curating hand-picked travel deals, destination guides, cruise advice, and hotel reviews for value-seeking individual travelers. Its core product is an editorial platform organized around flagship surfaces such as the weekly "Top 25 Deals," dedicated Cruise Deals and Package Deals sections, Trip Ideas editorial, and Hotel Reviews, with a parallel luxury sub-brand at SmartLuxury.com targeting premium travelers. The underlying technology is a standard digital content management and deal-aggregation stack that pulls inventory from third-party travel providers; the company does not own inventory, operate bookings, or charge consumers any subscription or membership fee.
The company monetizes exclusively through affiliate/referral commissions earned when users click through from ShermansTravel content to book with partner providers such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess via Crown Cruise Vacations, Viva Vista Vacations, Orbis Vacation, Skylux Travel, and Expedia. Customer acquisition is driven by a free email newsletter, organic SEO across long-tail travel-deal keywords, and an organic social footprint across Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, supplemented by phone-sales hotlines on selected deals. The business has raised approximately $25.2M across a 2006 Series 2 (led by Gannett) and a 2007 Series 4 (Adams Street Partners, AV Partners), operates with 11-50 employees, and has no disclosed parent company, institutional ownership structure, or recent leadership changes beyond founder and Chairman Jim Sherman.
ShermansTravel Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ShermansTravel Media
- Legal name
- ShermansTravel Media, LLC
- Website
- https://ShermansTravel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ShermansTravel Media is a privately held, New York-based online travel publisher founded in 2002 that curates hand-picked travel deals, destination guides, and expert advice for individual value-seeking travelers, monetizing via affiliate commissions from cruise lines, tour operators, and OTAs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ShermansTravel Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Media
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cruise Air/Hotel Add-On Packagers (Fly-Cruise Specialists) (THAKAKAK)
Keywords
Where ShermansTravel Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
ShermansTravel Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Affiliate/Referral Revenue: ShermansTravel earns commissions when users click through to book travel deals with partner providers. The platform aggregates deals from airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, and hotels, earning a referral fee or commission on completed bookings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
ShermansTravel Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ShermansTravel Media operates an online travel media platform that publishes expert destination advice and hand-picked travel deals sourced from third-party providers including cruise lines, tour operators, hotels, and online travel agencies. Consumers browse deals (cruises, vacation packages, flights, hotel stays) and editorial guides on ShermansTravel.com and SmartLuxury.com, then book through referred partner links, generating affiliate commissions for the company. A free email newsletter delivers curated deals and content directly to subscribers.
Product overview
ShermansTravel Media operates a dual-brand travel media platform consisting of ShermansTravel.com (core product) and its luxury vertical SmartLuxury.com. The main platform provides expert travel advice and hand-picked deals across cruise, package, and hotel categories, featuring Top 25 Deals as the flagship deal collection alongside dedicated Cruise Deals and Package Deals sections. SmartLuxury extends the brand into premium travel content with destination guides and luxury hotel recommendations. The platform also offers a free newsletter for deal distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ShermansTravel.com Main online travel media platform providing expert travel advice and hand-picked deals including cruises, vacation packages, and hotel reviews for individual leisure travelers.
- SmartLuxury.com Luxury travel vertical under the ShermansTravel brand, featuring curated destinations, hotel recommendations, cruise guides, and insider travel content aimed at premium travelers.
- Free Travel Deals Newsletter Email newsletter delivering hand-picked travel deals and expert travel advice directly to subscribers' inboxes at no cost to the consumer.
Companies that use ShermansTravel Media
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ShermansTravel Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
ShermansTravel Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Norwegian Cruise LinecoreFeatured cruise deal partner with dedicated section on ShermansTravel homepage showcasing multiple NCL cruise itineraries including Caribbean, Bahamas, and Japan sailings with up to 50% discounts.
- Skylux TravelminorFeatured deal provider offering flight deals including round-trip business class flights to Paris on Delta and other airlines.
- Holland America LineminorCruise deal partner offering Mexican Riviera cruises departing from San Diego with deals featuring free gratuities.
- Viva Vista VacationsminorVacation package provider offering deals on international trips including Bangkok, Ko Samui, and Phuket packages.
- Orbis VacationminorFeatured deal provider offering vacation packages including European destinations (Paris, Florence, Rome, Edinburgh, Portugal) with air, accommodations, and optional extras.
- Crown Cruise VacationsminorCruise deal partner offering Princess cruise lines Eastern Caribbean itineraries with shipboard credit.
- ExpediaminorOnline travel agency partner offering hotel deals including Miami boutique hotel accommodations.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ShermansTravel Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is a leading global travel guidance platform combining user reviews, hotel/flight/attraction booking, and editorial content. It directly competes with ShermansTravel's mix of curated travel deals, destination guides, and hotel reviews, while operating at much larger scale and broader scope.
- Travel + Leisure: Travel + Leisure is a long-established travel publication covering destinations, hotels, and cruises, with a robust affiliate commerce model. It competes for both general travel audience attention and affiliate-driven cruise/hotel bookings, similar to ShermansTravel.
- Condé Nast Traveler: Condé Nast Traveler is a premium travel magazine and digital publisher offering editorial content and curated hotel, cruise, and destination coverage. It overlaps with SmartLuxury on premium travel content and with ShermansTravel's main brand on cruise and hotel curation.
- Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a global travel publisher producing destination guides, travel advice, and curated itineraries, with growing affiliate commerce. It shares ShermansTravel's destination-guide and expert-advice orientation, though at significantly larger scale.
- Expedia: Expedia is a global OTA offering flights, hotels, vacation packages, and cruises. It is both a competitor for direct bookings and an affiliate partner (Expedia hotel deals appear on ShermansTravel), illustrating the dual relationship between affiliate publishers and major OTAs.
- Booking.com: Booking.com is the world's largest hotel-affiliate platform and broader OTA. It competes for the same hotel and package bookings that ShermansTravel refers via its affiliate program, and serves as a structural benchmark for affiliate economics in travel.
Direct peers
- The Points Guy: The Points Guy is a digital travel media and affiliate site specializing in curated deals, credit-card points optimization, and destination advice. It shares ShermansTravel's editorial-led, affiliate-driven business model targeting deal-seeking travelers, with strong overlap in cruise and flight deal coverage.
- Travelzoo: Travelzoo is a curated travel deals publisher that distributes hand-picked offers via newsletters and its website, monetized through affiliate and referral commissions. It is one of the closest direct comps to ShermansTravel's "expert-curated deals + newsletter + editorial" model.
- Cruise Critic: Cruise Critic is a leading cruise-focused digital publisher combining reviews, destination guides, and deal listings, monetized through affiliate bookings. It overlaps heavily with ShermansTravel's dedicated Cruise Deals and Cruise Advice sections and core cruise line partnerships.
- AFAR Media: AFAR is a premium travel media brand offering curated destination guides, hotel reviews, and experiential travel content. It is comparable to ShermansTravel's SmartLuxury vertical in editorial positioning, audience, and affiliate-led revenue model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ShermansTravel Media social profiles
Digital presenceShermansTravel Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ShermansTravel Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ShermansTravel Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ShermansTravel Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ShermansTravel Media
What does ShermansTravel Media do?
ShermansTravel Media operates an online travel media platform that publishes expert destination advice and hand-picked travel deals sourced from third-party providers including cruise lines, tour operators, hotels, and online travel agencies. Consumers browse deals (cruises, vacation packages, flights, hotel stays) and editorial guides on ShermansTravel.com and SmartLuxury.com, then book through referred partner links, generating affiliate commissions for the company. A free email newsletter delivers curated deals and content directly to subscribers.
Is ShermansTravel Media a public or private company?
ShermansTravel Media is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ShermansTravel Media founded?
ShermansTravel Media was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ShermansTravel Media based?
ShermansTravel Media is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does ShermansTravel Media make money?
One revenue line is on record: affiliate/Referral Revenue.
Who are ShermansTravel Media's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tripadvisor, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Expedia and Booking.com. Direct peers are The Points Guy, Travelzoo, Cruise Critic and AFAR Media.
Does ShermansTravel Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for ShermansTravel Media.
What industry is ShermansTravel Media in?
ShermansTravel Media's product category is Online Travel Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAH, Travel & Outdoors Magazines, with a secondary code of THAKAKAK, Cruise Air/Hotel Add-On Packagers (Fly-Cruise Specialists). Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7990.