Trip.me
Trip.me (operating as TravelLocal) is a Berlin-headquartered online marketplace connecting individual travelers with 200+ local destination experts across 80+ countries to plan and book tailor-made, sustainability-certified vacations on a commission basis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Trip.me does
Trip.me, operating under the brand TradeLocal, is an online travel marketplace that connects individual travelers seeking authentic, tailor-made international vacations with 200+ local destination experts living and working in 80+ countries. The company runs a direct-to-consumer platform through which travelers browse destination pages and curated Collections, message local operators, and book customized itineraries ranging from approximately US$1,330 per person for a 10-day Cuba trip to US$8,300 per person for a 15-day Italy grand tour. Marketing is built around SEO-rich destination content, curated trip Collections, email newsletter, and television advertising, with localized storefronts for the US, UK, Germany, and rest-of-world markets.
The core product is a self-serve booking platform paired with human-expert-mediated itinerary planning; payments are supported through Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis, taking a commission on completed tailor-made bookings. The company is privately held (no parent company is disclosed), with disclosed capital raised in two early-stage rounds (2013 seed from Outlines Venture Group; 2014 Series 2 from Recruit Holdings); headcount is reported at 11–50 employees.
Trip.me holds three notable third-party credentials — B Corp certification, Travelife Partner status, and membership in the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) — and operates an annual Impact Report and a 'Reimagining Travel' initiative framing its offering around sustainability and community benefit to local operators. The underlying technology is a marketplace/conversion platform rather than an AI-driven system, with destination curation performed by humans; the firm does not disclose AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or data flywheel mechanics.
Trip.me firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trip.me
- Legal name
- TravelLocal
- Website
- https://trip.me
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Trip.me (operating as TravelLocal) is a Berlin-headquartered online marketplace connecting individual travelers with 200+ local destination experts across 80+ countries to plan and book tailor-made, sustainability-certified vacations on a commission basis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trip.me industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Marketplace
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Destination-Specific Custom Itinerary Specialists (THAKAOAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH), Destination Research & Custom Recommendations (HSACAKAM)
Keywords
Where Trip.me is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Trip.me business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Travel package bookings: TravelLocal acts as an intermediary platform connecting travelers with local tour operators and destination experts. Revenue is generated through commissions on booked travel packages and potentially service fees for trip planning assistance. The platform facilitates payments for tailor-made vacations and takes a commission on completed bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Per-person pricing based on trip duration and destination |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Trip.me product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trip.me (operating as TravelLocal) runs an online travel marketplace that connects individual travelers with 200+ vetted local in-destination tour operators across 80+ countries, enabling them to plan and book tailor-made vacations curated by destination experts. TravelLocal earns commissions on bookings facilitated through the platform and may charge service fees for trip planning assistance, with pricing set per-person based on destination, duration, and customization level.
Product overview
TravelLocal operates as a unified platform for tailor-made vacations, connecting travelers with 200+ local in-destination experts across 80+ destinations worldwide. The core platform enables users to discover destinations, browse curated Collections of trip ideas, read Articles for inspiration, and book custom vacations planned by local experts. The company also publishes an annual Impact Report and operates a Reimagining Travel initiative focused on sustainable tourism.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TravelLocal Platform (Tailor-made vacation booking marketplace) Core online travel marketplace where individual travelers discover destinations, browse curated trip ideas, and connect with 200+ local in-destination tour operators to plan and book tailor-made vacations across 80+ countries. Includes direct booking, payment processing, and expert messaging.
Companies that use Trip.me
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Trip.me technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Trip.me partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trip.me competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TourRadar: Online marketplace for multi-day guided tours that aggregates hundreds of local tour operators worldwide — the closest direct analog to Trip.me/TravelLocal's model of intermediating between travelers and on-the-ground tour providers.
- Withlocals: Marketplace connecting travelers with local private guides for tailor-made city and regional experiences. Closely overlaps Trip.me's local-expert positioning, especially at the lower-trip-duration end of the spectrum.
Broad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: Large, well-funded tours and activities marketplace with thousands of local operators globally. Overlaps with Trip.me at the tour-booking layer but operates at much larger scale and with a strong mobile-first product investment.
- Viator (Tripadvisor): Tripadvisor-owned tours and activities marketplace aggregating tens of thousands of in-destination operators worldwide. Competes with Trip.me for the same 'book a tour with a local provider' demand, with significantly broader inventory and SEO reach.
- Airbnb Experiences: Local-experiences offering from Airbnb — connects travelers with hosts for bookable activities. Targets the same 'authentic, local-led experiences' segment Trip.me competes in, but bundled into the Airbnb funnel of millions of travelers.
- Klook: Asia-headquartered travel activities and services platform with global expansion. Overlaps with Trip.me on tour booking with local providers and has strong mobile-first capabilities Trip.me lacks.
Emerging players
- Lokafy: Marketplace connecting travelers with local 'locals' for personalized, on-demand city walks and tips. Closely comparable to Trip.me's local-expert angle but at smaller scale and lower ticket sizes — a useful comp on unit economics.
- Responsible Travel: UK-based holidays marketplace focused on responsible, small-scale, locally-run trips. Nearly identical positioning to Trip.me on sustainability and authentic travel; a direct niche competitor in the B Corp / ethical-travel segment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trip.me social profiles
Digital presenceTrip.me compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Trip.me financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trip.me leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Trip.me funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trip.me 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 Trip.me
What does Trip.me do?
Trip.me (operating as TravelLocal) runs an online travel marketplace that connects individual travelers with 200+ vetted local in-destination tour operators across 80+ countries, enabling them to plan and book tailor-made vacations curated by destination experts. TravelLocal earns commissions on bookings facilitated through the platform and may charge service fees for trip planning assistance, with pricing set per-person based on destination, duration, and customization level.
Is Trip.me a public or private company?
Trip.me is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Trip.me founded?
Trip.me was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Trip.me based?
Trip.me is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Trip.me make money?
One revenue line is on record: travel package bookings.
Who are Trip.me's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TourRadar and Withlocals. Broad incumbents are GetYourGuide, Viator (Tripadvisor), Airbnb Experiences and Klook. Emerging players are Lokafy and Responsible Travel.
Does Trip.me have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trip.me.
What industry is Trip.me in?
Trip.me's product category is Online Travel Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAOAN, Destination-Specific Custom Itinerary Specialists, with a secondary code of THAKABAH, Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices). Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 4700.