Get Bids for Active and Guided Trips at Triporama.com
By submitting a trip description, or even a trip wish-list, to Triporama outfitters working with the site submit bids on the trip via email.
The site is easy to use and gets bonus points both for originality and for allowing both large and small travel operators a chance at business. The variety of categories in Triporama even helps as a suggestion list, with both budget & luxury beach, snow, and safari vacations as options. Whether backpacking, staying in one place, or traveling fully supported by vehicle - all the options are available. Some of the prices I received on a broadly defined backcountry, ski/snowshoe trip to Wyoming (that may or may not includes hut-to-hut or heliskiing) were quite a bit below the rates offered by well advertised guide companies. The one major guide company that did respond requested more specifics and only referred me to prices on their website until I could provide those. As many options as I requested that may be the smarter way for any guide to bid on my trip, but it also shows that there aren’t any exclusive discounts provided to Triporama travelers (yet).
What Triporama lacks is any rating system for the travel operators in their system and that they rely on traveler email addresses for communication. To protect travelers’ information better, borrow from eBay’s methods and create a feedback system on the site, plus host more of the communication via the website instead of sending email addresses out at the very start of a trip request.
Although in a Beta/demo version, the Triporama.com website offers many options to travelers. The options and originality definitely mean I will be using it as another planning tool for my next trip, although needed changes for better protection of travel customers mean I won’t be using a permanent email address when asking for bids.