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As described:StopNarrowed:Narrow

No as consumer. Go only as the B2B tool for travel pros.

travel advisors · $58 blended · last reviewed (next review by 28 Dec 2026) · sources not yet verified

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Start this week

  1. Tell me your launch market (India first recommended, if that's where your trade access is), your team background, and whether anyone has travel-trade experience.
  2. List 30 agencies or advisors and 5 tour operators you can reach, and book 15 calls.
  3. Build the concierge kit: an itinerary template (Canva, Notion or Docs), a proposal template, and a shareable trip page.
  4. Run /deep-research on the verification list in research/10 before quoting any market figure externally.

Checkpoints and kill gates

Decide in advance what counts as on track. Missing a checkpoint means changing the buyer or the offer, not adding features.

  1. Day 30

    ~15 hrs/week

    10 agencies paying for the concierge pilot (≥₹1,000 / $25)

    Full-time

    10 agencies paying for the concierge pilot (≥₹1,000 / $25)

    If you miss it

    Switch the segment to tour operators and DMCs, once. Missing twice means stop.

  2. Day 90

    ~15 hrs/week

    15 paying on the self-serve product, ≥80% month-1 retention, build time under 30 minutes

    Full-time

    15 paying on the self-serve product, ≥80% month-1 retention, build time under 30 minutes

    If you miss it

    Cut to the most-used workflow (usually brief → proposal).

  3. Month 6

    ~15 hrs/week

    $2.5k MRR, ≥80% month-3 retention, ≥30% of new accounts from referral or partners

    Full-time

    $2.5k MRR, ≥80% month-3 retention, ≥30% of new accounts from referral or partners

    If you miss it

    Pivot A: tour-operator quoting and group-trip tool. Pivot B: group-trip organiser tool (per-traveller payments to the organiser's own gateway).

  4. Month 12

    ~15 hrs/week

    $8k MRR, churn <3%/mo, 20+ team or operator accounts

    Full-time

    $8k MRR, churn <3%/mo, 20+ team or operator accounts

    If you miss it

    Stop adding features. Fix onboarding and churn.

  5. Month 18

    ~15 hrs/week

    $14k MRR

    Full-time

    $14k MRR

    If you miss it

    Put all effort into the single best channel and market.

  6. Month 24

    ~15 hrs/week

    $20k+ MRR, profitable: target hit

    Full-time

    $20k+ MRR, profitable: target hit

    If you miss it

    Miss but ≥$10k MRR: keep going profitably and extend by 6 months. Below $10k: stop, or pivot.

Do

  1. 1.Sell to people who plan trips for a living: independent advisors, small agencies, tour operators

    Target: 100% of revenue from professionals in year 1

    Why: They plan daily and pay monthly. Consumers plan 1–3 times a year and pay nothing.

  2. 2.Build the workflow, not a smarter chatbot: brief → AI draft → editor → branded proposal → traveller trip app

    Target: Itinerary build time under 30 minutes (from 2–3 hours)

    Why: The AI is a commodity. The workflow and the agency's data are what they pay for.

  3. 3.Make WhatsApp the delivery channel (proposal links, trip updates, reminders)

    Target: 80% or more of proposals shared via WhatsApp in India

    Why: Agents and travellers in India, the Middle East and SEA live on WhatsApp. Most competitors are email-first.

  4. 4.Give travellers a branded mobile trip app (PWA, offline, vouchers, contacts, day-of reminders)

    Target: 70% or more of travellers open it during the trip

    Why: It's your "guide" feature, delivered safely through the agency. It cuts the advisor's 2 a.m. calls.

  5. 5.Lock in the agency's knowledge: supplier library, templates, reusable days, client history

    Target: 50+ saved items per agency by month 3

    Why: This is the switching cost. Leaving means losing their library.

  6. 6.Pre-sell with a concierge pilot

    Target: 10 paying by day 30, 15 on self-serve by day 90

    Why: It proves the pain before months of building.

  7. 7.Price from day one, and push annual plans. Solo ₹1,999 / $49, Team ₹4,999 / $129, Operator ₹9,999 / $249. 14-day trial, no free-forever plan.

    Target: 50% or more on annual plans

    Why: It smooths seasonality and churn.

  8. 8.Reach agents where they gather: associations and trade events, B2B travel platform partnerships, agent WhatsApp and Facebook groups, YouTube tutorials, a "Powered by" footer on every trip app

    Target: 40% or more of new accounts from referral or partners

    Why: It's cheap and it fits how this trade buys.

  9. 9.Ground every AI suggestion. Check opening days and realistic travel times, show sources, and have the advisor approve changes.

    Target: Wrong-info complaints under 1% of trips

    Why: Hallucinated places and hours are the top complaint about AI planners.

  10. 10.Add a second, USD-paying market at month 9 (US/UK advisors via host agencies, or Middle East and SEA agencies)

    Target: 30% or more of MRR in USD by month 24

    Why: ARPU is roughly 2x, which halves the number of accounts you need.

  11. 11.Add traveller-side affiliate revenue later (eSIM, insurance, activities), shared with the agency

    Target: 10% or more of revenue by month 18

    Why: These are among the better commissions in travel, with no inventory risk.

  12. 12.Stay software, not a seller of travel. The agency sells and collects payment in its own gateway account. You store minimal traveller data under a data processing agreement.

    Target: Zero funds held. Zero packages sold.

    Why: Keeps you clear of package-travel law, seller-of-travel registration and refund liability.

Avoid

  1. 1.A consumer "AI trip planner for everyone"

    Why: Google, ChatGPT, Booking, Expedia, Tripadvisor and MakeMyTrip do it free, with inventory and loyalty points attached.

  2. 2.Business travel in the same product

    Why: A different buyer (the company), with policy, approvals and expenses, and a different set of competitors (Navan, Perk, Concur).

  3. 3.Selling flights, hotels or packages yourself

    Why: IATA accreditation, refunds and schedule changes, EU/UK package organiser liability, ATOL, US seller-of-travel laws, and thin margins. Deep-link or let the agency sell.

  4. 4.A guide-matching marketplace

    Why: Safety, licensing, insurance and disputes. GetYourGuide, Viator and ToursByLocals already do it. Link to them via affiliate, or to the agency's own guides.

  5. 5.Scraping Google, Tripadvisor or Booking reviews and places

    Why: Terms violations and lost access. Use licensed APIs and follow their display rules.

  6. 6."Crowd likes and other people's history" personalisation

    Why: Years of cold start, plus sensitive personal data. Learn from each agency's own trips instead.

  7. 7.Letting the AI speak directly to travellers without the advisor in the loop (safety, visa, timings)

    Why: One wrong ferry time or visa rule that goes viral kills trust. Label it informational, and have the advisor approve.

  8. 8.Covering every destination worldwide at launch

    Why: Quality collapses. Start with the destinations your first agencies sell most.

  9. 9.A native iOS or Android app before $10k MRR

    Why: A PWA covers offline and reminders at a fraction of the cost.

  10. 10.A free-forever plan, or Google Ads against the OTAs

    Why: It attracts consumers who don't pay, and travel CPCs are among the most expensive.

  11. 11.Building B2B inventory (net rates) or a booking engine before the target

    Why: It's the capital-heavy venture step, not needed for $20k MRR.

  12. 12.Raising money before month 12

    Why: Not needed. It pushes you back toward consumer growth.

  13. 13.Adding features when a checkpoint fails

    Why: Change the segment (tour operators, group organisers), not the feature list.

  14. 14.Trip journals, social feeds, packing lists, carbon tracking, audio guides

    Why: People ask for them, and nobody pays.