Discover Nadine Wick’s Passion for Travelling the world (part two)

Nadine Wick BondnFly Traveller Community Passion World Discover Destination People Local

Nadine Wick, the inspirational founder of travel community, Bond n Fly, shares her vision for her company with LocalBini. In the second part of her interview,  she reveals her inspiration behind her innovative concept and how she turned that concept a reality that provides an alternative to mass tourism.

 

  •  Could you tell us a little bit about Bond n Fly?

Bond n Fly is a travel community that aims to help people find travel friends and share experiences with one another. I first launched it in October 2015, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. As I was still working full-time back then, I decided to start small by concentrating on just one service: helping people find co-travellers. Travellers could use Bond n Fly to post ads and find mini-group trips and events to participate in. 

After a few months, I saw that my community was growing. So, I decided to develop my website further and add a new service: offering trips that are all about sharing. As I already mentioned, with the passing of the years I came to realise that the true value of travel is generated through our interaction with the local communities, not through the successions of sights we visit. I wanted to offer people the opportunity to participate in a more meaningful way of travelling. So I quit my job last fall to fully devote myself to developing Bond n Fly.

 

  • So what kind services does Bond n Fly offer now?

As I am alone, I decided to first concentrate on Switzerland. It is the country I know best and I am convinced that it has a lot of hidden treasures. Because it is a country that people often think of as being boring, I wanted to launch a fun product that would prove that Switzerland has a lot more to offer than people tend to think.

So, I came up with the idea of creating mystery trips in Switzerland. People tell me what kind of getaway they are looking for and I take care of everything for them. I arrange the accommodation, a surprise activity, as well as a discovery kit to help people get acquainted with their destination. Because it is a mystery package, I keep everything a surprise until the day of departure. So the travellers don’t know where they are staying, or even where they are going, until that day. For these packages, I always select small hotels or local bed & breakfasts so that the guests have the opportunity to interact with the locals. I also try to select a surprise activity that will bring travellers in touch with the local population.

 

  •  What inspired you to create Bond n Fly?

I used to travel alone quite a lot and, whenever I did, I always felt frustrated when I returned back home. Even though meeting people abroad was easy for me, I was frustrated because I couldn’t reminisce about the wonderful times I had with them. Of course, I could talk about my travel experiences with my friends and family. But, it was not the same as reminiscing about my travels with the people I had shared those moments with.

This was followed by the realisation that people sometimes don’t travel because they do not have anyone to travel with. I wanted to give people the opportunity to meet companions with whom they could travel.

Even though this idea fist came to me when I was at tourism school, I did not try to concretise it at once. This is because I wanted to gain some professional experience and also save some money first. I took on other jobs for a few years, always having in mind the idea of creating a service that would help people find travel friends. Finally, in 2015, I decided that it was time to stop thinking about it and start acting on it.

 

  • At LocalBin, we believe that the people you meet are what you remember the most. Would you say that resonates with Bond n Fly and its values?

Absolutely. This is at the core of our values. That is why Bond n Fly fosters exchanges and interaction, not only between travellers, but also between travellers and local communities. I want to promote a healthier approach to tourism, one that breaks away from mass tourism. I want to encourage people to interact with their destination and the local population in a meaningful way.

 

Nadine Wick BondnFly Traveller Community Passion World Discover Destination People Local

Discover the travel community Bond n Fly.

Read the first part of Nadine Wick’s Interview.

Heart to Heart, Insider

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