Zipskee

Zipskee is a travel-based social media platform that allows you to meet locals while on the go or meet travelers in your own hometown.

“While traveling in Austria, I wanted a deeper cultural experience,” said Evan Hung, CEO and co-founder, Zipskee. “I had one Austrian friend who was gracious enough to show me the real Austria, and I thought, ‘How great would it be if everyone had a friend like that in every city they visited?’ And so, Zipskee was created to fill this gap. With Zipskee, users can find more meaningful experiences with local guides or other travelers looking to learn about a destination outside of what’s in their guidebook — all while making unforgettable lifelong friendships.”

However, you won’t have to worry about random users hitting you up to meet while you’re in a different country. Instead, the platform matches you with other users based on your interests, so you’re more likely to get along with the person you’re matched with. When you create your profile, you’ll be asked to answer a brief questionnaire to help with this. If you’re acting as a guide in your hometown at the moment, you’ll be matched with a traveler and, likewise, when you’re traveling, you’ll be matched with a local guide.

Matches are based on locations, either an address or a landmark. After chatting through the app, you can then decide if you’d like to meet up in person to either experience a truly locals-only spot or show them some of your favorite places in your neck of the woods. However, if you’re not interested in meeting up, it’s perfectly acceptable to just reach out to a local to ask for recommendations.

“The world is filled with amazing people, beautiful landscapes, and unique experiences — yet in such a well-connected world, it shouldn’t be so difficult for travelers to connect with locals or other travelers to genuinely experience a destination. With Zipskee, it no longer needs to be a challenge,” added Hung.

Currently, Zipskee is available via desktop and a mobile-friendly site. An Android and iOS app is soon to follow.