TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN NICHOLL OF TRIPPING.com

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Lauren Nicholl, Tripping’s Community Manager   TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN NICHOLL OF TRIPPING.com Back in February Lauren Nicholl of Tripping.com graciously invited me for an interview as ‘Tripper of the Week.’ Afterwards, wanting to learn more about both Tripping and Lauren I decided to reciprocate the interview invitation on LashWorldTour. Today I’m excited to share Lauren’s inside scoop on the great travel hosting program, Tripping, as well as Lauren’s interesting personal history. Q1. How long has Tripping been around? Where did it get started and by whom? Tripping launched in January of 2010. It was started in San Francisco by Jen O’Neal and Nate Weisiger – two friends and former colleagues passionate about travel and technology. Q2. Excuse me if I make a faux pas here, but I can’t help noticing that Tripping seems a lot like Couch Surfing. Did that organization have anything to do with inspiring Tripping? We’re big fans of hospitality based organizations, as we all share the common goal of encouraging cultural exchange and global awareness. Our co-founder, Jen, lived in London a few years ago where she hosted over 150 travelers from various hospex organizations. While chatting with her guests, she realized that there was a huge need for a safer, more technologically advanced hospitality network. That’s when she decided to start Tripping.   Tripping Team Q3. Tripping has members in over 100 countries! Are most of those countries in ‘the western world’ i.e. Europe/ Uk/ North America? Or are there also lots of members in Asia, Africa, Central and S. America? Tripping is only a year old so it still blows my mind that we have members in so many countries. We even have a member who lives on a tiger reserve in India! Since Tripping was started in the US, it’s natural that most of our members live in the US and Europe. However, tons of new travelers are joining every day and it’s so exciting to see how fast we’re growing – both in numbers and geographic distribution. So please help us spread the word! :)   (Think about it – the more people you tell about Tripping, the more people will join. And if there are more people in our community, you’ll have more places to stay and cool people to meet… all around the world!) Lauren with Tripping’s “tech team” – Katy and Nate Q4. What do members of Tripping get to do on the website and out in the world as ‘Trippers’? (or, basically, what are the benefits of being in Tripping?) Oh man, I could go on and on about the benefits of being a Tripper! Bottom line: Trippers connect with locals. Thus, you’ll get the most authentic experience while traveling and you may make lifelong friendships with the other Trippers you meet along the way. And it’s all free, which means you’ll never need pay for a hotel again.  Q5. How do you think most people find out about Tripping?   I’d like to think our growth has been driven by social media since that’s how I contribute to our organization. ;) And it’s true that we get a lot of members coming over from Facebook and Twitter – the power of social media is no secret of course. Travel bloggers like yourself have been showing their support and spreading the word, for which we are so grateful. This reinforces our purpose and connections in the online travel space. We also have partnerships with some incredible organizations that are getting the word out to their members. We’re already partnered with over 25 organizations including universities, study abroad programs, international volunteer organizations and even touring rock bands.  And best of all, over 45% of Trippers say they heard about us from a friend. This means that people are starting to talk about us, which is exciting!   Lauren sky diving in New Zealand Q6. Ok, let’s talk a bit about you, Lauren. How and when did you get involved with Tripping? Did you start out as a Tripping member first or as staff?

I discovered Tripping back in April last year. I had recently returned to the States after being down under for 13 months. I came back to a bad economy confused as to what I wanted to do, in travel debt, and wishing more than anything I was still traveling. The job hunt was rough to say the least. Tripping put out an ad for a social media internship. Although I was desperate for money, I knew this was the company I had to work for, or at least be involved with in some way. They received hundreds of applications, but I didn’t give up in showing them I was serious. This won me a seat on the Social Media Board, made up of the 10 most passionate Trippers. After volunteering my promotional efforts, Tripping brought me on to their team officially in December. I couldn’t be more grateful and proud to be a part of this company.

Here is a link to an article about the Social Media Board in Inc. Magazine.

I have the best job. Not only do I get to play with social media all day – seeking and sharing info on a variety of platforms, reading about travel, and discovering incredible people doing amazing things – I get to really connect with our members. I do a lot of internal outreach, member support, and promotion – I get to brag about our members and put their words and/or photos on our blog. I also connect offline by organizing events for our community.

I am constantly checking out our new members. I look for Trippers who have full profiles with captivating photos and/or Trippers who are members of our new Networks. I also discover a lot of incredible travelers, bloggers, and  photographers online and reach out to them when something catches my eye. Basically, when I’m dying to learn more about a person, I request an interview. :) 

Lauren with Tripper Alisia in front of San Fransisco’s ‘painted ladies’

Q9. Have you ever stayed overnight at any Tripping members’ houses? Tell us about your experience(s)

I haven’t had the chance to travel much since being back in California and working for Tripping. I plan to however when I go to Vancouver in June for the Travel Bloggers Exchange! I’ve never been to Canada and would LOVE it if I had some locals to show me around this vibrant city. (If you live in Vancouver, please find me on Tripping!) However, I have hosted and met up with Trippers who have come through San Francisco. This is just like traveling to me because I get to explore the city through a fresh pair of eyes AND meet people from all over. 

Lauren with her travel-loving family

Q10. Lauren, tell us about your own history and experience with world travel.

I am very fortunate to be a part of a family who loves to travel. My first trip was to Western Europe when I was 4 months old. My parents always say how I was the perfect travel companion. I was happy everywhere we went. I slept on every mode of transportation and ate everything I was given. Even though I don’t remember it, I think this is when I caught the travel bug. I grew up going to Hawaii every year.

We made it to Japan as a family first (my mom’s Japanese, but had never been) and have gone back to Europe a handful of times. I’ve done this with family, friends, and on my own. There are benefits to all types of travel.

My biggest travel (and life) experience was when I spontaneously decided to pick up and move as far away as I possibly could to Australia on New Year’s of 2009. I worked and lived in Sydney and traveled around the eastern half of Oz. I also went on the most epic road trip of my life in New Zealand. I thought that this would curb my travel addiction, but alas, it only ignited it more.

Lauren at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

Q11. You’re based in S.F. How much do you get to travel?

I haven’t traveled much since moving to SF, aside from occasional weekend trips. But San Francisco is still new to me in a lot of ways. There is SO MUCH to discover in this little city. This exploration, combined with my job of living vicariously through travelers, is sustaining me just fine for the time being. :) Of course, I can’t wait for the next big trip!

Lauren in Australia

Q12. What are your travel dreams (or plans)? Are there any places you’re just dying to visit?

My travel dream is a RTW trip visiting and staying with all my Tripping friends. I want to go back to Australia to do the west, north, and outback, all over Southeast Asia, a lot of South America (ideally in time for the World Cup in Brazil), and end up in Costa Rica? I also dream of dancing on all the islands of Polynesia…

My Tripping profile link: https://www.tripping.com/profile/info/index/memberid/10212 


The photo of the Social Media Board/Tripping team members was done by Paul Lucia.

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Lauren, thanks so much for telling us all about Tripping, your involvement there and your own personal world travels. I sure hope to meet up with you one day! cheers, Lash

Go join Tripping! I did!  www.tripping.com

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