Travel Startup: Sam the Local

In this edition of The Travel Startup we profile Sam the Local, a peer-to-peer platform that connects people to locals for a customized and interest-based social outing. Maggie Lau is the co-founder of the startup that is helping to inspire local tourism in Hong Kong.

Tell us a little about yourself Maggie. 

I am originally from California. I moved to Hong Kong at the end of 2011. I quit my corporate job this past January and I have been working full-time on Sam the Local ever since. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

What is most important when you travel?

Getting to eat local food. I believe food has an incredible bonding power that breaks through all ethnicities, religions, genders, and stereotypes. One thing that I will always do when I’m traveling is visit a local grocery store. This allows me to see what the locals buy and what kind of food they eat.

What is the first thing you do when you get to a destination?

Find out where the good food is. I scour local recommendations or research online.

Is this the reason you created Sam the Local? 

Yes I plan a lot of my travels around eating! After moving to Hong Kong in 2011, I’ve had the pleasure of traveling around Asia and have been lucky enough to have a local friend everywhere I went. These local friends showed me the hole-in-the-wall places they eat at and answered my curiosities about the culture, customs, and unique quirks only locals know.

When friends and family visited me in Hong Kong I found myself doing the same – taking them to the places that I like to eat and sharing my stories. So I thought, what if everyone could have a local friend in every city they went to? It’s the big reason why we travel in the first place: to learn and experience the world.

What gap did you find in the travel industry that inspired you to create Sam the Local?

Tour groups are rigid in time and may include things that you’re not even interested in. Self-planned itineraries do not offer the local insight and require a lot of time and effort to plan. Customized tours with locals is the gap we aim to fill.

Okay, so who is Sam anyway?

Ha! Good question. Someone once asked me if Sam is the name of my ex-boyfriend. What a random moment.

I guess it’s one of those common names where almost everybody has a friend named Sam, don’t they? We want people to be able to explore the world with their local friend.

Who is your start-up for?

Sam the Local is made for people who want to understand more about the culture of different cities. Our target market is millennials because we find they really want to immerse and dig deeper. Gone are the days where people just want to go see the world, they now want to go experience it.

Travel Massive is about empowering change in travel. How is your start-up changing the future of the industry or helping to make travel better?

Too often people travel with their heads buried in travel apps on their phone, maps and guide books so they miss the local interaction. We want to bring the human aspect back into the world and allow people to “unplug” and experience more on their journey.

What is your best tip for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful start-up?

My biggest tip is to get out there and start talking to your customers. Ask what their challenges are and from that, you can build a product that people will actually buy.

Also, don’t be afraid to tell people your idea. Hiding in your room and never telling anybody won’t allow you to get valuable feedback to better understand what consumers need.

How can travellers book a local?

You can browse and find a local that has the same interests as you and then book directly through our website.

If you could book a ticket tomorrow, where would you go?

Vietnam. I grew up speaking Vietnamese. I can also never get enough phở and bánh mì thịt nướng (noodle soup and grilled meatloaf).

Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Sam the Local on Travel Massive.