Travelstart: Pioneering online travel technology in Africa

Ever wondered how online travel companies develop the cutting edge technology that helps their customers search and book the billions of fare options out there? Jan-André le Roux from Cape Town based Travelstart explains. 

First, an introduction to Travelstart

Before we begin our interview with Jan-André – here’s a quick introduction to Travelstart.

Travelstart is one of the pioneers of online in Africa and the Middle East – offering online booking of flights, hotels, car rental, travel insurance and holiday packages. Founded in 1999 by Stephan Ekbergh (who’s an investor in Travel Massive), Travelstart employs more than 200 staff in 6 cities including Cape Town, Lagos, Cairo, Istanbul and Dubai. The company recently raised $40 M USD to expand their operations.

Why did you choose software engineering in travel?

I have been involved in a lot of industries: logistics, finance, automotive, security… and I wanted to do something else for a change; a challenge if you will. Travel seemed to be “the one” – so Travelstart had an opening and I went for it!

What are some tips for developers looking to move into travel tech?

Travel is quite hard; it is an ever changing industry and you must be adaptable to change and you must embrace it. You must also be prepared to deal with old tech as well – not everything is the latest and greatest.  

What’s a typical day like for a software developer at Travelstart?

We scrum in the mornings to plan the day. We usually play a foosball game or two during the day to stay active. Coffee also features quite high here… and of course, work.

We also work hard at keeping abreast the latest technology, but more importantly, how to apply it to travel and Travelstart – how we can use it to better things. Dealing with 3rd parties and their technology platforms is a constant challenge.

What are some of the things that Travelstart are innovating in travel from a technical perspective?

The fact that we offer a lot of channels – meaning – apps, web, webservices, B2B to capture clients, but more importantly, the platform is very extensible for integration with external services and dealing with their technology stacks. The way we store booking data I think is one of the first in Africa.

Why should developers get into travel tech?

Never a dull moment – things change all the time. One of the big things are that you get a lot of exposure to different technologies all the time.

Interested in working at Travelstart?

If you’re interested in starting or developing your career in Cape Town in travel technology development, head to Travelstart’s career page to see their current opportunities.

Travel brand features are a monthly series that profiles unique online travel brands in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Travelstart on Travel Massive, Twitter and Facebook.