Favoroute Guidebooks Take Travelers to Unexpected Places

Frederieke Wolter, the founder of Favoroute, has a mission to guide travelers to unexpected places across the globe, and is here to show us how.

First and foremost, Favoroute is part of our Travel Massive Amsterdam chapter and is geared for adventurous travelers. Favoroute offers guidebooks, written by Travel Designers (travel bloggers, journalists, and local writers), to explore the best hidden gems of any location. We asked Frederieke a few questions about how exactly this works, check it out.

What inspired you to create this startup?

Since I was a kid I was interested in new technology and innovative solutions. I studied technology and innovation at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and worked for a year in Silicon Valley. I loved that and it was the base for everything that happened later.

From my corporate career in a tech environment I learnt how to convert ideas into products. While traveling I always wondered why I couldn’t easily share all information after my trips; there was no mobile solution for planning a trip based on personal recommendations at the time, and so I decided I wanted to convert this idea into a product! I quit my job and started building my team from there. One by one my team grew until the point where we are now: a team of 7 heroes trying to close the ‘digital’ guidebook gap.

What makes your startup different from other similar startups out there?

What makes Favoroute unique is the personal touch of the content. Travelers can choose guidebooks from writers they trust; an expert of their own Travel Style. We really want to differentiate ourselves by providing high-quality content about the more unusual places in the world, written by an expert of the destination or in a certain travel style. This means we can offer multiple guidebooks about – for instance – Berlin, written for a backpacker, mum with kids, or luxury traveler.

Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful startup?

Don’t look at your competition too much!

The first year I started with Favoroute, I put a lot of time and effort into scanning the market and focusing on what others were doing. Such a waste! I now truly belief in something Oprah Winfrey said in one of her speeches:

“When you run a race, you hurt your ability to compete when you turn your head and look at the competition chasing you, you lose a step physically and psychologically. Run the race always stretching to do your best, imitations will come in last, no one can catch the original!”

As a startup, what benefits have you seen from being a part of Travel Massive meetups?

We first encountered Travel Massive at one of the drink sessions before ITB Berlin. It’s a great opportunity to meet people in the industry in a fun and easy way. No forced business talks, but sharing your experiences about things we all love most: travel!

Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Frederieke and Favoroute on Travel Massive, Facebook, Twitter. You can check them out on the App Store and Google Play Store too.