Booking authentic local experiences with I Like Local

Sanne Meijboom, Founder of I Like Local and Travel Massive Nairobi member, shares her insights behind running the social travel platform.

I Like Local is a social travel platform that enables travelers to book authentic, local travel experiences from and with people in Asia and Africa.

It is created with the goal in mind to bring an in depth, unique, local experience to travelers and at the same time creating an easy and simple way for people in developing countries to get access to a worldwide market and earn money.

What inspired you to create this initiative? Is there a unique story of how it came to be?

I was done with my job as a business consultant that was most of the time about short-term gains and realizing cost reductions for corporate organizations. More and more I asked myself the question what I, as an outsider, could really change in these organizations and to what extent these organizations had a positive impact on their environment. I noticed this impact was minimal. ‘What am I doing this for?’ was the question that came to mind more and more frequently.

I realized I wanted to do something that could create an impact. When the dream of my husband and I became reality to move abroad for a while, I quit my job. One thing I new for sure; in my next job I wanted to start something for myself around my passion for other cultures and in which I could create a positive impact.

As a frequent traveler I had noticed that the best travel experiences were the encounters with local people. So how beautiful would it be if I could connect these travelers and locals directly, a win-win for both. This is how I Like Local started.

What has been your biggest success or accomplishment?

Our television interview on the BBC in June this year was quite memorable. We are also proud to currently have served around 100 customers.

Can you share an inspiring story when you felt your project was most fulfilling?

What really makes me happy are the exciting stories from our customers and the proof that local people we are working with are wonderful. There was once a family from the US with their two children who were going on holiday to Thailand for the first time. They had booked two I Like Local experiences; a food tour with our local Chin and a stay with the Moken tribe on an excluded island. Their enthusiastic story afterwards was so fulfilling.

What do you hope your initiative will accomplish in the next 2-5 years?

I want it to become THE travel platform where people can book real and authentic travel experiences so that we also can make a real impact on local people’s lives.

Do you have any tips for aspiring do-gooders who want to give back or start their own social project?

I believe in initiatives that empower and teach people how to earn money instead of just providing them with goods and material. If you want to set-up an initiative that does something good, start seeing where you can make a difference in people’s lives and see how you can match this with a market demand.

Purposeful Traveler is a series that profiles inspiring people or projects making a purposeful change to the way we travel. You can connect with Sanne and I Like Local on Travel Massive, Facebook and Twitter.