TripGiraffe Review

Before I get started with the TripGiraffe review, I would like to say that there was a time when I was only traveling solo, enjoying my freedom to travel wherever I wanted to without the need to take into account anyone’s concerns. However, this phase of my travels didn’t last long, as I soon discovered that traveling with a travel buddy is way more enjoyable. Funny and unexpected things happen during travels, and there is nothing worse than not being able to share these moments with someone else.

Not anyone is fortunate enough to have friends who are passionate travelers excited about traveling the world. If that’s also your case, then you, probably just like me, headed to Google and tried to find a website for finding a travel buddy. You can easily find many websites, but you should be careful about choosing the right one as there are many with fake profiles overfull of strange people. I have tried several and out of all of them, I was most satisfied with a website called TripGiraffe.

When I was thinking about buying access to TripGiraffe I was trying to find some information about it first, but I did not find any reviews. Therefore, I believe that you will find this TripGiraffe review useful.

TripGiraffe Review

It’s worth saying that TripGiraffe is a relatively new website and has been around only about 3 years at the time of writing this article, and that’s probably the reason why there isn’t much information about it on the internet yet. Having a bad experience with already established websites like Triptogether, I was a little skeptical at the beginning. However, TripGiraffe has proved to be a pleasant surprise with the quality of people as well as with its functions.

When I registered on Triptogether, I was confused about how I should start finding a travel buddy since I saw only profile pictures. It seemed to me it was a regular dating site with just a travel branding, which exactly turned out to be so. Travelers can create some basic trips, but not many travelers are doing so, and it is also impossible to browse them in one place. Also, I received quite a lot of inappropriate messages, which made me leave the website.  TripGiraffe, on the other hand, gives an impression of a legitimate travel platform that is intended for finding a travel buddy.  Even though, I have to say that even on TripGiraffe you will occasionally receive some flirty messages.

However, the number is significantly lower than on Triptogether and any other website I have tried. When I received an inappropriate message from some guy from Spain, I reported the user through TripGiraffe’s report system. I was quite curious if the admins would take any action, since upon registering you are greeted with a welcome pop-up saying that TripGiraffe has a zero-tolerance spam policy. I was kindly surprised that when I logged back into my account that evening, I saw a new notification saying that action had been taken and that the traveler I had reported was deleted. I checked it and he was truly gone.

I understand that it is not within the power of any website to prevent strange people from registering, but it is within the power of any website to take action to prevent further inappropriate behavior. Because of this, I built trust in TripGiraffe as it was obvious that they are trying to create a friendly environment.

Features of TripGiraffe

Let’s talk about the features of TripGiraffe. TripGiraffe is a lot about creating trips that other travelers can join. The website is a little pushy and once every so often you see a pop-up telling you that you will find a travel buddy faster if you create one. I have to admit that creating a trip is a good way how to find a travel buddy faster since your trip is visible in the website’s filters and it is thus easier to be found by other travelers. I like that the website gives you a chance to describe your trip in detail, which I think raises the chances that somebody will want to join.

Once you create a trip, you will be redirected to a suggestions page where you can find all travelers going to the same destination as you or who are interested in it. From this page, you can invite all these travelers you think would be interested in traveling with you. Of course, you are not limited to the preselected travelers by TripGiraffe, but you can browse all travelers on the website and invite anyone you like. Not surprisingly, if you invite many travelers, then your chances of finding a travel buddy are higher. Even if you don’t invite anyone, you still have a chance that somebody will ask to join your trip, but the chances of that happening are lower.

My tip is to always create a trip and invite as many travelers as possible. Even if you don’t know the exact dates of your trip, you can create a trip and put the date to anytime. Once you know the exact dates, you can always change it.

What I found a little annoying on the website is that you have to upload a profile picture in order to create a trip, browse profiles and trips. I personally don’t mind uploading a picture as I think nobody would ever send me a message or join my trip if I didn’t have one since my profile would not look trustworthy, but I think some travelers may have problems uploading theirs.

After some time of using the website, I noticed that there is a function called incognito mode which allows you to browse profiles and trips anonymously (you do not appear in the notifications of the traveler whose profile you viewed), but I don’t think this function is visible enough and can be confusing for some people. The website does explain the function quite well after clicking on a small arrow which is located next to the incognito mode, but I don’t think that many people will click on it as it is not very intuitive.

That’s my TripGiraffe review. Overall, I think TripGiraffe is a website worth trying if you are looking for a travel buddy. It is nicely designed, has good support and most of all it is quite cheap.