Trova 101: What is TrovaTrip?

Discover who we are, what we do, and how we’re changing group travel

Hey there! 👋 Maybe you’ve heard a Creator talking about us or found our site while searching for group trips online. Maybe you just clicked “I’m Feeling Lucky” and Google brought you here. No matter how you arrived, chances are you’re all probably asking the same questions right about now. Namely: what exactly is TrovaTrip and what the heck do you do? Are you a travel agency? Some kind of influencer thing? A weirdly empathetic and gentle scam? We get it. As awesome as it is to be the first company to do something, it can also be kind of tough to really explain what that “something” is.

Introducing: Trova 101, a series dedicated to explaining how Trova works in clear, simple terms. Our hope is that whether you’re interested in partnering or traveling with us (or you’re secretly an employee still struggling to explain to your friends exactly what the company does) these blogs will help demystify our role in the travel space. Other articles will touch on things like what local Guides handle and how to prepare for your group travel experience, but we think the best way to get started is by answering the big question: What is TrovaTrip?

Key takeaways

• TrovaTrip is a 3-sided marketplace, meaning we serve Hosts, Travelers, and Operators with logistics, planning, and support for professionally designed trips.
• TrovaTrip doesn’t run on-the-ground operations; we leave that to vetted local professionals who speak the language, provide English-speaking Guides, and book accommodations.
• No entity in the 3-sided marketplace pays or gets paid unless a trip is confirmed (meaning it collects enough bookings that it's guaranteed to happen). Additionally, Hosts and Operators do not pre-pay to be listed or partner with us.
• Since 2017, TrovaTrip has booked over 21,000 Travelers, and counting, to over 50 countries with a single objective in mind: to help people find their communities, everywhere in the world.

What is TrovaTrip?

TrovaTrip is a group travel platform made for 3 distinct entities: Content Creators and Community Leaders who want to bring their online community on real-life trips (Hosts), people looking to join pre-planned group travel experiences (Travelers), and the folks running on-the-ground operations in a variety of destinations (Operators).

This is officially known as a “3-sided marketplace.” It’s common in other industries–think food delivery apps that restaurants, delivery drivers, and consumers all use–but new to travel. Okay, elevator pitch done. Now let’s dig in more on what Trova actually offers.

What does Trova do (and not do)?

In a nutshell, Trova offers a platform that connects Hosts, Travelers, and local Operators to run life-changing trips around the globe.

Of course, with the needs of 3 different user groups to consider, the itineraries are just the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of Trova’s services aren’t as easy to see, so let’s dive a little deeper and break down what we do for each separate but interconnected segment of our ecosystem—Hosts, Travelers, and Operators—to keep it balanced and effective.

Trova Hosts are generally online Content Creators who want to grow their brand, generate exciting content, and strengthen their community by taking a group trip together. The problem is, doing all that by yourself can get complicated and expensive. By using Trova, all Travel Hosts have to do is pick a destination, set their margin, and promote it to their followers. There’s no worrying about figuring out an itinerary schedule, setting up transportation, finding activities, booking accommodations, getting permits, or even dealing with a language barrier. In other words, you don’t have to plan anything and, no, this isn’t a pay-to-play kind of deal (more on the financial structure of our 3-sided marketplace in the next section). To find out more about the benefits of being a Host, check out this page or head directly to our questionnaire to see if you'd be a good fit.

Next up, Travelers. This one’s a little more straightforward. Anyone can join a TrovaTrip as long as they’re over 18, but the majority of our Travelers are existing members of a Host’s community who are looking for a chance to explore the world safely and with like-minded individuals. Additionally, with Trova, Travelers enjoy the same perks that Hosts do of not having to worry about planning and logistics. Just buy your plane ticket, show up, and let the adventure (and bonding!) begin.

And finally, there’s Operators. With trips to so many different countries, we learned early on that the only way to truly experience a place is through the local professionals who have a native understanding of its language and culture, and a stake in its economy. Operators are the folks on the ground who run their own separate tour companies and help bring the itineraries offered through Trova to life.

Operators are the masterminds behind creating pre-built itineraries for trips. They’re usually about a week long, with spots ranging from 8-25 people, and take place in destinations around the world. Each itinerary is created around a general theme (food, yoga, camping, etc.) and filled with activities reflecting that theme. Yes, even in the age of AI, our trips are designed by humans.

Operators are also in charge of actually running the trip on the ground. They provide English-speaking local Guides, book accommodations and transportation, oversee activities, and generally ensure that everyone on the trip has the best possible experience. Operators and their Guides don’t work for Trova any more than Hosts do; rather, they’re our trusted (and vetted) partners who’ve joined Trova’s platform to run their businesses and reach new clients. And speaking of vetting…

Is TrovaTrip legit?

Yes. Next question.

Seriously, is TrovaTrip legit?

A major concern that Creators and their followers often have when hearing about us for the first time seems to be “Is TrovaTrip a scam?” Kind of a bummer but totally understandable considering how much it costs to take a trip, the amount of trust involved, and the fact that we’re not a household name (yet). You can find out more about how Hosts, Operators, and Trova get paid here including numbers, but hopefully we can add some transparency with a quick overview.

Basically, the initial base price of a trip is set by the Operator to cover their expenses (local Guides, transportation, accommodation, entry fees, etc.). Then the Host will set a margin to cover their time and work promoting the trip. Finally, Trova will earn a percentage of the total price for our real-time support, payment management, planning and booking, and use of the platform itself. However, all of this only happens if a trip is “confirmed”, meaning if enough Travelers sign up by the deadline to make it a go. Otherwise, down payments are fully refunded and no money changes hands. To learn more about our cancellation policy, and for a gripping read, please check out Trova’s full Terms & Conditions.

To sum things up, Trova doesn’t get paid unless and until our partners do. And that payment hinges on reaching confirmation by a set date so that Hosts and Operators aren’t left hanging, and Travelers don’t have to worry about losing money on a trip that doesn’t actually happen.

Trova, the ultimate travel companion

And there you have it, a happy little introduction to who we are and how we work. Since being founded in 2017, TrovaTrip has been working towards our mission: to help people find their communities, everywhere in the world. In the past 6 years, we’ve learned a lot and our platform has evolved but the objective behind it remains the same. As for the results, with over 1,500 trips booked for over 21,000 Travelers, we like to think that the journey is just getting started. And we hope that you’ll be a part of it.