Touristlink Review: Great platform for travelers, or nah? [2023]

Perhaps one of the downsides of traveling solo, especially if you are new to it, is the touch of skepticism that comes with it.

While the idea of exploring places at your liberty is exciting, the thought of wandering in new surroundings alone can be a bit daunting. 

But, there are many online platforms and social media groups that help you connect with locals and fellow travelers to ease the experience. It’s also helpful when you travel in groups but still prefer a knowledgeable person to show you around. 

Do you like the idea of meeting new people in your travel destination? Then, Touristlink might interest you. 

Read our Touristlink review to find out more!

What is Touristlink?

Touristlink is a “social platform” that lets you connect with locals, fellow travelers, and tour operators.

Whether you need some company to have a drink, prefer a local willing to show you around, or have some burning questions about the next destination you plan to visit, Touristlink might be the site to visit. At the same time, it has also become a site to browse for standard and customizable tour packages offered by tour operators. 

Founded in 2011 by David Urmann, it has become a network of 50,000 tour operators and 150,000 travelers and locals today. You can create an account free of charge and become a member of the Touristlink community. 

Touristlink features, and how it works.

• Find locals or travelers 

If you are heading somewhere and prefer to tour around with the help of a local, you can search for “locals” on the website. Users can also search for “tour guides” with more expertise and knowledge to cater to foreign travelers. Alternatively, you can also search for people “traveling to” the same destination – for a meet-up. 

Once you select the category from the above three, specify the destination and if you prefer, select the gender and age. There’s also the option of entering a user name and searching a specific local/travelers/tour guide. 

• Book tour packages

You can browse for readymade or customizable tour packages offered by travel agencies by selecting a specific country/city, price range, and dates of travel. Most of the listings also have reviews and ratings left by past customers to give you a good idea about the tour and the travel agent offering it. 

• Ask questions or answer them

Touristlink has a Q&A forum where you can ask questions or raise doubts regarding the destination you are planning to visit and get them answered by locals or people who have traveled there in the past. You can also contribute by answering questions in existing conversations. 

• Share your travel experiences 

You can create a travel passport highlighting the list of places you have visited and share it with others in the Touristlink community. Similarly, you can do it for places you hope to explore in the future in the form of small travel guides. 

• Find inspiration 

If you have a hard time figuring out what attractions to include in your itinerary, Touristlink has a solution. Users can vote on the attractions under each city/country by clicking like or dislike. Based on the votes, attractions are listed from highest rated to lowest rated, helping you identify the best ones. 

What we liked about Touristlink

• Connects travelers with locals 

Touristlink is a good space to connect with like-minded travelers or locals, share your experiences, and seek inspiration to keep exploring.

It’s also useful if you prefer to hire an independent tour guide or local to accompany you. Once creating an account, you can send requests for people you want to connect with. You can look at the rank and number of points they have earned to determine their reliability.

• Customized travel packages

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of planning your itinerary, you can get a tour package customized to fit your preferences and budget. Most travel agents offer a good overview of each package, but you can also “inquire” more about them by contacting the tour provider. 

What we think Touristlink can do better

• Improve the Q&A forum 

While Touristlink limits the use of the forum to locals and travelers to prevent promotional content, the actual case was the opposite. Most of what we came through were advertisements from tour operators. Even some answers for travel-related questions were promotions of tour packages which is very disappointing. Travelers benefit more from sites like Quora or Reddit in this regard.

• Accommodation ratings 

As with attractions and tour packages, travelers can also vote for accommodation choices in a city/country listed in Touristlink.

The higher number of likes could easily be a marketing stunt. We found it unreliable and insufficient for determining if a place is worth staying in. If you are looking for a website to find good and cost-effective accommodation options, try Holidu.

Is Touristlink worth it?

We think you should give it a try! Touristlink idea itself is innovative, helping connect and gather travelers and tour operators. You might find great advice, reviews, and ratings on there that'll help you along your trip! That being said, Touristlink still have much to improve in order to provide a good service for its users.

The majority of the reviews we came across are from tour operators, and we assume that users primarily use it as a platform to connect with tour guides or companies than with fellow travelers.

If you are looking for a local to help you out with the travel plans, Viahero or TripUniq are some options to consider!

Our rating: 3.8/5

Pros:

• Authentic experiences
• Customizable travel packages
• Great way to connect and get inspired

Cons:

• Travel forum limited in user
• Unreliable reviews/ratings

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