Extravigator: Haute Online Community for Ritzy Travellers
Chris · January 13, 2008
Online travel blogs and communities have become an important and trusted resource for travel research.
Although I believe this trend will continue, I still struggle sometimes to find unique travel blogs with the right combination of content, style and relevance.
Highly targeted travel blogs are often better able to serve the interests of their readers. Building a community can be pretty hard for niche travel sites since the more narrow the concept, the smaller the market. Still, the advantages of being more relevant to a smaller group can be worth the effort, and I’m always happy to find great travel sites that are focused on long tail demand.
The Extravigator Traveller Community
I recently discovered an awesome example of a hospitality and travel-driven community that clearly has potential. The site is called ”Extravigator.com”, founded last year by Dan Richman. Extravigator is an online travel community dedicated to the upscale, sophisticated traveller.
The overall layout and design of the site has achieved a nice blend of taste and design while maintaining a subdued, uncluttered feel. There is already lots of excellent content and dialogue around the site, and the interactions are pretty interesting. Community membership has to be approved by Dan and his team, which is a smart move in keeping the exclusivity factor high for community members.
Dan has crafted an excellent luxury travel community space, and I look forward to watching the site grow this year.
Check out the Extravigator’s about page for more info about Dan vision for his community.
“Extravigator is a new elite social network for those who know how to travel in style. The social network is centered around a highly interactive discussion forum that covers a range of topics about luxury travel.
Unlike most social networks, Extravigator only grants membership to those who are deemed to be worthy travelers. Applicants are asked for their favorite hotel on the membership application. Depending on their answer, membership may or may not be granted. This merely helps to ensure that like-minded travelers take part in the site. (Non-members may browse Extravigator, but only members can take part in the discussions).
You might also be interested to know that the November issue of GOTHAM magazine calls Extravigator a “jet-setting clique” that “allows haute travelers to gossip about their latest jaunts around the globe.”
Dan Richman Founder - Extravigator.com
