10 ideas for tourism-related businesses

I remember vaguely thinking of doing this a long time ago, and I was wondering if people would actually pay money to get their picture taken. I thought maybe using a Polaroid would add a fun element to it. But of course people pay for that! My girlfriend and I were recently approached by a guy doing this near the Colosseum in Rome, and now I'm surprised I don't see this more often. He has professional equipment (with lighting and all), takes a bunch of pics and charges 5€ per picture. He says he needs a permit from the city and he has a whole team.

I wrote about this in a previous list with the idea of a drone recording business to film people having hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia (I haven't checked if this would be possible, it's likely it wouldn't be allowed because of air regulations). I think the hot air balloons have cameras set up inside; I remember they offered to sell us a picture afterwards. That's the idea: photograph/record people having a fun time and come up to them afterwards.

• Kayaking in Norway
• Machu Pichu hike
• Couples walking on a beautiful beach
• ...

• Wild camping trips
• Train trips
• Remote villages you haven't heard of
• ...

Complete your profile with as much detail as possible. Pick a destination. You'll get a full list of things to do (with an optional schedule), tailored just for you.

No swiping or anything like that. Input your destination and the dates of your trip, and the app will generate a group chat with a bunch of other people to hang out with.

And for each museum, it summarizes what you find in it so you don't have to read everything.

A business that organizes a stereotypical experience for you. If you're in Belgium, you'll go to the important beer places (maybe you'll even brew your own beer), you'll eat waffles (maybe drive a waffle truck), etc.

Usually not how I like to travel, but I would try this, and a lot of people would like it. Maybe this could work with AI. Similar to #4 but for a whole itinerary. It could either just be a way to book your transportation and accommodation or it could incorporate aspects of idea #4.

You input your itinerary, indicate when you'd like to wake up, whether or not you're okay with arriving late, preferred transportation method, etc. You input your preferences when it comes to accommodation. Maybe some other things as well (avoiding crowds, number of transits, beautiful views, etc.). You get a result with a price, and if you like it, you buy it. You'll get all the tickets sent to you along with reminders, etc.

This would make you plan your trip in a few minutes instead of many hours. Of course, many people (myself included) find that planning the trip is part of the fun. I remember Ali Abdaal mentioning that while he's used to outsourcing things, he realized that planning a trip might not be something to be outsourced precisely for that reason. Still, I would be very curious to try something like this. And it would certainly help decrease tensions when you're traveling with someone :)

Actually, maybe this already exists? I haven't checked whether any of the things on this list already exist.

Translating, chauffeuring, showing you around, etc. Again, not quite my type of traveling, but could be interesting to try.

I remember hitchhiking in the US, seeing a sofa store and thinking "man, it'd be great if they let us sleep there."

If it's targeted towards budget travelers, I'm not sure how it would be profitable, although maybe business owners could provide their establishment for free just like on Couchsurfing, out of good will and/or for a fun experience (they could meet), and the app would be the one making a profit through membership fees (maybe). Of course, I'm guessing this would be too risky for businesses because of liability issues, potential damage, etc. but I find the idea appealing: sleeping in a supermarket, in a furniture store, in a pub, in a candy store, etc.