From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, world traveler James Asquith has seen them all. In fact, he's got a world track record that would be the envy of his millennial peers with an itch for international adventure. At 24, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, James is the youngest person in the world to travel to every country in the world, last estimated at 195.
No doubt he has plenty of experiences to share. Instead, he's offering something much bigger to those with a zest for hitting remote destinations. James has created a new app called Holiday Swap, enabling armchair travelers to get off their furniture and make it easier and more affordable for them to circle the globe.
Downloadable at the Apple store and on Google Play for just a dollar, Holiday Swap has no subscription fee once you get the app. But it literally opens up a world of opportunities, in much the same way Tinder entices users to find a romantic match.
It works by allowing users at one accommodation to swap their digs with another user somewhere else on the planet. Even if you're couching it at one stop, if you're looking for something with a bit more space at your next desired destination, filters allow you to narrow down that search. By using the Always Bag Packed feature on the app, you can keep swiping through the images until you find something that suits your fancy.
"Then you basically have that connection," said Asquith about the apps amenities. "Say you're going away for a week — you might look at your map have have 30 cool places [you can go], but the people as well."
A built-in chat component also lets you get in contact with like-minded folks to get more information and determine whether locations and accommodations are swap-worthy in the travel time frame that fits your schedule. You can also store those connections for future reference, get more background on the area you plan to hit and maybe even find new locales you've never even heard of.
Additional bells and whistles include a rating system you can use to evaluate accommodations, notifications from other travelers seeking matches, a comprehensive search engine to explore different options and even a bio page for your account so other sojourners can get a taste for what you're looking for.