Flappin: Surprise trips that don’t want to stay in the drawer

A dream getaway, outdoor adventure or wine tasting for two. Who hasn’t been given a box of experiences yet? You don’t know what to give, but it’s often an attractive option. It is forgotten in the drawer of the person who bought it.cannot find a suitable place to perform the activity.

This product, which is especially popular among young people, has become popular in recent years. surprise factor. That’s exactly what Barcelona start-up Flappin does; The destination offers unknown excursions and other activities up to 48 hours before departure. The founders believe they can “revolutionize” this industry by refocusing their model on delighting the gift recipient rather than making it worse for the giver. And we offer trips that truly meet the expectations of those who book them.

Pol Clavell, Sergi Vila, Marc Teixidor And Ferran Garcia They founded Flappin in October 2021 with a start-up capital of 60,000 Euros. They have since closed a $280,000 investment round and are close to closing a second round. They invoiced 800,000 euros in 2022; They want to double that figure this year and start making a profit in 2025. There are 13 people in the squad and they are not considering expanding the team, at least for now. They search for hotels and flights using traditional search engines such as the well-known ‘skyscanner’ or by contacting accommodation and bed banks directly.

Available now Italy, Portugal and Spain. “We want to be a global brand. Start with Europe and go beyond. Of course, it will not happen next year. “We are now focusing on developing technology,” he says. Clavell– providing a platform to help young people manage their free time.” “Some come for the excitement, some come for the convenience of us organizing everything for them,” he says. Besides excursions, they also sell getaways, surprise lunches and dinners, adventures and spa sessions. .

One of their distinguishing features is that they guarantee availability regardless of the day chosen for travel. However, the price will increase depending on the calendar. With this strategy, they want to “escape the big business model where they stand to gain if you don’t take the gift back.” Traditional ones offer packages with prices so low that accommodation decides not to be available in high season. It doesn’t matter to them. Some stop working directly with these companies without notifying the customer that they have received the box. That’s what Flappin’s co-founders say, who believe all of this deliberately makes bookings more difficult.

But the truth is they still can’t make it. compete on the same level as the big guys. Without going any further, Atresmedia announced in the summer that it had acquired Waynabox, one of the largest, which was founded in 2015 and has a turnover of close to 10 million euros.

They also don’t compete on price. They don’t have any intention anyway. One night in Europe, flights included, can be departed from here. 125 euros per person, a price that increases if upgrades are added to the booking. “We want to be neither premium nor sleazy. But Flappin guarantees the experience will be a success. If you arrive at a hotel and it’s a disaster, we’ll change it for you. Customer service is personal,” he concludes. co-founder.

Women give more

Related news

75% of Flappin’s customers are young women. And 64% of its sales are travel gifts. They can choose between Europe, Italy, ‘surprise summer’, multi-destination, alternative Europe or Spain. But when it’s your turn A long journeyThings are changing: 75% of buyers are men.

In any case, trust must be blind. “Customers need to have a lot of confidence in our service. We need to understand that sometimes we manage 2,000 euro trips for them and they don’t know where they are going,” he concludes. Teixidor.