A Bermudian travel app will be rolled out tomorrow, becoming the second travel-inspired app launched this summer at the Hub Culture Innovation Campus and Beach Club at Ariel Sands.

Tripp West is the man behind the new app. For the past two years has been part of the team developing the sharing platform.

His background is in architect, and he is part of the team at Westport Architecture in Flatts, a business started by his father Stephen West.

However, with Trippmatch he has branched out into the travel and technology industries.

“I’m just entering the tech space and have been playing about. It is amazing what is happening,” he said.

The Trippmatch website is up and running, while the app is expected to be available soon from app stores.

Mr West explained that the app is not a booking portal. It is about inspiration and aspirations, bringing together vacation ideas alongside recommendations from a community of users.

When users register with the app they indicate their areas of interest for vacations, such as history, culture, food and wine, and their budget range. A computer algorithm then uses the data to filter through suitable options.

For example, someone who seeks adventurous vacations will be shown those types of trips rather than traditional resort and beach holidays. If a person has a limited budget, the options they are shown will reflect this, with high-spend trips filtered out.

Additionally, users will see recommendations from other Trippmatch users with similar interests and pursuits to their own, and be able to connect with them and share tips and ideas.

Mr West said that while other travel sites, such as TripAdvisor, carry reviews, users do not know if the reviewer is someone they would identify with — a person with similar vacation preferences, interests and travel budget.

Trippmatch has details of more than 100 countries and cities, giving short descriptions, visit and activity ideas, and general information on everything from local currency to vaccinations needed, visa requirements and whether a country’s tap water is safe to drink.

As more users register the pages will also feature a conversation section.

Mr West, who travels a lot, sees the app working “like a virtual word-of-mouth” exchange on travel and vacation options.

The app can be used by anyone who registers, although it is expected to be of particular interest to those aged between 20 and 35, savvy users of smartphones and those familiar and comfortable with social sharing.

While the app is free, it is envisaged that Trippmatch will generate income from tourism industry operators who will be invited to join the service.

The app was built in Cape Town, South Africa, where Mr West has taken vacations during the past 10 years. For the past two years he has been community to the country to help with development of the app.

He said his background as an architect has been useful in the realisation of the project.

“As an architect you conceptualise and then put a team together,” he said.

The app will be launched at Hub Culture’s innovation campus tomorrow. It follows the pre-launch of another Bermudian travel app, Winnow, at the Hub Culture village on July 19. The app went live last week. The story of Winnow can be read in The Royal Gazette’s lifestyle section today.

Mr West praised Hub Culture’s summer-long pop-up campus, which has brought together local and overseas specialists from a range of disciplines to discuss topics ranging from architecture, to computer coding, the environment, blockchain and digital currencies.

“I’ve been going along and I’ve learnt a lot. I believe a lot of people will benefit from it,” he said.

Trippmatch has a website at http://trippmatch.com/