Building FlyFly.ca — A Worldwide Travel Platform
Building FlyFly.ca — A Worldwide Travel Platform
Travel has become deeply connected to technology. From discovering destinations and comparing flights to finding accommodations, activities and transportation, much of the modern travel experience now begins online.
FlyFly.ca is a project I am developing to bring different parts of that experience together within a travel-focused digital platform.
The objective is not simply to create another travel blog. FlyFly is being developed around a combination of travel discovery, worldwide inventory, affiliate partnerships, useful content and travel services.
Building Around the Travel Journey
Planning a trip usually involves several separate steps.
Travellers may research destinations, search for flights, compare accommodations, find transportation, explore activities and look for useful information before making a decision.
These activities are often spread across many different websites.
One of the ideas behind FlyFly is to organize useful travel resources around the traveller’s journey rather than treating every travel product as an isolated service.
Worldwide Travel Inventory
A major part of the project involves connecting travellers with travel inventory available across international markets.
Instead of attempting to build every booking system independently, FlyFly can work with established travel platforms, providers and affiliate programs that already provide access to flights, accommodations, activities, transportation and other travel products.
This allows the platform to concentrate on discovery, organization, content and user experience while connecting visitors to relevant booking opportunities.
Affiliate Partnerships
Affiliate marketing is an important component of the FlyFly business model.
Travel naturally involves many complementary services. A single trip may require flights, hotels, transportation, activities, insurance and other products.
Working with appropriate travel partners makes it possible to connect visitors with these services while creating a sustainable revenue model for the platform.
The objective, however, is not to fill pages with affiliate links.
Recommendations and travel resources should remain useful and relevant to the person planning the trip.
Travel Content and Discovery
Content can become another important part of FlyFly.
Destination information, travel guides, comparisons, planning resources, ideas and practical articles can help travellers during the research process while also creating long-term organic search opportunities.
This creates an important relationship between content and commerce.
Useful travel content can help someone discover a destination or solve a planning problem, while integrated travel services can help them take the next step.
Technology Behind Travel
FlyFly also gives me an opportunity to explore the technology behind modern travel platforms.
APIs, affiliate feeds, search systems, structured data, WordPress, performance optimization, SEO, analytics, automation and potentially artificial intelligence can all contribute to the platform.
As the project develops, automation and AI may assist with areas such as travel discovery, content organization, recommendations and user assistance.
Building for Search and Discovery
SEO is particularly important in travel because users search throughout the entire travel journey.
They search for destinations, comparisons, transportation, accommodations, activities, costs, recommendations and answers to specific travel questions.
Rather than producing large quantities of generic travel content, my objective is to build useful resources around genuine search intent and connect them logically to the services available through FlyFly.
An Evolving Travel Platform
FlyFly.ca is being developed as a long-term digital project.
The platform can evolve as new travel partnerships, inventory sources, technologies and opportunities become available.
Some parts will focus on discovery and information, while others can connect visitors with products and services needed to plan their trips.
The challenge is bringing these elements together without making the experience complicated.
FlyFly.ca represents my exploration of how travel content, technology, affiliate partnerships and worldwide travel services can work together within one digital platform.