Stephen Emge

Well, Raggedpassport is a website that connects people who are away from home with local people that can help them find and do things with as little hassle as possible. If you have local knowledge of a place you can use that knowledge to not only help others but make money by charging for the services you provide. As a traveler I can search raggedpassport by country, category or language to find a local person to help me out.

As you know there are many travel websites out there offering travel advice and help but its from a distance. They aren't actually there picking you up at the airport or showing you the best places to shop or eat. They're behind a desk or computer already writing another outdated guide for you to purchase.

Also, if you do in fact find a concierge service on the web they probably specialize in only one thing or place and still don't provide an in-person service so I think this is an original idea.

As a habitual traveler I've made my way around the world a bit and where ever I went there were always English teachers living there, many for extended periods of time. They often spoke more than one language and knew as much about a city as any local. The perfect fit!

Absolutely. But not exclusively teachers, anyone could make a business out of helping people away from their homes and not just in the tourism industry. If you have a look at some of the over 40 categories of service listings I have on my site you'll see listings to support such things as Movie Location Scouts, Real Estate, Antiques and Animal Shows and more.

Well, at first I'm just going to see if there's interest in this idea. I have a few spots for advertising on the site and that may help pay for the overhead of running the site but it's not really about that. I just want my idea to work!

Exactly. You could read a ton of guide books but until you show up you never know how accurate they are and then it may be too late. I know which streets to miss and which ones have that undiscovered treasure that only locals know about. I could meet you at the airport, arrange for your transport to the hotel and then show you the city!

That's important. Ragged Passport has nothing to do with what a concierge charges their customers and we don't want any of it. That's between them and the customer. If they overcharge then they won't get any business. If they don't set the price up front then the customer may not pay or simply walk away. There is also a rating system on the site and concierges with the higher ratings show up at the top of all lists. It pays to be friendly and professional!

There are all types of travelers - some more independent than others but we all like to get settled after getting off a long flight as quickly as possible and not feel like we've been welcomed to the country by being overcharged or chased down by the taxis or driven around in circles. The first impressions are the ones that last and meeting people at the airport is the first of many services. Arranging for bus and train tickets is another. I may even need help trying to find a teaching job! The possibilities are only limited by the concierge.

Well, people are people and that is most likely to happen. Raggedpassport's policy regarding things of the wink-wink nature are strict and we will remove any concierge account that is less than family friendly. There is more than enough culture and beauty in the world for a concierge to help show travelers without going down that road.

I think it would really help people be more comfortable traveling and give them the ability to see the true nature of a place rather than the in-your-face commercial stuff that we can accidentally fall into.

Evil smile.

I'm glad you asked, Phil. I was working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and I started going to this gym to work out. My diet was pretty low protein at the time and I wanted to fine some protein powder to help supplement my diet. I normally don't mind a challenge but for something like this I just wanted it, no hassle. After 3 days of scouring the city (and its a complicated place) I gave up. I mentioned it to a Vietnamese colleague and he got it for me that afternoon. Incredible. Local knowledge is king!

I'm a programmer by trade and I've written a lot of web-based stuff but this one is for me and involves travel which is definitely my passion.

Thanks, Phil. I can't wait to see what people come up with! Good luck to you too! And of course if anyone in Thailand fancies becoming a concierge, then go to http://www.raggedpassport.com/ and sign up. It's as easy as that.