Co-founder Zelia Leong (centre in the front row) with other team members of Anywhr
Zelia Leong left her full-time job at the luxury hospitality sector in 2015 and bought a one-way flight ticket to Scandinavia. The tour, however, was prolonged and she ended up travelling around Europe.
Following local recommendations, she went to places that she didn’t even know existed. She hopped on the cheapest bus or train to the next city or country, and along the way, made a few new friends.
“When I returned home, I realised that travel is all about having new experiences, understanding more about yourself and the world,” she tells e27 recounting her story. “It is also about the memories made along the way in the little moments.”
“I did not remember the landmarks I visited, the tourist spots I took photos of or the things I bought. Instead, all I cherished after the trip was the people I met and the meaningful connections I made. That’s what makes travel special and unique for a lifetime,” she adds.
This unique travel experience brought the best out of Leong and kindled her entrepreneurial spirit.
And Anywhr took birth.
Based in Singapore, Anywhr is a bespoke travel curator, which plans your journeys to lesser-known places worldwide, personalised for you. “Anywhr was started to help people explore and experience more of the world, even in less common places they did not expect to visit,” according to Leong.
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In other words, Anywhr takes the hassle out of planning and preparing for great trips. It uses information about your preferences and personality to curate a trip experience.
“Take a personality quiz, share your travel preferences with us, and we will plan and book a trip just for you. We specialise in lesser-known places away from mainstream tourist spots,” says Leong, who along with Felix Tan, started the company in 2016.
Leong adds that Anywhr not just plans and books flights and accommodation for the customer, but also takes care of logistics such as transfers and visas. The firm has 24-hour customer support on standby. Besides, it also provides travel insurance.
The company targets anyone who wants to go on a holiday but has no idea where to go or doesn’t want to plan. Customers include solo female travellers, groups of family and friends, and also romantic honeymoon couples.
“We help you go on a great holiday that’s planned according to your personal preferences. You just have to sit back and enjoy your trip,” Leong tells e27.
Sharing an experience with a customer, Leong says: “We planned a 10-day European honeymoon trip for a couple departing from Singapore, and they visited unique places like Bohemian-Switzerland and Krakow. We also recommended nice restaurants and sent them a packing-list to ensure they have the right outfits for those Instagram photos,” Leong shares.
Currently, she claims, Anywhr has customers from more than 25 cities worldwide, such as New York, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong.
Partnerships
To facilitate the services, the startup has forged a partnership with a few major airlines and accommodation providers. Also, it has integrated with travel technology firm Amadeus, who works with airlines, hotels, and travel agencies world over.
“This helps us get special pricings from partners and in turn, give the value back to our travellers. Our airline partners work with us to promote new and less common destinations,” she elaborates.
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Anywhr also charges a standard service and processing fee, such as for credit card payment processing, from customers.
The company wants to explore new markets across the world to cater to a larger audience base. “The launch of our new website in September this year saw a spike in bookings coming from cities such as San Francisco, New York, and London. We are exploring growth opportunities in those new markets,” she adds.
Along its journey, Anywhr also managed to rope in some investors to back its ambitious plans to go global. They include Hustle Fund, Found Ventures and angels like Royston Tay and Kwok Yang Bin (both co-founders of Zopim).
“The beauty of building a startup is in growing it well despite the odds, and having a great team behind it makes all the difference. And I’m happy that we have that and a great ecosystem of friends, investors, and community supporting and helping us through the journey,” she concludes.
(Disclaimer: e27‘s Co-founder and CEO Mohan Belani is an investor in Anywhr).
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