Cool Cousin-A Travel Agent You Can Trust.

Travelling is an experience most people look forward to. It could be for business or pleasure, could be within or outside one's country. Tourism is a large industry and is a great source of income to many countries, contibuting to the local economy through payment of goods and services required by tourists. Every tourist wants to get good value for their money and time. No one wants to say the experience wasn't pleasant enough. Adequate information is therefore required about the place of intended visit to get a maximum pleasurable experience during the period spent there.

The advent of internet has since replaced most travel agencies. A quick search through the internet tells you sure to visit places in the anywhere in the world. However, this platform has been abused. Tourists are taken advantage of due to their limited knowledge of the area. It is not strange or unusual to hear people complain that internet reviews are not always what they seem. Most services offered to the tourists online are mostly overpriced and well below standard. The tourist has no choice but go along with what he has paid for, leaving him unsatisfied and unhappy about wasted time and money.

A similar situation happened last year, a couple decided to take vacation together. They had limited resources and had been saving up towards this. They chose a nice cottage in the countryside in a country i shall not name. It was a perfect little place and looked so peaceful and well kept, stocked with enough to last a little army complete with a gardener and cook. They contacted the agent in charge and paid for six weeks.
They were so excited travelling down there. They said they almost passed the place. It was overrun by weeds and was looking so unkempt, a direct opposite of all they had seen online. They only believed it was the place because it was the same structure. In summary, it had been abandoned place for years. The supposed cook and gardener were an old tired couple who were on their last legs.

You can just imagine their disappointment. They got their money back of course but not the total amount paid. They had to endure about four weeks of city life in an hotel when what they had really wanted was a little place in the country that was quiet and free from the city's hustle and bustle. They obviously did not enjoy their vacation.

A lot of people suffer the same and so there is a need for tourists to have a go to person that can be trusted to make their stay a pleasurable one. The tourists are not the only ones that suffer, the locals and ultimately the country earn a bad name in the industry. Other tourists are warned about the area so other people don't fall victim and this affects the economy.

As a local, how would you like to redeem the reputation of your area, giving tourists the best experience they can ever get, provide information about places that interest them individually, not the internet hyped places that may not be of interest to them. Let us face it, what works for me may not work for someone else. Imagine being called a 'cool cousin' because you are being nice for providing information about places you love in yoir locality. Your service is not even free, its paid for. Your time is money afterall.

As a tourist, imagine having a local you can trust to have your best interest at heart. One you have things in common with. Its like going out with a friend, experiencing new things and places that you both enjoy. Your friend who is called your cool cousin minimises your spending, you are not exploited unnecessarily by the locals out to cheat tourists. You have the best information at your disposal without wasting hours browsing through the internet. You are prepared for every situation.

All this is made possible with the COOL COUSIN APP which enables the locals help tourists have the best possible travelling experience.

What is Cool Cousin all about?

Cool Cousin is the solution to problems faced by tourists all over the world. This is a decentralised ecosystem that connects tourists with well informed locals of like minds and interests known as 'cool cousins' who makes their travelling experience out of this world, leaving them satisfied through the provision of a wealth of useful information about their favourite places in their locality. Available in the iOS and web versions, this service is easily accessible to all, easy to use and more importantly is based on the ever growing blockchain technology, powered by the cryptocurrency called CUZ tokens which can be exchanged as a mode of payment on this platform.

How does it work?

Want to become a 'cool cousin', its easy. Create a profile on Cool Cousin, showing a map that marks your favourite places that you think others of like minds would enjoy and also write guides and provide answers to questions travellers may have and earn CUZ tokens for your troubles. Cousins are an important part of this platform as they are the foundation on which this service is built.

As a user, the tourists browse through the profiles of various 'cousins' available on the platform to look for a local who they feel have the same interests as them. If their profiles are not detailed enough, there is room for direct questioning. Specific questions can be asked. Tourists can choose to pay for these services in CUZ tokens.

Source: Cool Cousin Whitepaper.

Tourists and others in the community also have a chance to earn CUZ tokens by sharing the app with friends, providing reviews on the quality of a cousin's recommendations as well as pointing out inconsistencies in a cousin's profile.

This service has helped the tourism industry, tourists are assured of the best and get the maximum local experience. Time and money is saved through the Cool cousin platform. The local have an opportunity to earn by providing good quality information about their locality, killing two birds with a stone.

Cool Cousin is implementing the blockchain technology to prevent exploitation of the platform. Small business owners who benefit a lot from tourists, no one business is rated higher than another and reviews are as honest as you can get. The whole system is transparent, providing a level playing field.

Also, since the blockchain platform enables quick and efficient payment of services free of exorbitant exchange fees and bank charges. Travellers are free from payment stress.

Cool Cousin is here to stay and has provided a new face for the travel industry. A promise of the best travelling experience is guaranteed with a friend like no other...a cool cousin.

For more information, check here
Cool Cousin Website
Cool Cousin Whitepaper

This is written for the sponsored originalworks writing contest. cc2018