JoinMyTrip is and will stay free for TripLeaders. If you offer your trip on joinmytrip.com, we even support you with the planning and the organization. Just send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp or via e-mail at support@joinmytrip.com.

That's entirely up to you! You set the price of the trip, including the buffer and your compensation (the so-called TripLeader fee). But only if you really want to take a fee - this is completely optional.

In general, the more effort you put into organizing the trip, the higher you can set the price of the trip. When setting the price, consider the following points:

• The duration of your trip. Organizing transport and accommodation for one week is much less effort than for a four-week trip.
• The complexity of your trip. If you have only two stops on your trip, you will have much less to plan than if you had 20 stops.
• On-site organization. A setting up a sightseeing program at each stop is much more work than just planning transport and accommodation.

You should also keep in mind that you don't earn much with a very low-priced trip. On the other hand, a very high-priced trip might attract fewer TripMates.

To offer a trip you need to fulfil the following criteria:

You are a real traveler. You have traveled through at least five countries and experienced quite a few things on the way. You are able to share your experience with your TripMates. That means, for example, that you:

• Have three years of travel experience or you traveled a lot lately
• Have been a guide, have been a team leader in clubs / societies or at work or you are the one in the group who always calls the shots
• Are well informed about your travel destination or you've already been there
•  Speak the native language at your destination or you know how to communicate with the locals non-verbally
• You are authentic
• You love to meet new people.
• You make sure your fellow TripMates feel comfortable. In your perspective, anyone can be a friend.
• You always have a positive attitude.
• You are full of energy and drive everyday.
• You always help others and help them solve their problems.
• You think there's a solution to every problem. Your slogan is: Think big and act.

You are empathetic and try to:

• Make sure no one feels excluded
• Build up conversations easily
• Adjust the experience to the needs of your colleagues
• Make sure everyone has the best trip possible

Find out more in our article 10 Tips on How to be the Perfect TripLeader

As a TripLeader, you take care of the accommodation (include it in the price), and a smooth transportation. You craft a fun itinerary with activities, and it is optional for you to include some in the price. Keep in mind that flexibility is key, and leave room with spontaneous adventures with your TripMates.

Of course not! We invite everyone to become a TripLeader. You should have travel experience, but we are happy to help you with planning and the organization the trip. Just send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp or via e-mail at support@joinmytrip.com.

No, of course not. The trip you organize can be your first visit to the destination. Solid preparation is the most important requirement! (Have a look at "Who can become a TripLeader?")

Theoretically, yes, but currently only one person can manage the trip. We are working on a software upgrade that will allow this. But, of course, you can tell your TripMates that you are organizing the trip with another person.

So far there isn’t an option where you plan and organize a trip that you don’t take. So yes, the TripLeader needs to go on the trip. But isn't that the best and most exciting part of it all? We think so!

Currently, this is not possible. We plan to introduce this feature. Naturally, you can always decide who you accept as a TripMate.

You should choose a big group if:

• You love to meet lots of different and interesting people.
• You would like to cover a larger portion of your travel expenses. The more TripMates travel with you, the more extra money you can earn.
• You enjoy planning things. For bigger groups, good organization is very important. For example, you will need to make reservations at restaurants and communicate the departure times and places clearly, etc.
• You want to keep the costs for rental cars as low as possible.
• You have a lot of travel experience and you have led bigger groups in the past (for example in a society or club).
• You have a lot of patience, flexibility and resourcefulness.

You should choose a small group if:

• You prefer a little more freedom. For example, if you want to be able to choose a restaurant spontaneously.
• You would like to accommodate as many individual wishes as possible.
• You like to change plans and try something new.
• Things have to move at a fast pace. Small groups usually move quickly.
• You prefer less complicated booking of accommodation and transportation.
• You want to have maximum freedom for choosing the means of transportation, e.g., tuk-tuks instead of big tour buses.
• You care a lot about meeting locals. This is often easier in small groups.
• You are eager to try out new foods. This can be difficult for large groups to do.

In general, all trips are allowed. But, of course, we do have some restrictions:

• Please don't offer trips to destinations that may be unsafe. Check the safety advice from a destination’s foreign affairs office and follow the news.
• Even though extreme sports can be a lot of fun, there's always a high risk. We kindly ask you not to use our platform to promote these type of adventures.
• And of course, we, under no circumstances, tolerate any discrimination of any kind, any form of violence, or any harassment of fellow travelers or any people. Your trip must not breach our Terms of Service.

If you're unsure about your trip, simply ask us on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp or via e-mail at support@joinmytrip.com.

At JoinMyTrip we have a dedicated payment system that provides flexibility and financial security for our TripLeader and TripMates. It is crucial for all JoinMyTrip bookings to be paid via the system. 

Part of our success is the simplification of the payment transaction process between TripLeaders and TripMates. No longer do either party need to worry about getting paid or how to facilitate those payments. JoinMyTrip is here to make your life easy! 

Our payment method connection consists of 5 simple steps: 

• TripLeader connects payment method
• TripMate pay JoinMyTrip when they book a trip 
• JoinMyTrip verifies payout
• JoinMyTrip release payout to TripLeader 
• TripLeader receives funds 

How to enable the payout method: 

1. Upload an identity document on our website
2. Connect your payment method  

Click here to connect your payout methods.

You can upload your trip with our easy-to-use Editor.

Make sure to display your trip with individuality. Adapting the trip to your travel style gives it personality and makes it more interesting for TripMates. If you include local recommendations, secret spots, and show you have experience leading groups or know the destination, many TripMates will want to join your trip.

Start creating your trip

For your trip to be successful, we advise you to do  the following:

• Upload your trip at least one month before the planned departure. Based on our experience, we know that you are going to find more TripMates this way.
• Communicate clearly how active your TripMates should be. “Do you want to go hiking or just lie on the beach?”
• Remember local holidays and festivals -- Ramadan, Canada Day, Christmas, Diwali or Chinese New Year -- when making plans..
• Your TripMates should be with you from the beginning to the end of the trip. Of course, a TripMate may join the group late or leave early. This causes a lot of work for you. If you want to travel with as many different travelers as possible, simply split your trip by offering three shorter trips.
• We recommend trips between one and four weeks long. Of course, you can also offer longer or shorter trips. However, on short trips it's difficult to get to know your TripMates well and long trips can be exhausting even for experienced travelers. Trips that are longer than 28 days need to be split up.
• A complete program is exciting. However, keep in mind that you're on vacation, so plan some time for relaxation and as a buffer if something doesn't go as planned.

Find out more in our article 10 Tips on How to be the Perfect TripLeader

We recommend that you get inspiration from other travel routes on the Internet. Information about the individual stops you want to make can be found under e.g:

• www.wikivoyage.org
• www.wikitravel.org

There are also numerous travel blogs with interesting information. You can also get important tips from others in travel forums and Facebook groups. You can also find lots of tips and tricks on our blog.

When using images for your trip on JoinMyTrip, make sure you own the image copyrights or that they have been approved for commercial reuse. If reference is required, just add it at the bottom of the trip/stop description. Use these sources to be on the safe side:

1) Pixabay (www.pixabay.com)

Pixabay is a community that shares copyright-free images and videos. All contents can be used, even for commercial purposes. No references are required.

2) Unsplash (www.unsplash.com)

Just like on Pixabay, you can find free pictures that you can use for your trip without references on unsplash.com.

For the calculation of the price you should keep the following things in mind:

• The price should only include the cost of accommodation and local transportation. Travel to and from the destination is organized by each TripMate himself, so it isn’t included in the price of the trip.
• We explicitly say that prices may change, but you should add a buffer when budgeting for your trip, so TripMates won’t have to deal with any surprise expenses. 
• Compare the prices for single and double rooms.

You can add a buffer for unexpected costs to your trip price; we recommend adding 10%. The price is flexible and you can also update the Cost per TripMate before sending a payment request. When you send a payment request to a TripMate, you fix the price for this person. You can change the Cost per TripMate for TripMates to whom you have not sent a payment request.

JoinMyTrip helps you to find suitable TripMates. Our community consists of 125,000 globetrotters, all of whom can't wait to discover the world! If you post your trip on our website, you will get your own link that you can share everywhere -- Facebook, WhatsApp, forums or anywhere. Your trip will always look great, whether it's on a mobile phone, a tablet or computer.

What we do to help you find TripMates: 

• Your trip is advertised on our social media platforms and in our newsletter
• We expertly use SEO methods on our website and social media platforms, so your trip can be found on Google
• Your trip is advertised on our homepage
• We have more than 100,000 visitors every month who are looking for a trip

What you can do to find TripMates:

• Post your trip within one of our Facebook groups, or other traveler groups. Including a personal story, or asking the community a question, will make it engaging.
• Share on social media, and get your TripMates and other friends to share too.
• Ensure your trip, as well as your personal profile page, is informative as well as exciting.
• Ask us for advice! We've seen some really successful trips in our time. If you don't know how to improve yours, just ask!

Firstly and most importantly: get to know your TripMates a little bit better. Then you can start organizing your trip and booking things like accommodation and transportation. There are a few points to consider: What information is important for your TripMates and how to book accommodation and transport can also be found in the FAQs.

As a good TripLeader, you should discuss the following things with your TripMates:

• Very important: Make sure that everybody has a travel health insurance. All TripMates from Germany and Austria have JoinMyTrip Travel Insurance (Powered by Allianz) included with their booking.
• Share reservations & bookings with the group, so everyone knows the latest information
• Food is an important part of the travel experience. Find out if you have, for example, vegetarians or vegans in your group or people with food allergies
• Get information on which meals are included in your bookings
• Let your TripMates know if they need a visa for any of the stops. Our partnership with Viselio may help.
• Inform your TripMates about which vaccinations they need to get
• If you want to be an amazing TripLeader, provide a packing list. We have 6 great tips for you.

You should consider the following points before booking the accommodation:

• It's not just your money, so always look for bargains
• Book rooms with two single beds
• If your group has an odd number of travelers, you'll need a triple or a single room
• TripMates’ preference for a single room
• Talk to your TripMates before booking multi-bed rooms
• Ask your TripMates before including mixed-gender rooms in your plans
• Decide with the members of your group who will share a room with whom before going on the trip. This reduces the chance of problems during the trip
• In general, go with non-smoking rooms

No, in theory, you don’t. Your trip description should describe the types of accommodation on the trip. Of course, you can ask the group about any special wishes. Generally, you as the TripLeader have final say. Don’t worry, your TripMates trust you!

Keep in mind: When creating an itinerary for a group, all accommodations aren’t usually reserved in advance.

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind for getting from A to B.

If you want to drive:

• Make sure there's at least one other person that can drive, so you'll have some time to rest.
• Rent vehicles that can transport everyone’s luggage
• Make sure the car is equipped to handle road conditions at your destinations, e.g. winter tires or powerful engines.
• Along with your TripMates, decide what to do if there is any vehicular damage and you only got partial coverage.

If you want to explore the world by boat:

• Decide whether your TripMates need to be real navigators or do they only need to be able to sunbathe on deck.
• Make sleeping arrangements before the voyage (see "Booking accommodation").
• What medications should be brought on board to treat motion sickness and other ailments or injuries
• Decide if a skipper is needed
• Make a grocery list
• Check out our partnership with LocaBoat.

If you want to have a relaxing train journey:

• Bring snacks for long trips
• Keep the number of guests in a sleeping compartment low (see "Booking accommodation").

If you like to be active and travel by foot:

• Keep the fitness of your TripMates in mind when making transportation plans
• Research the type of equipment needed
• Packs backpacks (not suitcases!) that won’t weigh you down
• Check out our Travel Essentials for Outdoor Trips.

If you're in a hurry and travel by plane:

• Note the time it takes to travel to an airport, check in and move through security when making a schedule. Some flights recommend arriving at the airport three hours before flight departure.
• Make sure you and your TripMates have all required travel documents.

In order to start your adventure well prepared, before the trip you should know:

• Every country is different, every country is special. The local culture makes traveling interesting. If you don't want to commit a blunder, make sure you and your TripMates know the most important dos and don'ts.
• It can be very annoying when you want to charge your phone or camera and the plug doesn't fit. Remember to check which kind of socket your destination country uses and tell your TripMates.
• One of the most commonly asked questions on a trip: How much do you tip? Be the perfect TripLeader and learn before you go.
• Learn the useful sentences and words in the local language.

Things that make your trip a lot easier:

• Buy a local SIM card. This way you are always reachable, you can look for directions, find a suitable restaurant or reach JoinMyTrip in case of an emergency.
• Handling finances can be a bit "difficult." We recommend group members use an app like Travel Spend or Splitwise to pay each other. These apps help you track all expenses within the group and provide a transparent way of settling all expenses at the end of the trip. This way, everyone always knows what they paid or still have to pay.

Yes, you are in control of your trip and decide who can join. After TripMates send in a request to join, you can chat and get to know each other. Once you decided you'd like to travel with this person, you send them a payment request.

Please contact our customer support as soon as you realize you cannot be the TripLeader. We will work to find another TripLeader who can take over your trip or help you find a solution for your TripMates.

As soon as a TripMate is sure they want to join your trip, they can choose to pay a 20% deposit, or the full trip cost, to secure their spot.

As the TripLeader, you can decide whether you accept this TripMate onto your trip.
If they pay before you have accepted them, their money will be held for up to 48 hours, giving you the chance to make your decision.

Once accepted, their money will be transferred directly to your account, so you may cover organization and reservation expenses.

If they have chosen to only pay the 20% deposit, the remaining trip cost will be due 30 days before the trip begins.

That's great! Just add your friend to your TripLeader dashboard by using his email address. This way your other TripMates know that somebody has been added to your trip.

We highly discourage paying outside of the JoinMyTrip platform. In such cases, we won't be able to provide you with any support or compensation if there's a problem.

Read about our JoinMyTrip Guarantee to find out more.

Your TripMates expect time to do some things that only they may be intesested in at a particular location. That's why you should make sure your Cost per Tripmate is realistic. You can change the price at any time. However once you request payment from a TripMate the price for that TripMate cannot change. You can offer new TripMates a higher price. Before you request payment from TripMates, you have to set the departure date.

As a TripLeader, you have full control of who joins your trip. That's why we highly recommend that you get to know your future TripMates well before accepting them to join your trip. You can do so by chatting on our website. If you realize that things are not working out during the trip, talk to each other, and discuss if you want to part ways. If the group breaks up, the TripLeader has to refund the TripMate for the remaining part of the journey. Our customer support is available to help.

Our community consists of more than 150,000 travellers. We are pretty sure you'll find the TripMates you were looking for.

In case you haven't found enough TripMates when the trips is about to start, we highly recommend to add a little comment in your trip description that the trip price might increase if the minimum amount of TripMates is not found. In that case you can talk to your exisiting TripMates directly about the price changes.

You can also set a policy in your trip description according to the specifics of that trip (e.g. "Our group size must have a minimum of three people. If we do not find three people by 30.12.2021, TripMates will have to pay a bit more on arrival or get a refund"). We recommend providing at least 30 days notice if a trip will not go ahead.