Philadelphia entrepreneurs launch ‘Saltete’ travel guide platform

As travel picks again up, a Philly married couple is rethinking how to make it easier for men and women to take a look at places all over the globe — starting off with their individual metropolis.

Regan Fletcher Stephens, a freelance journey writer, and Eric Stephens, a item manager and entrepreneur, have introduced a a person-of-a-variety publishing system known as Saltete, a market for writers to develop and sell niche, digital travel guides. The first a single up is about Philadelphia, readily available for $19.

“My intention — our objective! — is to democratize, and give writers from anywhere, all more than the environment, a platform to share their abilities, excellent creating, and greatest tips,” Fletcher Stephens mentioned.

“In the past just about two decades doing the job, first as a photograph editor and then as a writer, I unquestionably have an understanding of that it is challenging to split into this industry,” she additional. “Especially as a individual, like me, who couldn’t find the money for to do an unpaid internship at a journal in NYC or anything very similar.”

COVID took a enormous bite out of the travel market, and freelance writers saw alternatives dry up. Now journey is bouncing again, with TSA checkpoint volumes matching or exceeding prepandemic quantities.

The idea to leverage that with a new online platform arrived to Stephens in the center of the night time, he claimed. He has practical experience with this variety of matter. In 2008 he produced BeerMenus.com, which will allow beer fans to uncover their faves close by, and bar homeowners to advertise their picks

“Eric is normally at the forefront of the tech sector,” Fletcher Stephens mentioned.

Saltete is also fully self-funded and unbiased, according to the couple. Its development was attainable in element mainly because they moved back again to Philadelphia from Brooklyn 6 yrs ago, Fletcher Stephens mentioned: “We ended up type of surprised by how robust and vibrant the tech and creative neighborhood is below — it’s astounding.”

Philly is an excellent position to launch this type of organization for the reason that it offers a very good harmony of prospect to excellent of everyday living, said Alex Hillman, associate and director of tactic at 10k Independents Venture, a collective that “aims to get 10,000 independent workers to the issue of sustainability,” for each its site.

“I like the components of Philly’s company tradition that are about company and local community. It tends to be far more about solving difficulties than ‘changing the world,’” Hillman claimed.

Optimized for cellular equipment and outfitted with GPS

To generate Saltete — the identify is a combination of the phrases “salt” and “été,” which signifies “summer” in French — the Stephenses took inspiration from national successes like Substack, and solicited regional tips from spouse-and-wife design and style studio Smith & Diction, found in the Bok Setting up.

Rather of a membership-based mostly system, they decided to provide particular person vacation guides for a one-time purchase. Not like printed guidebooks or downloadable PDFs, on the other hand, Saltete guides are interactive.

Optimized for mobile devices and geared up with GPS, the platform lets you click on any area of a guideline to obtain recommended eateries, parks, and museums. It also reveals them on a map, permitting you get a better grasp of the length from 1 exercise to an additional.

The platform aims to make matters easier for writers too, providing them the electrical power to monetize their text.

“Regan and I have experienced so lots of discussions more than the many years about distinct CMS and publishing instruments she’s employed, and how aggravating some of them can be,” Stephens explained. “It’s been so enjoyment to have a green-industry option to generate one particular from scratch … and truly consider by how we can make the workflows as enjoyment to use as feasible.”

Showcased on the website ideal now is “A Guide to Viewing Philadelphia with Kids,” by Fletcher Stephens herself.

Impressed by the Delco native’s experience introducing Philly to her 3 young daughters, it consists of subsections like “What to See and Do” and “Advice From Regional Dad and mom We Love” in addition to 160 recommendations from Fletcher Stephens herself.

The information clues travelers in on all the things from tiny-recognized inexperienced areas, to how to navigate tourist destinations in Outdated City, and in which to go for a day excursion outside the town.

There’s also an itinerary part, with options together with “Historic Philly” and “Rittenhouse and the Schuylkill River Trail,” total with stage-by-step things to do, sights, and foodstuff spots, all with hrs of operation and strolling distances detailed.

The probable of Saltete is infinite, the pair claimed, with writers from close to the country and planet receiving all set to share their experiences and tips on the system.

They are also just thrilled with the opportunity to collaborate, Fletcher Stephens added. “I just sense genuinely excited that we get to perform collectively on something that attracts on every single of our respective experience and activities.”