http://www.virtualtourist.com/

Numbers

• 800,000 registered members from more than 220 countries and territories

• 1.4 million travel tips on more than 25,000 locations worldwide

• 2.6 million photos

• 2 million mapped destinations

• 85% of forum questions are answered

• Dozens of VirtualTourist meetings happen every week around the globe

• 25 VirtualTourist marriages (that we know of!)

• 5 million unique users per month*

• 30 million page views per month*

source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2006

History

VirtualTourist.com started in 1999 with a simple objective: Bring people together to share their travel experiences, no matter where in the world they lived. Co-founders J.R. Johnson and Tilman Reissfelder believed that the most valuable travel advice came from other travelers. And the Internet—still in its infancy back then—seemed like an ideal platform for people to share their experiences with anyone, at anytime, and about anywhere.

Although the site’s premise was straightforward, building a framework that would allow people to contribute unlimited travel tips and photos took a lot time and careful engineering. But when the co-founders started to see a small but growing number of members contributing to their new site, it was all worth it. With each passing day the founders watched as more and more travel tips, experiences and photos appeared on VirtualTourist, transforming their vision into an increasingly useful travel resource.

On its feet and growing by the day, VirtualTourist was just gaining momentum when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. But Johnson and Reissfelder, who by this time had recruited Giampiero Ambrosi to the team, refused to give up. While other Web sites floundered and disappeared, the dedicated VirtualTourist team moved the site’s operations into a small Santa Monica apartment shared by Reissfelder and Ambrosi; their cramped living room would serve as VirtualTourist’s headquarters for the next couple years.

Despite the weak economy, and VirtualTourist’s $0 advertising budget, Internet users were finding, using and really enjoying VirtualTourist. The increasing number of travel tips and photos were quickly surpassing anything else on the Web. The members—now growing rapidly in number--were sharing their travel experiences, but they were also sharing information about themselves, their lives and their hometowns; they were forging friendships and organizing in-person meetings. VirtualTourist had grown beyond its humble beginnings and into a real worldwide community.

Today, VirtualTourist is one of the largest, most popular travel research sites on the Web. New members join daily, while the vibrant community continues to share more and more useful travel tips, advice, photos and experiences. Johnson, Reissfelder and Ambrosi remain at the helm, continually innovating ways to improve and enhance the VirtualTourist experience.

Fun Fact: VirtualTourist.com is one of the oldest URLs on the Web. Back in 1994, the web address was registered by a graduate student enrolled at the State University of New York in Buffalo. The Web page--among the first to feature clickable maps--was built to display the locations of Internet servers around the world (there were a lot fewer back then) and encourage exchange from Internet enthusiasts around the world. One of the VirtualTourist founder’s acquired the name in 1998.