Skip to main content

Get Go-To Trip Plans From Your Trusted Network With the Out of Office App

The Out of Office App, seen here, offers tips on eats, entertainment, and stays via your trusted network of friends and family.
Out of Office.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then innovation’s father may be exasperation. When Coabi Kastan and Janine Seale’s trip to London turned into the perfect storm instead of the perfect trip, they decided to lean on their years of experience in the consumer space to create a better way to plan where to eat, crash, and play. 

“We predicate it on your home network. You might not know the person who posted a recommendation, but you do know your friend, and you know that you both like the same things,” Kastan said. “Now you can get all of those recommendations in one place.”

Recommended Videos

Out of Office (OOO for short) offers an alternative to relying on faceless reviews from strangers and endless messages and text chains. Travel and discovery are simplified with the easily-browsable OOO app. Track down the best hotels, restaurants, must-sees, and must-dos as curated by the people whose opinions you trust the most — your friends and family. All you have to do is build out your network. 

Related Guides

Users can add and expand this trusted circle by inviting those people that they’re already constantly texting. This cuts out the challenge of interpreting reviews on other social networks by replacing them with suggestions from the people whose opinions you can relate to. It’s about easing stress and nailing travel time when the opportunity arises. 

“It’s about getting the most out of your experience. You don’t want to waste time on a crappy restaurant,” Kastan said. “It’s about discovery, remembering places you’ve been, and inviting your friends to join.” 

This discovery begins with a quick, cumulative travel quiz and then tailoring your interests to already identified Out of Office suggestions. When you make it to the OOO app home screen, you can browse through recommendations that align with your travel style. You can then begin plugging into your community’s suggestions — great places to crash, savor the local fare, catch a killer show, or all three at once. 

“We focus on meeting you. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a budget spender or planning a European blow out,” Seale said. “We meet people where they are on their journey.”

Especially if that means returning home and in need of a reliable escape from family craziness (and tips on the best new Kansas City hot spots, in Seale’s case). 

“It’s an excellent discovery piece as the holidays are here. If people are traveling back to their hometown, it’s a great resource to discover something that wasn’t around before,” Seale said.

According to the founders, Out Of Office gets better and more helpful as users expand their networks. The more travelers you follow, the more posters you’ll connect with, and the more dynamic your options become.

“The recommendations grow the more people that interact on Out of Office,” Seale said. “You cultivate the network and we can take you where they’ve been.” 

After two months in beta, Out of Office has been live for about three months. There is already a lot of early organic traffic with around 12,000 users creating over 25,000 recommendations on the free app. 

“It’s about democratization of access,” Kastan said. “Trunk Club democratizes access to a stylist. Cameo democratized access to celebrity. We wanted to know how you can make a really approachable experience that gives you access to an online travel agent.”

Out of Office founders are expanding this access through travel partners, the first being OpenTable. If a recommended restaurant is a part of the OpenTable network, there’s an option to book a reservation directly. Seeing as OpenTable is connected with over 60,000 restaurants across the globe, it’s a nice option to not only find a place but to not even have to worry about scoring a table. 

“At the end of the day, it’s like anything else: You want to have elevated, special, and unique experiences,” Seale said. “Now you can have a trusted circle of people who matter to you. Last-minute travel plans are gone. You’re ready to go.”

For now, Out of Office is available for free on iOS and on the Android waitlist. A future website is also in the works. Download OOO now and begin connections now in anticipation of future travel at www.takemeoutofoffice.com

Read More: A Social Network for Traveling Well

Matthew Denis
Matt Denis is an on-the-go remote multimedia reporter, exploring arts, culture, and the existential in the Pacific Northwest…
The Well Traveled Club, a Social Network for Traveling Well
Well Traveled — the members-only social network built for modern travelers.

How do you find the best pizza in Portland? How about the best cenote (freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole) in the Yucatán Peninsula? Or the best sushi in Japan? The most reliable answer is from a friend or an inside source on the ground. Though search engines and review sites might help, there is little to ensure that these algorithmically driven data sets are accurate, honest, and aligned to your interests. The Well Traveled Club is aiming to change this game.

Launched in 2020, the members-only social network is built for modern travelers. The Well Traveled Club sources a community of like-minded explorers to make it simple to discover and book the best restaurants, hotels, and novel adventures. The membership site offers an enormous (and expanding) range of user-reviewed destinations throughout the United States and across the globe which can help you in your future travel planning.
Personal Travel Recommendations
“There are thousands of reviewed restaurants, hotels, and activities,” Well Traveled’s Founder Samantha Patil said. “People pay money to be a part of this, so there’s a higher standard set when they have more skin in the game. It’s an extension of your personal brand, which is why it’s resonated. There’s a sense of personal pride in showcasing where you’ve been.”

Read more
This California city was just named the friendliest in the U.S.
San Diego came out on top
A scene from San Diego Pride 2016

If you’re looking for good vibes, helpful neighbors, and plenty of friendly smiles, you might want to book a trip to San Diego, California, as it’s just been crowned the friendliest city in the U.S.

The ranking comes from Match Group’s Yuzu app, which surveyed users across the country to find out where locals are the most welcoming. The app asked people to rate their own cities on things like how often locals smile, help strangers, and offer positive interactions. Users gave each city a friendliness score from 1 to 10, combining both quantifiable data and real-life experiences.

Read more
Inside Hawaii’s iconic pink palace: A stay at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Although there are 22 Marriott Luxury Collection resorts in the United States, only one is located in the beautiful state of Hawaii: The Royal Hawaiian Hotel Waikiki. This stunning "pink palace" holds significant importance both to travelers and residents of the island of O'ahu, symbolizing both Hawaiian elegance and architectural beauty. You can read about the fantastic history of this resort online, but experiencing it in person is an entirely different experience. The resort immerses you in not just the history of the building, but also teaches you essential lessons about Hawaiian history and culture.

As one of the first luxury hotels in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian has earned a hefty reputation due to its stunning pink architecture and elegant feel. Here's what you can expect during a stay at this luxury resort and what you don't want to miss.

Read more