What our CEOs had to say: While one CEO praised GORP.com for having the "terrific look and feel of a magazine," another (who said he wouldn't go back) grumbled that he had to wade through "overwhelming clutter on the home page" before accessing the site's admittedly "valuable information."
What you ought to know: Having been online since 1995, GORP.com is the oldest company in the adventure-travel Web pack and boasts an encyclopedic amount of content: more than 100,000 pages. In June the site touted data from Internet-measurement company Media Metrix Inc. that pointed to GORP.com as "the most trafficked Web site dedicated to outdoor recreation and adventure travel."
www.iexplore.com
What it's good for: High-end, custom-tailored packages.
Don't waste your time if: You're on a tight budget. Although iExplore.com guarantees the best price for its trips, it's not a site for bargain hunters. With cross-promotion partners like upmarket TravelSmith Outfitters, iExplore.com has deliberately targeted the expensive end of the adventure market.
What our CEOs had to say: One reviewer applauded the search-and-sort options available here and also rated the caliber of travelers' testimonials as "great." Another meted out mostly middling marks, however, and complained that the home page was too busy.
What you ought to know: The site features a state-of-the-world newswire for intrepid travelers, sponsored by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet.
The Bottom Line
While none of the sites received either unqualified accolades or savage boos, Away.com was the least popular overall, suffering especially for its clunky navigation tools. Among the remaining four, adventure-travel newcomer Altrec.com made a surprisingly strong showing, with two CEOs championing its real-time advice section. Adventureseek.com garnered high marks for its price comparisons. The reviewers found iExplore.com easy to navigate with "generally clear design." But perhaps most interesting of all, even though our panelists gave the sites mostly strong marks for content and ease of use, their votes dropped a notch when they were asked if they would actually pay for the services offered by the sites.
Could it be that these sites are in danger of falling into that deadly Internet category of "a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to spend there"?
D.M. Osborne is a senior writer at Inc . Additional reporting for this story was provided by Kate O'Sullivan.
The Savvy Entrepreneur's Guide to Adventure Travel on the Web
COMMENTS
|
Would CEOs go back? |
What is the site good for? |
CEOs' quick take |
| Adventureseek.com |
Yes |
Quick, easy searching |
"Comprehensive and easy to use" |
| Altrec.com |
Maybe |
Real-time advice |
"Impressive offering of information and gear" |
| Away.com |
Maybe |
Its auction feature |
"Hard to navigate" |
| GORP.com |
Maybe |
Beginners who want help categorizing trips |
"Comprehensive but somewhat cluttered" |
| iExplore.com |
Yes |
Expert advice |
"Clear design" |
GRADES
|
Ease of navigation |
Ease of use |
Product quality and range |
Support/
expertise |
Overall content |
Reliability/
trust-
worthiness |
Something you'd pay for? |
| Adventureseek.com |
A+ |
A+ |
A- |
B+ |
B |
A- |
C |
| Altrec.com |
A- |
A- |
A- |
A- |
A |
B+ |
B |
| Away.com |
B- |
B- |
B+ |
B+ |
B |
B |
C+ |
| GORP.com |
B+ |
A- |
B |
A- |
B+ |
B+ |
C- |
| iExplore.com |
A- |
A |
A- |
A- |
B+ |
A |
C+ |
Our CEO Panelists
Eric Campbell, president and CEO, TheGolfer.com, San Diego
W.R. "Max" Carey Jr., chairman and CEO, Corporate Resource Development Inc., Atlanta
Mitchell V. Massey, CEO, MuseumShop.com Inc., Arlington, Mass.
Susan L. Preston, CEO, Reality Based Learning Co., Redmond, Wash.
Pamela D.A. Reeve, president and CEO, Lightbridge Inc., Burlington, Mass.
Dov Seidman, chairman and CEO, Legal Research Network Inc., Los Angeles
Mike Skarzynski, CEO, Predictive Networks Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
Eileen Spitalny, president and CEO, Fairytale Brownies Inc., Chandler, Ariz.
Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.
