WHO doesn’t like holidays? the very idea of going on a holiday can get me all excited and I start imagining myself at the holiday destination already, doing all sorts of activities, trying out new dishes, exploring new places, the local culture and more.
The sad part is that sometimes, I hardly have time to plan a holiday. When I do get the chance, I’d plan everything from where to go, what to do each day, what to bring and what to buy.
Planning a holiday gives me a huge sense of satisfaction but it also takes a lot of time and effort. Enter LocalUsher, a young start-up that helps people plan for a good time. We sometimes feel we do not have time for a real holiday, but Sabrina Cheng, one of the founders of LocalUsher, says this isn’t true. She and co-founder Ng Hui Lin want to offer would-be travellers the chance to try new activity or place to stay. So they do not sell holiday packages but rather activities and experiences.
GOING BACK A LONG WAY
Cheng and Ng have known each other for a long time. Both are from Johor (Cheng is from Johor Baru and Ng is from Pontian) and attended the same college before going to further their studies in Illinois, US, together.
Both graduated with a degree in Engineering and both worked in Singapore, beginning their careers in the IT industry. It was there that they felt stifled by the monotony of a nine-to-five job. They felt that life was really regimented in Singapore.
This made the girls restless and they wanted to do something about it.
At first, they thought of a Travel blogsite. They travelled to local destinations, tried out new things, and wrote about their experiences on the blogsite. But they found this was insufficient to feed their wanderlust. So they came up with the idea to offer experiences and activities to people instead.
They created www.localusher.com, where customers can choose from over 200 fun activities to do in and around Malaysia.
Initially, they wanted to set up a business in which locals at the tourist destinations would be roped in to act as ushers (hence the name LocalUsher).
They wanted locals who were friendly and outgoing, had considerable knowledge about their hometown, and could host the activities offered, but somehow it didn’t work out because it was hard to find people who fitted all the criteria.
WHAT’S INTERESTING
Their next best thing was to find vendors willing to provide different types of experiences for customers. The website they have created is eye-catching and user-friendly indeed.
Exploring the website, I found myself immersed for quite a while discovering the varied activities and experiences on offer.
A search bar at the top of the website lets visitors customise their search according to What Do You Want To Do?, Location and Personality. At the moment Location is limited to only 10 states in the west coast of the peninsula and Singapore.
Under Personality, LocalUsher caters to the Slacker, the Team-builder, the Foodie, the Instagrammer, the Artsy, the Adventurer, the Lovebirds, the Diva and the Luxe.
Some people are keen to try new experiences or activities but don’t have trip buddies or the required minimum number of people to book an experience, so Cheng and Ng have come up with an ingenious idea. They organise an activity and open the event to all.
Past events that have been successfully carried out this way include Sunset BBQ On A Boat, Durian BBQ in a forest resort in Karak and a Mossy Forest Getaway in Cameron Highlands.
“We try to keep these events small, for 16-20 people, so that everyone can form friendships and experience everything thoroughly,” said Cheng.
Coming up soon is a night out Catching Prawns At A Pond and an ATV Adventure to a waterfall, both in Selangor.
MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
When asked about what they find most challenging, Cheng and Ng agreed that it was curating the packages. The six-member team visits vendors to check on the destinations and activities. “Not that we’re complaining though as it’s still a fun job,” said Ng.
“Our most notable achievement to date is that we have grown 10 times since January in terms of operations and revenue. We have also handled a booking for 150 people to Taman Negara. It’s hard work but worth the effort when we get appreciative comments from our customers!” added Cheng.
They said the more popular experiences are paragliding from the top of Jugra Hill, Selangor, water-skiing and wake-boarding at the Putrajaya Lake, the Bicycle Trip in Sauk, Perak, the Treehouse Project in Gunung Pulai, Johor, hiking in Selangor and Perak, and the Sunset BBQ on a boat in Port Dickson.
One rather new experience they offer is glamping, a portmanteau of glamour and camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services. One of their customers gave a rather funny but positive feedback on glamping. He wrote: “Thought my wife and kids would scold me for putting them in a tent to sleep but the beds were comfy and everyone slept well. We would definitely glamp again.”
So if you’re itching for adventure but don’t have the time to plan one, check out LocalUsher at their website, or Facebook page.
The team will also come out with an app soon to complement its social media presence.
