How to travel like a “Loqule”

They’re in the business of travel, and yet you’ll never see them on an Eiffel Tower tour or Harbour Bridge Climb.

Instead, this company focuses on community experiences with locals, or should we say ‘Loqules’.

These guys are the new travel experience platform that caters to those wanting to discover a different side of a destination, with – you guessed it – some Loqules.

As their tagline suggests, they want travellers to ‘do cool things with cool people’, and their site facilitates that.

“It started when I found myself wishing there was a platform to connect me with likeminded people,” Co-founder and CEO Jai Al-Attas said.

In reality, it kicked off after Jai helped co-found a record label at 16, then got to travel around the world, hanging out with some very cool people along the way.

“We focus on lifestyle and verticals that go with it, and basically get people hooked up with cool experiences.”

Just over three weeks old, the site is geared towards building a sense of community between travellers, offering unique experiences with people familiar with the destination.

“When eBay started, it was people selling old stuff, then Uber was making money out of your car, and then AirBnB did the same with houses. We want to do that with people.”

The ‘loqules’ post their experience, complete with price, capacity and next available date, and if it sounds like your cup of tea, you can make it happen with the touch of a button.

“We’ve currently got 16 experiences, with about another 50 in the pipeline,” Jai said.

And while the team behind Loqules don’t moderate the experience or price, while things are still fresh, they’re “holding hands” with the loqules to ensure the prices being set are the right ones.

But not just anyone can be a loqule – it’s strictly invite only, based on the amount of cool you boast in your field of expertise.

From surfing with legend Taj Burrow and brewing beer with Young Henrys, to frequenting fashion week with blogger Nadia Fairfax, the experiences span across a range of areas.

“We look for influences, not celebrities,” Jai said.

“If anything, we’re anti-celebrity. We would say no to someone like The Bachelor because it’s not what we’re about.”

“We want to work with people that can offer something to others. It could just be an awesome local barista and learning to make great coffee, as long as it’s a unique experience.”

The people behind Loqules take a commission on the price exchange, with their first sale taking place on the second day of operations, giving a 12-year-old skater boy the chance to meet and hang out with skating legend Corbin Harris.

“Do cool things with cool people.”

Asked if they plan to expand overseas anytime soon, Jai tells us absolutely.

“We’re going to learn a lot from Sydney and use it as a blueprint, then take it city by city,” he said.

“Within a couple of months we want to take it overseas, with the help of our loqules.”

So for clients looking for a truly unique experience, in Sydney for now, but OS in the near future, this is the place to look. Stay tuned.

“People are sitting on a dormant asset, their own skills, their story, and we want to help them create revenue streams for themselves doing something they love,” Jai said.

“When eBay started, it was people selling old stuff, then Uber was making money out of your car, and then AirBnB did the same with houses. We want to do that with people.”

And you can learn more about the experiences and cool people on the Loqules website.

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest comments

Robert Scott says:
March 11, 2015 at 8:25 am
Looks good. The idea’s been around for quite some time. We’re on ‘cool and unique’ in Google’s Fieldtrip. Look up http://www.arrivalguides.com
Log in to Reply

jai al-attal loqules taj burrows young henrys