Rome2Rio

🏆 Exciting news! 🎉 We are super proud to announce that Rome2Rio has been awarded the Australia Hyer #Culture100Award. This award celebrates Australian companies that excel in redefining what it means to be a people-first organisation, and we couldn't be prouder! The recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our team members who have played a pivotal role in shaping Rome2Rio into what it is today. Thank you to our incredible team members, past and present, for being part of our remarkable journey. 🌍🤝🌟 https://lnkd.in/g58f6GR2 #Rome2Rio #Culture100Award #BestCompaniesToWorkFor #Hyer

As the year comes to a close… take a look at a snapshot about the year that was 2024 in travel. Rome2Rio data shows: Travelers planned over 725 million trips using Rome2Rio, on every type of transport in 240 countries and territories around the world. 🌎 🚍 The top bus journey was from Tirana to Sarandë, taking in the breathtaking sights of Albania’s Riviera. 🚆 The top train trip was Madrid to Barcelona, the cultural heart of Spain. ⛴️ Ferry fans loved the Como to Bellagio route, enjoying the beauty of the Italian Lakes. ✈️ When it came to flying, the most popular route from Bangkok to Phuket, Thailand’s largest island in the Andaman sea. 🚘 And your most popular car trip was the drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, offering a unique taste of the United Arab Emirates. So, 2024 it’s a wrap! Looking forward to hearing and seeing where travel takes us in 2025! 📸 Michael Silkesjöö | Unsplash | Sarandë, Sarandë, Albanien Abenteuer Albanien | Unsplash | Saranda, Albanien Jherico Agulay | Unsplash | Tokyo, Shibuya City Miriana Dorobanțu | Unsplash | Bellagio, Province of Como, Italy Teddy O on Unsplash weston m | Unsplash | First Avenue, North 1st Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA Josh Hild | Unsplash | Cinque Terre, Italy Logan Armstrong | Unsplash | Barcelona, Spain Federico Giampieri | Unsplash | Barcelona, Spain set.sj | Unsplash | Naiyang Beach, Phuket, Thailand Milind Shah | Unsplash | Kamala Beach, Kamala, Kathu District, Phuket, Thailand Mark Roberts | Unsplash | Phuket, Thailand Christoph Schulz | Unsplash | Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Wael Hneini | Unsplash | Dubai, UAE

Hearing about our team members’ recent travels is a favourite Rome2Rio pastime. “I was lucky to spend time recently exploring the stunning, beautiful island of Sri Lanka”, tells Senior Content Designer Tamara Caddy. “Being able to slow down and enjoy was a luxury.  If you aren’t great at planning ahead, like us, go in the shoulder/low season. We hadn’t booked a thing other than flights and a hotel for the first night. Even in a week you can hike mountains, take a train ride through lush tea plantations, visit colonial ruins and temples, enjoy a surf lesson and still find time to relax with an Ayurvedic massage, and laze on white sand beaches. Sri Lanka offers endless adventures! Think safaris, diving, and whale watching.  Heading out at dawn and dusk you can spot peacocks, monkeys, flamingos or elephants in the wild. We found a simple smile and ‘Hello, How are you?’ went a long way and talking to locals was the best way to understand the island’s vibrant cultures and complicated past. Sri Lanka splashes colour everywhere: whether it is its fragrant tropical fruit, its precious gemstones or aromatic spiced curries…even the tuk-tuks and buses are vibrantly decorated. There's not many places where you’ll see ladies sashaying past in glistening saris or hear a call to prayer from elaborate mosques opposite a towering Buddha.  A procession honouring a Christian saint may well parade down the main street while tuk-tuks weave around wandering cows. Dubbed as an emerging destination that rivals those in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka truly offers an experience all of its own. It’s definitely worth putting on your travel bucket list.” 🌴 #travelplanning #traveltech #bucketlist

Diwali, the Festival of Lights 🎆, holds different meanings and rituals across various faiths and regions, but universally, it symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Recently, we came together to celebrate with delicious food, sweet treats and a creative session of 'rangoli art'. With their colourful patterns, rangolis represent joy and positivity and are traditionally crafted to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. A big shoutout to Praveen Pawar, who guided us through the ‘art class’, and shared his reflections: “Diwali is a festival that celebrates good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. For me, it’s about gathering with family, passing traditions to my children, and sharing these festivities with people from all walks of life.” Thank you to Praveen, the social club and everyone who made this celebration so special. 🌟🌟🌟 #DiwaliCelebrations #FestivalOfLights #TeamCulture #TravelTech

Recently our Rome2Rio engineer, Praveen Pawar took advantage of our travel benefits by taking a trip to Malaysia. 💫 From the vibrant cityscape of Kuala Lumpur to the laidback beach vibes of Langkawi; Malaysia is a wonderful fusion of modernity & tradition.🌴✨ Inspired to visit? Here are some of the must-sees from his journey: 📍 Kuala Lumpur City Centre: "Amazing city views" 📍 Batu Caves, outskirts of Kuala Lumpur: "There’s an ascent of 272 steps to a cave complex that consists of many Hindu temples and a central shrine" 📍 Awana SkyWay (cable car), Genting Highlands: "The ride to the top of the highlands would be a highlight. Just ensure you don’t go on a public holiday because the queue for the cable car on the way back was enormous". 📍 Dream Forest Langkawi: "Langkawi was the hidden gem of this trip, certainly worth a visit for its natural beauty, especially the Dream Forest night walk". https://lnkd.in/gm97Ex4N 📸 EGC | Praveen

Is it just us or are there heaps of great industry events on at the moment? Heading to summits and conferences can be a great way to connect with the industry and get inspired, as Josiah found when he went to the Data & AI Summit. Hope everyone 'blossoms' from this burst of spring learning and collaboration. #continouslearning #tech #melbourne

Wrapping up our Rome2Rio Social Impact month with an afternoon of volunteering for Pinchapoo Australia (slang for Pinch-a-shampoo). Pinchapoo is Australia’s largest not-for-profit supplier of hygiene essentials. Did you know that 1 in 3 Australians experience hygiene poverty and are forced to choose between buying food and personal hygiene products? Pinchapoo has the vision that every Australian has access to this fundamental human right. A big thank you to Emily from Pinchapoo, who not only led the session but also shared her passion for the vision and the impact Pinchapoo has on people's lives. It was inspiring to hear about the growth and expansion of their operations and reach, all driven by volunteers. If you’re interested in Pinchapoo through volunteering or donations, you can find out more information here: https://lnkd.in/eUvtHJ_s

At Rome2Rio, we love to explore the world. Claire Baxter from our team recently had an amazing trip to the lesser-known city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java in Indonesia. Locally referred to as Jogjakarta or Jogja, the city is known as the soul of Java and is renowned for its pure Javanese language, vibrant arts scene, and rich cultural heritage. Yogyakarta is a great base for exploring the surrounding region's ancient temples and breathtaking natural beauty, Claire’s highlights include: 📍Borobudur Temple - the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and built in the 9th century, so older than Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame Cathedral 📍River tubing in the impressive Pindul Cave 📍Experiencing stunning sunrises at Mount Bromo Claire shared these handy travel tips with us: 1️⃣ Navigating Yogyakarta’s busy urban streets can be hairy, jump on a ‘Becak’ It’s like a rickshaw or pedicab elsewhere. An open-air seat on the front of a motorbike, it’s fast and nice and cool in the evening with the breeze blowing on you. 2️⃣ Get up early! Many museums close mid-afternoon and most day tours have very early pickups 3️⃣ Download Grab to get around. It’s like a local Uber and you can order food and transport through it. 4️⃣ There are two main tourist areas - Malioboro and Prawirotaman. I stayed near Malioboro and although I loved my hotel, I kind of wish I’d stayed in Prawirotaman. It’s more arty and has more of a cafe scene (including some vegan places) which my area completely lacked. 5️⃣ Don’t worry too much about cash. You’ll need a little bit - some convenience stores will only take credit cards for purchases over IDR50,000, but otherwise, you can use card everywhere.”

As part of Rome2Rio’s Social Impact Month, our team recently helped out at our local FareShare kitchen. FareShare operates Australia's largest charity kitchens. Since 2001, they have been transforming rescued food into delicious, cooked, nutritious meals for people facing hardship, especially in recent times due to cost-of-living pressures. 🍲💪 Working alongside the FareShare team was a great experience, and having the fabulous chef Arnel show us what to do was invaluable. Not only was it good to come together as a team to prepare and package meals, but knowing that the meals were being distributed to those in need in our local community made it incredibly meaningful and impactful. 🥗🇦🇺 A big thank you to Rosie and the FareShare team for making us feel so welcome and for the fantastic work they do to support our community each and every day. 💖 If you're interested in volunteering at FareShare in Melbourne, you can find more information here: As a company: https://lnkd.in/g-G6sVm Or individually:  https://lnkd.in/gtwMW5_r #FareShare #CommunitySupport #SocialImpact #Rome2RioCares

🚀 We're excited to welcome Wendy Olson Killion, CDME as the new CEO of Rome2Rio! Wendy brings extensive experience in travel and tech, and we're thrilled to have her leading us as we continue our journey to help travellers discover the best ways to get from A to B anywhere in the world. 📈 This year, Rome2Rio has seen record-breaking numbers, helping over 50 million travellers discover and plan their trips across the globe each month. With Wendy on board, we're ready to drive even more innovation and take the platform to new heights. You can read more about Wendy's announcement below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/g4qVP5fH