About

TRAVLPEER is a blog providing news and information on the sharing economy in the world of travel. New peer-to-peer platforms like Airbnb, Uber and many others allow us to rent and share our homes, cars, dinner tables and destination knowledge like never before. Whether as hosts or travelers, we can now embark on a journey of collaborative consumption and enjoy a new world of shared travel. Fueled by economic factors and a tremendous social appeal, this new economy has spread across all travel sectors – accommodation, transportation, dining and destination experiences. The blog takes a look at how this unfolding trend impacts the travel industry and the public.

Marina Velikova, who is behind the blog, arrived at the idea about it after over ten years in the travel industry, and a lifelong interest in travel as a social and economic phenomenon. For eight years, she has worked at the Global Business Travel Association, a major industry group. There, she researched and wrote columns on industry trends and later led the group’s global expansion. Working in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Europe and China, she launched and managed education programs for members of the travel community.

Marina has also had short-term assignments  at the National Geographic Traveler, The World Bank and RARE Center.  Born in Europe, she studied tourism economics at the University of Economics -Varna, Bulgaria. After moving to the United States, she studied business administration at Truman State University and earned a Master in Tourism Administration degree from the George Washington University. She is a passionate traveler and supporter of knowledge sharing across cultures.

TRAVLPEER is also active on Twitter and Facebook.