Like a lot of websites launched in the 2000s, the inspiration for TripAdvisor came to co-founder Stephen Kaufer after a frustrating experience. In his case, it was attempting to plan a family vacation using the tools available at the time.
Designed as a comparison website for the entire travel experience – from accommodation to flights to experiences – TripAdvisor quickly became a favourite in North America and Europe.
It wasn’t long before American holding company IAC acquired the brand, combining it with a bunch of other travel services such as Expedia. A year after the acquisition, in 2005, IAC bundled all of its travel portfolio under the Expedia brand and spun it out.
TripAdvisor remained inside the Expedia Group until 2011, when it completed a corporate transfer to make TripAdvisor a public company.
Since the breakaway, TripAdvisor has acquired quite a collection of comparison websites and review services. It…
