Sign in to view
member only content

Here’s a very clever and very ‘now’ idea: a travel agency for virtual worlds. Synthravels is the first travel organization to offer a guide service to anyone who wants to tour highly-hyped virtual worlds like Second Life or World of Warcraft. The increasing complexity of virtual worlds is making them more interesting, fun and potentially lucrative. But it’s also creating a considerable threshold for newbies, especially for those who have little or no experience with online gaming. Compare it to snatching a tourist from his annual holiday in Myrtle Beach and dropping him in the back streets of Mumbai 😉 Which is why it makes perfect sense for two savvy Italian entrepreneurs to set up a service that takes curious explorers by the hand and shows them the wonders of metaworlds. A customer registers with Synthravels, picks a destination and preferred day and hour for the trip. Within a few days, he or she receives an itinerary by email. To prepare, a visitor has to download any software needed for the virtual world and should also create an avatar. After logging in on the selected day and time, the visitor will find an expert guide waiting to show them the ropes, from the basics of maneuvering to finding elusive and exclusive virtual hotspots. Tours and destinations are selected by Synthravels’ staff: programmers, architects and experienced video gamers. Sightseeing excursions include ‘Discover the Post Art Deco architecture of Paragon City’, a shopping tour of Second Life, and a lastminute to Entropia Universe, including dinner with Deathifier, the legendary owner of Treasure Island. Synthravels, which launched last week, welcomes skilled avatars to sign up as guides. Sounds like a great minipreneur gig for experienced gamers, especially for those who can offer added value by giving specialized tours. There’s a substantial market for services like Synthravels, from parents who’d like to experience how their children are spending all their waking hours, to thousands of marketing and advertising execs who want to dive into youniversal branding. Spotted by: Emerce