The Paid Piper - The Best American Travel Writing 2013 - page 60

GRANT STODDARD
The Paid Piper
FROM T Magazine
A FRIEND TOLD me: “If you're looking to make some money on the side, you should try
Gidsy.com , it's totally up your alley.” Because it seems lately that no occupation is anywhere
near my alley, I checked out this funny-named startup ( gids is the Dutch word for “guide”) in
the hope that my friend was right. Started in November 2011, the website is a Berlin-based
outfit that enables travelers and other novelty seekers to find activities organized by what it
refers to as “real people.” Via Gidsy, genuine humanoids like you and me can monetize our
expertise,creativity,access,skills,orlocalknowledgebyturningthemintotoursandactivities
offered for a price (and advertised through social networks that the site seamlessly integrates).
Haveaccesstoahot-air-balloonrideoverLuxor'stemplesatsunrise?Knowhowtomakebut-
tonsinyourBerlinapartment?Chancesaresomeonewillpaytojoinyou.Eachactivityorgan-
izersetshisorherownprice,andGidsytakes10percent—atributethatwilleventuallytrickle
up to the coffers of Ashton Kutcher, one of the firm's principal investors. It's no coincidence
that Kutcher would put money into Gidsy; it's a logical extension of sites like Airbnb (also in
Kutcher's portfolio of investments) that aim to democratize travel knowledge and capitalize
on the Internet's DIY spirit. A social media vacation, then, might involve consulting TripAd-
visortofindadealonflights,Airbnbforaplacetostay,andGidsyforstufftodowhileyou're
in town.
I decide that my tours will combine two or more aspects of my life and interests, excluding
the amusing but impractical coupling of “5k Run Plus Guitar Lesson.” Within a couple of
hours,peoplebrowsingGidsyareoffered“Scorsese'sDowntownManhattanTour,”inwhichI
take movie fans to various locations featured in three of the director's films; “A Running Tour
of Manhattan,” wherein I whisk a huffing, puffing group along Hudson River Park, alerting
them to points of interest; “A Historical Walking Tour of Occupied New York,” filled with
mildly insightful musings on the British administration of New York City from 1776 to 1783;
anda“ManhattanKayakTour,”inwhichIfusethetediumofbarelymemorizedfactoidsabout
the Hudson River with the exhilaration of possibly drowning in poison.
Eventually, I get a bite. Edial Dekker, a 28-year-old Dutchman living in Berlin, expresses a
gooddealofinterestinmykayakingtourandpolitelyasksifIcanscheduleoneduringhisvis-
it to New York in October. I'm not especially surprised to discover that Dekker is, in fact, the
company's cofounder. Without disclosing that I would be writing about the experience, I tell
Dekker that the Hudson River is too cold in October, and he inquires whether there might be
some other way I can amuse him and his brother, Floris, who is also a Gidsy cofounder (along