Travel selling is evolving fast and new players are redefining how trips are discovered and booked.

This episode features Jake Peters, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Fora, and Maarten van Pijpen, chief growth officer at Unravel, in conversation with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines. The discussion explores how AI, social media and changing consumer behavior are reshaping distribution.

Fora represents a modern travel agency model, using technology and AI to empower a new generation of travel advisors. But while tech enhances efficiency and personalization, Peters emphasizes that humans remain essential. AI assists advisors, it does not replace them. Like a fitness app versus a personal coach, technology can guide, but human expertise and accountability elevate the experience.

Unravel takes a different approach. Often described as “TikTok meets Expedia,” the company delivers travel inspiration through a shoppable video feed, connecting discovery directly to booking. With younger travelers consuming hours of video daily and turning to platforms like TikTok for vacation ideas, Unravel aims to seamlessly link inspiration with transaction in a self-service environment.

Together, the executives share how AI supports their business models, how social platforms are becoming key distribution channels and what they’re building toward in 2026.

The takeaway: the future of travel selling is not just about AI. It’s about how companies blend technology, personalization and the right level of human touch.

Travel selling is evolving fast and new players are redefining how trips are discovered and booked.
This episode features Jake Peters, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Fora, and Maarten van Pijpen, chief growth officer at Unravel, in conversation with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines. The discussion explores how AI, social media and changing consumer behavior are reshaping distribution.
Fora represents a modern travel agency model, using technology and AI to empower a new generation of travel advisors. But while tech enhances efficiency and personalization, Peters emphasizes that humans remain essential. AI assists advisors, it does not replace them. Like a fitness app versus a personal coach, technology can guide, but human expertise and accountability elevate the experience.
Unravel takes a different approach. Often described as &ldquo;TikTok meets Expedia,&rdquo; the company delivers travel inspiration through a shoppable video feed, connecting discovery directly to booking. With younger travelers consuming hours of video daily and turning to platforms like TikTok for vacation ideas, Unravel aims to seamlessly link inspiration with transaction in a self-service environment.
Together, the executives share how AI supports their business models, how social platforms are becoming key distribution channels and what they&rsquo;re building toward in 2026.
The takeaway: the future of travel selling is not just about AI. It&rsquo;s about how companies blend technology, personalization and the right level of human touch.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus is a regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus

Leaders from Fora and Unravel discuss how AI, social media and shifting consumer behavior are reshaping travel selling, revealing two distinct paths forward: tech-enabled human advisors and video-driven, self-service booking.