How this started
Get About started as a portfolio project. I was applying for jobs, building something to show I could actually make things. It turned into a business I'm genuinely excited about. That wasn't the plan. It rarely is.
I was 18 when I first travelled solo, after a friend dropped out because he didn't want to stay in hostels. His loss. The trains, the buses, the history, the languages, the strangers who became friends. Eight years later I'm still planning the next trip and still mates with people I met on that first one.
I've worked and volunteered in hostels. I've done the shifts. I've lived the whole thing. And a few patterns kept showing up.
Three things I saw
As a volunteer
No structure. No tools. No feedback.
I ran tours with no information, a short walk, three hours in a pub. Come back early? Cleaning duty. Managers had no idea if the tour even happened.
As a receptionist
Wrong people doing the wrong jobs.
Volunteers pulled out of the hostel to take guests around the city. Meanwhile the hostel paid cleaners to cover the beds. It didn't make sense.
As a traveller
Fit but alone.
I brought my skipping rope everywhere. But skipping rope is a solo activity. I wanted to run with people, end up at a cafe together. No hostel offered that.
So I built something
Guided Tours gives volunteers real tools and managers real visibility. Urban Race keeps volunteers in the hostel and gives guests something to do together. Run Club makes fitness social. Self-Guided Tours means even hostels without volunteers can give guests a real experience of the city.
And this is just the start. There's a lot more coming.
Underneath all of it: make sure travellers have genuinely great experiences. Get About is about curiosity and connection. Curious because travellers should explore beyond the main square. Connected because human connection is the whole point.
To hostel managers
I've done your shifts. I've seen what works and what could work better. I've run the tours myself. I've got mates managing hostels in other countries. I know this world because I've lived it.
Get About helps you do what you already do well, but better. Keeps volunteers focused. Makes sure guests have real experiences. Makes your hostel the kind of place people actually remember.
We're early. We're real. We're building this because we understand what's possible.