College Alum Cofounds Travel App

Nick Dunlap, AB’17, believes Trava will benefit students abroad now

It’s a pleasure to hear from UChicago College alumni whose study abroad experiences influenced their future endeavors, sometimes in surprising ways.

Nick Dunlap, AB’17, who participated in the 2015 Rome, Antiquity to the Baroque program, writes, “For me, studying abroad in Rome about seven years ago represented one of the most transformative experiences that UChicago had to offer. I loved every aspect of traveling across the multitude of cities and countries I visited [outside of program-organized excursions], but I also still remember the struggle that accompanied coordinating each of those trips, whether they were for solo adventures or the big group trips with friends (especially the big group trips).” 

Image of cell phone and scenic view of nature with text, "Vote on activities, get custom itineraries."
(photo courtesy of Trava’s Instagram)

Determined to simplify the personal travel planning process, Nick and a fellow UChicago Study Abroad alum (Paris 2016) began developing a travel app in 2019. Their team launched Trava in January of 2023, and the free-to-use application has already helped countless users create personalized itineraries—full of things to do and places to eat (including free and low-cost options)—in minutes, for top destinations both in the US and abroad (Paris, Rome, London, and more).

“Our mission with Trava is to help inspire folks to easily plan their next adventure,” Nick, both Cofounder and COO of Trava, writes. “We’ve built a platform where travelers can safely find recommendations, coordinate their travel, build itineraries, and then share those recommendations and memories with their loved ones and communities.”

It turns out that the most independent moments of being a student abroad can spark innovation.

Nick believes that study abroad students in particular would benefit from this free resource for planning independent travel. Learn more about Trava on their website and on Instagram.