Travel is the biggest splurge of millennials. If you ask anyone in this particular demographic what they plan to spend the most money on, it would likely be trips to somewhere far off and magical. In the past, people utilized travel agents to make their recommendations. That's all well and good, however, these people are often paid on commission.
While I don't disagree with them getting a cut of course, that also means that they may have more incentive to promote a higher paying affiliate verses what is really the best option for the traveler who has has commissioned their service. If one company's vacation package is offering 10%, and another is offering 15% who are you going to promote the hardest? Be honest with yourself.
CoolCousin is the travel agent re-imagined.
Fortunately, we no longer live in the times of travel agents. Now, we do everything online, and it's easier than ever for you to put together your dream vacation yourself. The only problem we have now is what's called the "dilemma of choice". That's right, first world problem alert, we have too many choices.
It's also very easy for some hosts or websites to misrepresent their listings. Once a traveler has booked their stay, they arrive to find that things are less than ideal, and it would be difficult or impossible to find different accommodations for their stay. Especially if they would only be staying a short time. It's often hard to judge a neighborhood or a location without actually being there yourself. Vacation ruined.
CoolCousin is travel experiences tailored to you.
Cool Cousin wants to take the guess work out of travel for everyone. Thanks to social media and the blockchain, now you can find attractive options for your stay without compromise or spending an exorbitant amount of money.
Why the blockchain though? Well, for starters, it's a great way to connect people in an efficient manner. By utilizing this service anyone can essentially become a "localized travel agent". What's more is you can find an individual, called "cousins" in this application's ecosystem, that shares your unique tastes. That means you don't have to settle for a pre-packed travel experience. Instead your new helper will share their knowledge of the area, and then guide you to your perfect accommodations, restaurants or activities.
"That sounds awesome!", you say. However, why would these locals volunteer their time for such a thing? Surely they've got better stuff to do than help me find out which local air BnBs don't smell like mildew and come with six-legged roommates?
These individuals are so eager to help because they will be compensated for it. By updating their profiles and answering questions posed by travels who may potentially visit their home town or city they can earn CUZ tokens. These are the platform's native cryptocurrency which can be exchanged just like any other crypto token or coin. In this sense you can consider a platform such as this a decentralized income generator for everyone involved.
CoolCousin turns your local knowledge into currency.
All of this is meant to De-commercialize the travel industry. That does not mean that local businesses will not be able to benefit from this application, far from it. While businesses will be free to edit their on site content, they will not be able to pay to influence their rankings.
All recommendations need to be from legitimate community members who will give their honest feedback to travelers. A platform such as this could actually level the playing field for small artisans or business owners who offer excellent products or services but may be pushed down in rankings by other operations with more money at their disposal for advertising.
Essentially, Cool Cousin offers the full travel experience you'd receive by using an agent, but without the price tag or mediocrity involved. This allows travelers access to more off beat or non-typical experiences they might not be able to find on their own, or even with a licensed travel agent who is not local to the area or may not have any personal experience with the area at all.
CoolCousin tells you every city's best kept secrets.
I also find it pretty awesome how this set up allows people from anywhere in the world to earn money by giving recommendations to people interested in visiting their country. In many countries where the earned wage is much lower than what you yourself may be accustom to, this could provide potentially life changing income opportunities to many who may be suffering from less than ideal economic situations.
For those who already rent out rooms in their homes via other sharing economy apps such as Air BnB, this could be yet another income stream for them. A helpful Cousin could find that being an excellent travel resource could also up the amount of visitors they receive to their listings as well. Other Cousins may enjoy having in person recommendations from these new friends during their stay.
CoolCousin is for anyone, in any country.
I believe that in order for cryptocurrency to be truly successful that people will need to begin earning their wages with it. There's no better way to allow people to see how useful it is as a currency. It's also important, because if you earn all of your wages in your government issued currencies, then what use have you to transfer it to an alternative currency to make a purchase? Crypto enthusiasts will, yes, but not everyday people, and they are the key to mainstream usage.
As of now, all of my income is earned via the blockchain, and I love it. I think everyone should be paid this way, and this platform is another stepping stone toward that goal. If you really, really want cryptocurrencies to become mainstream then supporting projects like this that allow for people to be paid for their contributions in new ways is how it will be done.
Cool Cousin has essentially built a bridge that allows anyone in the world to earn cryptocurrency. No technical skills are required, users of all ages or walks of life can be rewarded for knowledge of their country or city, and they will be rewarded fairly for their time and contributions.
CoolCousin has also partnered with another cryptocurrency startup that I love called CanYa, a platform that allows for freelancers to find work anywhere in the world! I'm already a CanYa holder, and I'm excited that these two projects will be working together.
CoolCousin and CanYa support nomadic freelancers!
Right now, cryptocurrency is something that few understand, but projects like Cool Cousin and CanYa are going to change that. Soon, your grandma will call you up excitedly to tell you about how she earned 5 CUZ tokens by telling someone about a great restaurant up the street from her house. Maybe she told all her friends too, and now they all supplement their social security income by chatting with travelers. Crazy? I don't think so.
Older generations have already jumped on to the social media bandwagon, getting them to adopt another one won't be much of a stretch. While the general population is still fairly ignorant about cryptocurrencies. Soon, everyone will be trying to figure out how to earn some for themselves. When that happens, get ready, because applications like these will turn the world on its head. You can learn more about CoolCousin at their website.
CoolCousin ICO
Whitepaper
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This was my entry for the OriginalWorks contest.
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