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Window Seater — Surprising, real-time audio stories for travellers on trips
We want travellers to better understand and connect with the world outside their window. So we travelled 7,000km by train to find and then produce amazing stories about the things we could see. Our app delivers these stories to curious travellers at the right time and in the right way.
So far we've covered the great Thai trains. So where next?
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Hello Product Hunters,
Richard and I are humble travellers with a philosophy for travel that we're starting to wrap products around. Basically, we want you choosing the window seat, and using the experience of travel as a way to learn about and feel more connected to the amazing world we live in.
Window Seater is an idea I had when taking a train in France. A large granite bluff popped up on the horizon. I wished there was a friendly local sitting across from me that would explain what it was, and maybe share a story about it as it drifted past our train window.
Fast forward a few years, and we've finally released Window Seater. Its the friendly person sitting with you on your journey, telling you some surprising stories about the amazing places outside your window.
We've only built the content for rail journeys in Thailand for now. I know thats a weird choice, but thats just where we were at the time, so it was a good enough place to launch a Beta. The product is working well in Thailand, and its free for now, so if you know someone travelling there, please tell them about it!
But we're launching on Product Hunt now because we're keen to know what journeys you'd like us to cover next. What countries? Trains/planes/automobiles? The scenic and historic journeys, or your everyday commute? We've found that there are compelling and surprising stories absolutely everywhere, and we're up for a challenge. So fire away!
Happy travels,
Pete
This is such a great idea! Hope you'll expand to more countries and cover buses too :) It's much cheaper to travel by bus (at least in Europe). From example, from Vienna you can go to Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and other capitals for only 15 € per trip. Each trip lasts 3-5 hours so an app like this to keep you company and tell you about the places you pass by would be so valuable.
@anna_0x Thanks Anna! We've just gotten started on Europe. I'm definitely keen to do buses, but if we have to start somewhere, I'd rather start with trains, because I think it offers the best window seat experience. Alain de Button said it better than I can: "Of all modes of transport, the train is perhaps the best aid to thought. The views have none of the potential monotony of those on a ship or a plane, moving quickly enough for us not to get exasperated but slowly enough to allow us to identify objects. They offer us brief, inspiring glimpses into private domains, letting us see a woman at the precise moment when she takes a cup from a shelf in her kitchen, then carrying us on to a patio where a man is sleeping and then to a park where a child is catching a ball thrown by a figure we cannot see."
Thanks for the review, Allison! I know its a shame we're only in Thailand for now, but we put a lot of time into developing new Window Seater trips, so its going to take a while to get the coverage we want. Next, we're thinking we'll come to Europe. What do you think?
Love the idea of an app for the journey, not just the destination. Can't wait to see it working in other countries and rail journeys - Settle-Carlisle line in the Yorkshire Dales please!
@t_marcus Ooh! Thats a good one. We're keen to get cracking on the UK content ASAP. Any reason why that line in particular?
Downloaded and used on my holiday with wife across Thailand rail. Quality voice guides with enough interaction to keep engaged but not too much to distract from the window views. Fascinating Thailand history nuggets makes the whole place seem that much more magical!
@myanmarvr Thanks for the positive feedback, Oliver! Magical is a good word!
@liatlangenkamp We're keeping our sails pretty trim while we're pre-revenue. But if you or a friend is interested, feel free to write me at pete@windowseater.com with a brief intro about your skills and where you feel we could use them. And jump on our website, sign up to the mailer, and we'll be sure to send any new positions there.
@liatlangenkamp I was having the same thought while sitting on a train once in France. Having just built the content for Thailand, I believe the reason is that finding, researching, writing, and narrating the stories is too much work for the average app developer. But for people who love travel and storytelling, its actually really fun.
@leongreen @liatlangenkamp Switzerland and the UK are top of the list. To begin with, we're going to try to link up the old Orient Express route - London <> Paris <> Vienna <> Belgrade <> Istanbul. The "Alberg-Orient Express" went through the middle of Switzerland, and I've already taken most of that route. I write about it here: https://medium.com/@WindowSeater...
I'm really excited to see more trains and adventures go in. I want to travel from Athens to Paris and go through Eastern Europe. Please Window Seater keep me company!
Pros:It's clear lots of love has been put into the content. Travel and adventure needs something well researched like this!
Cons:Small rollout at first. Can you hurry to do the train through Greece-Albania?
This highlights what travel is about for me - really paying attention to your surroundings and taking the time to learn about where you are.
Pros:The content is worth a listen if you're on the road or suffer from wanderlust, like myself :)
Cons:Hopefully there will be more locations soon
Window Seater