'Can I Travel' - the new travel website created by UoB Computer Science graduate Filippo Galli

This week we caught up with Filippo Galli who with friends has created a website called
canitravel.net which gives visitors information about travel restrictions around the world.

Filippo: We are giving people who need to travel the information and tools to do so safely during this pandemic and beyond. With simple answers tailored to their travel needs. 

Me and my lifelong friends, Giorgio and Fred had been pitching business ideas over zoom calls for well over a year when the pandemic hit. At that point, our calls quickly turned into confused and frustrated rants about the uncertain future and our fears over the pandemic.

Around February 2020 Giorgio got fixated with this travel engine idea to make more clarity on Covid-19 travel restrictions. The idea was still a bit vague, but it was unique and we loved that it not only solved a real problem, it also solved our direct problem and our friends and families! 

We tried to attack the idea from different angles and future proof it on the spot, by quickly coming up with obstacles and sustainability issues. The idea seemed to hold up, so we agreed to move quickly and I got to work to have a working basic website within days.

We had the opportunity to speak with the Business Start-Up Manager, Mohammed Ali. He helped me in the past and has always been a great mentor to me. He gave us plenty of valuable advice on monetisation, validated our ideas and also inspired us to diversify further. His suggestions have helped us redefine our priorities and cleared up many of our concerns

The best aspects are managing your time and everyone else’s, it is extremely rewarding to make an impact on end-users and on staff. The amount of learning that I and my partners went through in 1 year of this project may not have been accomplished in 10 Years of 9 to 5, the problem-solving, constant compromise and troubleshooting skills I picked up are absolutely priceless.

The worst is that ultimately if things go wrong you are to blame, having to handle most aspects of a business makes it so that sometimes you just have to adapt and work on what others can’t do, whether you enjoy it or not, you may have to pick up calls at an uncomfortable time to fit other businesses timezone and reassess your life in order to effectively progress and still pursuing any other passions.

I wish I had known right away the fundamentals of running a company, such as the necessity of clear goals, the power of selecting the right niches and their preferences, as well as a more pragmatic approach to vital things like monetization and funding. 

The importance of regular communication with the whole team as well as constantly assessing which parts of the business should be delegated and the power of niches rather than trying to appeal to the greater audience. 

It is no longer sufficient to be a pioneer in your field, for a small “garage-sized” business to stay competitive and reach a size where it can weather the shock waves of more established players. It needs to be future proof, it needs leadership and it needs to move FAST. It’s relevant to have solid foundations just as it is to not waste too much time on details, regular and effective communication with the team is key, just as is constantly assessing which parts of the business should be delegated. Delegate Away! 

Our startup, like many others, had a bumpy road, many times I and my co-founders thought of quitting... Supporting each other, remembering why we do this every day and the successes that we have achieved (however big or small) has been vital. Only few people reach success without perseverance and the odds are against it. 

Visit the Canitravel.net website here.

With thanks to Filippo Galli

Edited by Bob Lee(B-Enterprising)