by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:46 PM ET, Fri October 19, 2018
Meeting interesting strangers is half the fun of travel.
Travello, a social network that connects more than 350,000 travelers in 180 countries, clearly gets that.
The company announced that it's sending two complete strangers on a trip of a lifetime together. The strangers, Natalie Otto and Tom Cunningham, just happen to be the winners of a $25,000 Aussie Adventure competition.
Otto is a 25-year-old former American TV news reporter who recently moved to Melbourne, while Cunningham is a 25-year-old videographer from Country Victoria. The two were scheduled to embark today on an incredible seven-week journey together, covering 5,500-kilometers across Australia.
The trip includes camping under the stars near Uluru, skydiving in Byron, visiting a crocodile farm in Emu Park, taking a scenic flight over the Whitsundays, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, scaling the Harbor Bridge in Sydney and exploring the world heritage listed Fraser Island. In other words, you name it, and Otto and Cunningham are doing it.
"I am absolutely stoked to have been chosen to go on this trip," Otto said in a statement. "To be honest, this really is the way that the world of travel is going. People want to meet like-minded people, make new friends, and travel the world together."
Travello partnered with tourism boards and travel organizations to make the trip happen including Destination Gold Coast, Tourism Noosa, Tourism Whitsundays, YHA, World Nomads Travel Insurance, JUCY Car & Campervan Hire, and No Expiry.
Launched in 2015, Travello is often described as the Facebook of travel. The company name combines the words 'travel' and 'hello' and enables travelers to connect and meet like-minded travelers either in their immediate vicinity or a future destination.
Travelers can also use the app to share their travel experiences and provide real-time recommendations.
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