GAFFL
Author: Kalicia Bateman
GAFFL, Get A Friend For Life, is a social platform that travelers can use to find a travel buddy to share costs with. It was founded in 2017 and focuses on hikers, mountaineers, and airport travelers. You can view, join, or add to a wish list.
The simple platform lets you plan a trip, join other members’ trips, and add bills to split costs with your travel buddies. It costs $6.99 for 30 days access and users can join an unlimited number of trips.
This platform uses several forms of account verification to ensure users are connecting with genuine people.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Account Verification
- Split Travel Costs
- Group Chat for Trips
Account Verification
GAFFL offers several forms of account verification:
- Phone verification
- ID verification plus real-time selfie
- Social verification — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus
- Credit card verification
To get your verification badge, you can take a picture of any government ID and a picture of yourself.
As you are browsing trips to join, you can see which profiles have been verified by Facebook, email, and phone, and which haven’t. Users also gain Trust Points when they complete a verification task, so you can see how much they have verified, with a max of 100 points.
Split Travel Costs
GAFFL offers a special section for people to add bills to be split among travel buddies. If there are issues, the platform offers to handle any disputes.
This is a great way to securely split payments with strangers and add bills, so each party can see itemized costs.
Group Chat for Trips
Once you join a trip, you will be included in a group chat with real-time messaging to help users plan and communicate easier. The platform also offers notifications and emails to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
The Bad
- Cost
Cost
GAFFL is $6.99 for 30 days of access to join and plan as many trips as you want. It doesn’t automatically renew, like a Netflix or Ancestry subscription; rather, it is a pay-as-you-go service. You have to re-activate to join again for another 30 days of access.
The fee goes towards site upkeep and the verification team.
The Bottom Line
GAFFL is a great way to connect with people who want to travel and save money. You can catch a ride or get help paying for an Airbnb along the way. We like that it allows people to see several types of verification, especially when they are going to be connecting in real life.
Have you met a travel buddy with GAFFL? Was it a friend for life? Let us know about your experience with a quick review below.
