MY GLOBAL WELCOME

Michaela just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to get funds for her project My Global Welcome. We have conducted an interview with her about this great initiative.

What is “My Global Welcome” about?

When people travel for business or a holiday, or move to another country, there are usually many worries and doubts. Will they deal with the foreign language? Will they miss their home? Will they feel homesick? Who can they turn to in case of need? Traveling and moving abroad are amazing experiences but this is why many people end up doing nothing and never leave the places they are comfortable with.

My Global Welcome solves these problems. It is the WORLD’S FIRST SOCIAL TRAVEL NETWORK that eliminates the language problem before and while people are moving in the world because it connects them with their fellow countrymen abroad who can help them with whatever problem they’ll have. If people know BEFORE travelling or moving to another country that they’ll receive a warm welcome and a helping hand from people who speak their own language and who are already living in the country they’re travelling to, then they can stay calm abroad.

What actually inspired you to start the project "My Global Welcome"?

The idea was born from my own personal experience: I’m German and I moved to Italy in 1996. After I moved to Italy, I had to cope with a different culture, different traditions, and different social values. Besides, I had to face the practical aspects of day-to-day life, such as the logistics of relocation, visas, residency, housing, health, finance, employment, transportation and so on.

And last but not least, the language. It was really hard for me to deal successfully with everyday problems in a foreign language. I really would have liked to have a tool at my disposal that would have helped me to find and connect with other fellow countrymen nearby but I realized that there was no such tool available. I met compatriots only accidentally. This is why I decided to create My Global Welcome.

Why did you launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo?

For the creation of My Global Welcome and My Global Welcome for mobile devices (e.g. smartphone and tablet) we need $20.000, and additional expenses include administrative, consumption, financial, management and particularly marketing and PR costs for year 1. This is why we decided to launch this all-or-nothing fundraise: this means, if we are not successful of achieving our financial goal, we receive nothing and we guarantee that EVERY PENNY PLEDGED will be returned. By now, we are funded at 90%, but we have only 10 more days to go and this is why YOUR help is absolutely fundamental. If you like the idea of feeling at home wherever you go, then please show your support NOW!

What are the perks of this campaign?

In exchange for donations we prepared non-monetary perks such as personalized budget travel guides, t-shirts, or founder membership cards, and special membership deals.

But we also prepared catchy rewards such as the lifetime activation of our "Don't Worry" package, which is very useful for holiday travelers because it also offers advanced services such as accommodation at fellow countrymen abroad, or compatriots who will show you the town, the region etc. Its activation cost would normally be of 4,99 $ in the first year and from the second year on of 9,99 $/ year. The commercial value of this perk is at least of 95 $, but we offer it for a 25 $ contribution!

Besides there’s our “High Five" perk which is especially useful for business travelers. It will also enable you to find fellow countrymen abroad who can help you with your work, who offer language assistance etc. The "High Five" package will cost 9,99 $ in the first year and from the second year on 19,99 $/ year. For a 50 $ contribution you’ll be able to activate the "High Five" version for a lifetime (commercial value of at least 185 $!!!) but of course these rewards are limited to a few early bird backers!

By when do you plan to launch and who can I ask for more questions?

We plan to launch the beta version by November 2016. Please mail us at info@myglobalwelcome.com to ask your questions, and to provide your ideas and feedback; we'll get back to you as soon as we can.