A realisation about ama came to me when I sat down to plan my next holiday. Usually I leave it until late, but this time it was quite far in advance. It was one of those days when it was cold, windy and gloomy outside. So the idea of looking into the next holiday and taking a step towards making it real felt about right. It would certainly bring back the positive vibes.

So I decided I should go to Amalfi coast in Italy and came up with the idea of walking tours along the coast to spread over a few days. Using AI and traditional browsing was all very useful. Yet the missing ingredient for me was a personal recommendation. Speaking to someone who has been there, lives there and can share nuanced insights based on their experiences. Better a few people than one for a variety of perspectives.

Later on I spoke to a friend who shared some great insights. I hardly remember all the details now, but what really mattered is how much more I discovered in the brief chat we had.

This brought me to the idea of a tool which would allow me to reach out to more people remotely and whom I may haven’t met before for a personalised advice in a way that increases the chances of getting a positive response. It felt right to offer something in exchange for finding time to speak with me. It could be a token gift, a small reward (as little a cost of a cup of coffee) or anything fitting the occasion.

So in my destination exploration,  I thought I could have reached out to a local guide (probably not so busy in winter), an Airbnb owner, or someone who left interesting reviews on Tripadvisor or photos on Instagram about the place I wanted to visit. Then I checked and realised that direct messaging appears to be an option across most if not all digital platforms people use these days.

So all I needed was  an outreach tool which would allow me to make a video call and after to give a reward without much hassle, also in a way which would keep personal and payment details private for all.

Since then the list of ideas and practical use-cases for personalised advice keeps growing, I keep discovering more and more possibilities every day.

I'd love to hear from you. Just drop me a line at olga@amatalks.com