✦ Founded 2014 · London, UK

Travel is
human.
We made it
personal.

Secret World connects real travellers with the places, stories and people that make every journey unforgettable. No algorithms. No ads masquerading as advice. Just the world, as seen by those who love it.

180M+users per year

1M+destinations

50+languages

#1 Trip Planner
2026

Our Story

Born from a simple frustration.

Antonio and Markus were tired of travel apps that felt cold, corporate and disconnected from real experience. They believed the best guide to any place wasn't a five-star hotel review — it was a local's story, told with heart.

In 2014, they launched Secret World with one goal: make the world's travel knowledge freely accessible to everyone. Not behind a paywall. Not buried under ads. Just honest, human storytelling about the places we love.

Today, Secret World is ranked among the top three global travel platforms — more visited than Trivago and National Geographic — and it's still growing, one story at a time.

The People Behind It

Meet the founders

Two people with one obsession: making travel accessible, honest and deeply human.

Antonio Kim Ciccarelli

Co-founder & CEO

A traveller at heart, Antonio has visited over 80 countries and believes that every place has a story worth telling. He founded Secret World to give those stories a home — and a global audience.

Markus Hofmeier

Co-founder & CTO

Markus combines engineering precision with a traveller's curiosity. He built the technology that powers Secret World — fast, multilingual, and built to scale to every corner of the globe.

What We Stand For

Our values

Everything we build starts from these three beliefs.

🌍

Free for everyone

The world's best travel knowledge should be accessible to all — not locked behind subscriptions or paywalls. Always free, always open.

🫂

Human first

We amplify the voices of real travellers. Local knowledge, personal stories, honest opinions — these are worth more than any algorithm.

🔍

Radically honest

No sponsored content posing as advice. No inflated ratings. Just the truth about places — the beautiful, the unexpected, and sometimes the difficult.

🤖

AI with a human soul

Our AI trip planner doesn't replace human wisdom — it amplifies it. Every recommendation is grounded in real stories from real travellers.

♻️

Travel responsibly

We promote destinations that benefit local communities. We believe travel, done right, is one of the greatest forces for connection in the world.

🗺️

Every place matters

From the Colosseum to a hidden café in a village you've never heard of — every place deserves to be found, explored and remembered.

Our Journey

How we got here

2014

Year One

Secret World launches

Founded in London with a simple mission: make travel knowledge free and human. First 10,000 places published.

2017

Growing

1 million users reached

The community grew organically — travellers sharing stories, locals contributing hidden gems. No paid acquisition.

2020

Global

50+ languages, 180M+ annual users

Secret World became the world's largest free travel guide, outpacing Trivago and National Geographic in annual visits.

2024

The Future

AI Trip Planner launched

We launched the world's most personalised AI travel planner — 1M+ destinations, real human stories, zero compromise on honesty.

A world without language barriers

Secret World speaks your language — literally. Our platform is available in over 50 languages so every traveller, everywhere, can explore the world in their own words.

🇬🇧 English 🇮🇹 Italiano 🇩🇪 Deutsch 🇫🇷 Français 🇪🇸 Español 🇵🇹 Português 🇳🇱 Nederlands 🇵🇱 Polski 🇷🇺 Русский 🇯🇵 日本語 🇨🇳 中文 🇰🇷 한국어 🇸🇦 العربية 🇹🇷 Türkçe 🇸🇪 Svenska 🇩🇰 Dansk 🇳🇴 Norsk 🇫🇮 Suomi 🇨🇿 Čeština 🇭🇺 Magyar 🇷🇴 Română 🇬🇷 Ελληνικά 🇮🇱 עברית 🇮🇩 Bahasa 🇹🇭 ภาษาไทย 🇻🇳 Tiếng Việt 🇮🇳 हिन्दी + 25 more

🏆 AI Trip Planner 2026

Download Free.
Explore 1M+ Destinations.

Download Secret World and get personalised itineraries, hidden gems and honest local tips — powered by AI, grounded in human stories. 1M+ destinations worldwide.

Travel ishuman.We made itpersonal.