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AI might be changing how we plan holidays, but Pangea reckons the best part of travel still happens offline.
The global social travel platform has launched Pangea Trips, a new collection of more than 50 group travel experiences planned for 2027, including adventures to some unconventional destinations.
The idea is simple: use AI to figure out where travellers might want to go, then let real people, local knowledge and shared experiences take it from there.
Pangea’s community now numbers more than 100,000 travellers, including globetrotters who have visited every country in the world. Their recommendations feed into the platform’s travel intelligence, helping shape everything from where groups stay and eat to which neighbourhoods and lesser-known spots make the cut.
Speaking exclusively with Time Out, Pangea founder and CEO Matt Gray explains that the company’s mission has always been to help its community explore the world together. “Africa is the largest continent, with 54 countries, so there is no doubt it’s a key focus for our community of off-the-beaten-path travellers and us,” says Matt.
He hopes Pangea can help open up new destinations in less visited places and expand its community’s worldview along the way.
Where Cape Town fits in
For Cape Town, that could be looking beyond the usual Table Mountain-and-V&A-Waterfront itinerary.
The city has already played a starring role in Pangea’s real-world experiments. In 2026, the company hosted its Serendipity Summit on top of Table Mountain. Now the Mother City is set to feature again when the event returns alongside NomadWeek in February 2027.
And nobody is more excited than Matt. “One thing that I love about this event is the work we do to bring the local and international communities together... so many tourists stay in a bubble, and that was one of the core things we wanted to focus on,” he adds.
“Andrae Smith’s Work Wanderers Community has done a great job of bringing together people from dozens of nationalities, and many of its most active members are the Capetonians who love to travel.”
Last year, Pangea ran a local startup pitch competition, and Ubuntu Pay was granted its Nomad Startup Fund, crowd-funded by the community. “Over time we want to expand this, leveraging the power of our global network to create meaningful impact on the city we love so much.”
Already a magnet for remote workers, entrepreneurs and long-stay travellers, Cape Town’s combination of urban energy, outdoor adventure, food, wine and access to the wider Western Cape makes it an obvious fit for Pangea’s community-led approach.
“AI is transforming how people plan travel. But ultimately, it’s just a tool, not the end goal,” reminds Matt. After more than a decade on the road and 123 destinations, he shared that the moments that stick are the experiences travellers have.
That philosophy is at the heart of Pangea Trips.
What’s in store for 2027
The 2027 programme will include small-group Adventure Expeditions to places such as Angola, Iraq, Central Asia, West Africa and the South Pacific, alongside trips to South Africa, Peru and Spain.
There will also be Coworking Chapters, where travellers can live, work and explore a destination for several weeks, plus interest-led trips centred around food, fitness, wellness, hiking, surfing, skiing, scuba diving and more.
Pangea is bringing serious travel credentials to the operation. Caroline Lupini has joined as Head of Experiences. She will oversee the company’s growing network of experienced hosts, people who know not only where to go, but what to skip.
And that may be the real selling point.
Pangea isn’t promising travellers another algorithmically generated list of “must-see” attractions. It asks who knows a place exceptionally well, what they would recommend to friends.
Matt’s recommendation? “ABCD runs a great day trip which immerses you in the township with a walking tour, a wine tasting at Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines, and then a sunset vibe at Rands, which most tourists and, frankly, many Capetonians don’t often do. But it’s by far the most authentic experience I can recommend.”
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