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10 Questions

with Jay Ternavan
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By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 28th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
An American who's lived, studied, worked and traveled in Europe, Jay Ternavan drew upon his own experiences when setting up JayWay.
The Czech travel industry has grown to the point that the market looks saturated. Still, U.S. businessman Jay Ternavan has found and filled one empty niche. As a tourist, he noticed a lack of travel-planning options for English-speaking expats. Earlier this month, Ternavan launched www.jaywaytravel.com, an online company that aspires to cater its services to this market. Ternavan describes his business concept to The Prague Post and elaborates on whether practices unfriendly to tourists in Prague (such as overcharging foreigners) will pose a threat to his new business.
➊ How has business been so far?
The Ternavan File
  • Job title: Managing director, JayWay online travel company
  • Age: 28
  • Nationality: American
  • Education: Bachelor of Science in business administration, University of Richmond
  • Previous job: Sales manager, Crown Relocations
  • Family: Single
Our sales are off to an encouraging start, with inquiries coming in daily and a number of customers already booked for our summer trips to Croatia. In terms of forecasts, we can’t help but have high expectations for our yearly sales.
➋ How did you get the idea of a Web site geared toward English-speaking expats?
I have studied and worked in Europe for close to six years and have always had a passion for traveling. During my time abroad, I have noticed a real lack of travel-planning options for English-speaking expats wherever I have lived, whether in Spain, Germany or now Czech Republic. I was always left to make travel arrangements on my own, which has often been time-consuming as well as frustrating.
 
➌ Isn’t it rather risky to target just one group when travel companies aspire to appeal to all possible customers?
I would not say we are limiting ourselves to any one group of travelers. JayWay offers services that would be attractive to any type of customer but that happen to be most beneficial to the expat consumer. Nowadays, in such a vast and competitive industry, it is nice to say we can appeal to any customer, but I think it is dangerous to make such a claim. You need something that makes you unique; by creating this niche in the market, we are offering services that are unlike anyone else’s, thus separating us from the competition.
➍ Why do you think English-speaking travelers would not feel comfortable walking into a Czech agency?
I can’t say I know many expats who have used a Czech travel agency before, as doing things on your own seems to come with the territory of being an expat. The feedback I have received from those who have used Czech agencies is not often positive, as there have been many stories of foreigners being taken advantage of. I guess the obvious answer is the language barrier, but I think the reasons go beyond this and have more to do with cultural differences.
➎ How different will your services be compared with the ones offered by other local travel companies?
I think two words can summarize the difference between JayWay’s services and that of a local company: flexibility and security. We give customers a flexibility that you can’t find through local travel companies. Through our Web site or over the phone, customers have the option to design their own trip by selecting the dates they would like to travel, their preferred accommodation and how they choose to fill their days and evenings during their trip. JayWay gives a sense of security to the expat consumer that is unattainable on the local market.
➏ While your business clearly targets English-speaking expats in Europe, the site of the new company is still in the United States. Why?
Besides English-speaking expats in Europe, JayWay is also looking to target U.S.-based travelers, as many of our services beneficial to the expat consumer also translate well to the U.S. market. Travel has become more or less an Internet-based business, allowing us the flexibility to set up the company wherever we choose. In addition, as I am an American citizen as well as the majority shareholder, setting up the business in the U.S. was certainly a lot easier than dealing with all the red tape that can come with setting up a business abroad.
➐ So far, you’ve been offering destinations in four countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Croatia. However, one can only book a trip to Croatia this summer while you accept bookings to the other destinations from this spring through winter. Why?
Croatia tends to be more of a seasonal destination, whereas the other three countries mentioned — in particular the cities of Prague, Kraków and Budapest — have become popular year-round destinations. We wanted to concentrate our efforts initially highlighting the summer travel to Croatia, as this is the most up-and-coming destination of the four, and it is at its peak during the four summer months.  
➑ Prague is often described as a place where foreign tourists are being ripped off by cab drivers and other service providers. Do you think this could pose a threat to the development of your business here?
I think this is where my experience living in Prague and traveling throughout the region will come in handy, as well as the various contacts I have made in the region. I will make it a point to pass on the knowledge I have obtained so guests don’t have to learn the hard way, as I did.
➒ Is there anything you can do in order to help your future customers avoid those pitfalls?
We will certainly make sure that all guests are aware of the potential dangers that do exist. At each destination the onsite manager will greet guests upon arrival and one of their first tasks will be to brief guests on the dos and don’ts in each location. Another important way to avoid these problems in the first place is to surround yourself with the right network of suppliers.
 
➓ You first came to the Czech Republic as a tourist. What were the most shocking and the most enjoyable experiences that you had?
The first time I came to Prague as a tourist was actually 1992, so the city was a very different place, to say the least. It is hard to pinpoint one particular experience that was most shocking, but, I guess to a 14-year-old American kid traveling his first time outside the U.S., the entire experience was eye-opening. Ever since that trip, I have never looked back, traveling at every possible opportunity. My first visit to Prague turned out to be the catalyst for my desire to travel, so perhaps it is destiny that, 15 years later in the same place where my passion for traveling was born, I have chosen Prague as one of the destinations to share my amazing experience with my guests.

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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