Who founded Trip Heist?

Mariya and Sam Pallais, a married couple who work remote and travel full-time. So far that’s 23 countries and 150 dives.

Why did they start Trip Heist?

After one too many trips planned off listings nobody had checked, including an Airbnb on Gili T that didn’t exist. Trip Heist sells itineraries from travelers who took the trip, so you get plans that work.

Who checks the itineraries?

A real person on the Trip Heist team reviews every itinerary before it goes on sale. We confirm the seller took the trip and that every stop still exists.

Can I follow Mariya and Sam’s travels?

Yes. Their dives and mishaps live on Instagram at @wander_gays, and Trip Heist is @officialtripheist.

Our Story | Meet the Founders of Trip Heist

Trip Heist

Our Story

Mariya & Sam

Thanks, Hinge

Mariya and Sam in sunglasses taking a selfie on a boat, with green islands behind them — Still just looking for fun.

1

Thanks, Hinge

We met on Hinge in Alabama (yes, we know how millennial that is).

Both profiles said “just looking for fun, nothing serious.” That lasted about as long as you’d expect.

2

Denver, at minus 12

Mariya and Sam laughing on cross-country skis on a snowy forest trail — Peak Denver. We lasted three months.

3

Denver, at minus 12

A few months in, Sam’s job moved her to Denver, so we packed the car and drove out together.

Three months into a six-month lease, it hit -12°F and stayed there for over a week. Neither of us signed up for that.

4

“Move to Thailand with me”

Mariya and Sam standing with an elephant in Thailand — Thailand, as promised.

5

“Move to Thailand with me”

We escaped to San Diego for Thanksgiving with Mariya’s family. One night in Mission Beach (a few IPAs deep, full transparency), Sam said, “Move to Thailand with me.”

Mariya’s answer, word for word: “How drunk are you?”

6

“Move to Thailand with me”

No decisions were made that night. By morning it sounded a lot better than another Denver winter, and Sam had lived in Thailand for four years. If we hated it, we’d come home.

7

“Move to Thailand with me”

That gave us until March 2022 to get our shit together. Everything went into storage and we said our see-ya-laters. We never moved back.

8

Our travels

Mariya and Sam taking a selfie above the harbor in Dubrovnik — Dubrovnik, Croatia.

9

Our travels

Since then we’ve made it to 23 countries and collected an embarrassing number of mishaps.

Indonesia went so badly the first time that we used two months of a six-month visa (if you get our drift).

10

Our travels

Our system looks random on a map. Kayak’s Explore page comes first, then Kiwi for specials. If waiting a few days saves real money, we wait. Best find so far: San Diego to Roatán through Miami, over $200 cheaper.

And no, it’s not a vacation. Evenings are for client calls, and every host gets asked for an internet speed test before we book.

11

Our travels

Mariya and Sam taking a selfie in front of the Appleton Estate sign in Jamaica — Appleton Estate, Jamaica.

12

Now presenting the Pallaises

13

Now presenting the Pallaises

Diving became our whole personality somewhere along the way. We got engaged underwater in Australia with leopard sharks nearby, so the vows had to happen down there too.

We held hands on the sandy bottom under a sign that announced us as the Pallaises. Nobody heard a word. Still the best dive of our lives.

14

Why we built Trip Heist

Mariya and Sam smiling in dive masks underwater — Divers for life.

15

Why we built Trip Heist

Our worst travel day: a flight to Bali, a ferry to Gili T, every bag we owned on a horse and carriage, and an Airbnb that hadn’t been open since before COVID.

The only vacancy on the island was at a dive shop. A few days of watching everyone come back with a diver’s high, and that was it for us. (Airbnb refunded us. We now require very recent reviews.)

16

Why we built Trip Heist

Every trip since has taught us the same thing. The good ones started with a friend who’d just gotten back and texted us where to go. Every disaster started with a listing nobody had checked in years.

So we built Trip Heist: itineraries from people who took the trip, checked by our team before they go on sale. There’s a community too, for anything you want to ask before you book.

17

Why we built Trip Heist

Mariya and Sam smiling in a kayak on clear turquoise water near a green island — Come steal some time from the ordinary with us.

18

Meet Mariya and Sam

From a dating app to a one-way ticket

Our Story

Thanks, Hinge

Denver, at minus 12

“Move to Thailand with me”

Our travels

Now presenting the Pallaises

Why we built Trip Heist

Stamped so far

Get in before we pull off the heist

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