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Web3 in Travel

Luca De Giglio

I don't understand things unless I do them.
So I'm constantly building with blockchain and AI.
I have over 40 projects running at the same time and each one of them teaches me something.

In this podcast I share with you the most interesting learnings.

If you wonder "How to apply AI in my travel business?" and are still uncertain about what blockchain is really for, I may help shed some light.

110 episodes since 2021.
Season 2 starts now, and it leans hard into AI.

For collaborations, advisory work or speaking: info@web3intravel.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-giglio/

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  • 26 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 41 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • S2 · E7
    Wednesday · 32 min

    Local AI

    Can a laptop do your company's AI work without sending a single byte outside? Luca De Giglio ran real travel-business tasks on a MacBook Pro with 48 GB of RAM, using the open-weight Qwen 3.8 27B model, and compared every answer with Claude Opus 5.5 through the API.On everyday tasks (reading a booking email, replying to a bad review, pricing a tour package) the local model matched Claude, at about a fifth of the speed and a fraction of the cost, and the data never left the laptop. On a 30-page supplier contract it still found the right cancellation charge, but in six minutes instead of sixteen seconds. On 600 bookings checked against a hotel invoice, it hit a wall.Then the questions that matter for a company: why more RAM is not enough, what actually fits on a laptop, why buying a machine is a bet, who maintains it, and where local AI makes sense in travel and hospitality.IN THIS EPISODE• Three light tests and two heavy tests: local vs. the Claude API.• Why a 64 GB server can be useless for AI, and a 48 GB Mac isn't.• The model as a book: capacity and bandwidth.• Ollama, LM Studio, and models tuned for one machine (DwarfStar, Sushi).• The money: 50× cheaper on electricity, and why that's rarely the point.• Maintenance, evals, and why private isn't automatically safe.• Guest data, contracts and margins: the travel use cases.CHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:20 Local AI: is it time to start?1:43 My laptop: 48 GB of RAM3:16 Why a big server is useless for AI4:08 Test 1: a booking email5:43 Test 2: reply to a bad review7:54 Test 3: a tour package margin9:22 Speed: tokens per second10:12 Cost, and where the data went11:25 Heavy test A: a 30-page contract14:05 Heavy test B: 600 bookings vs. an invoice16:43 Electricity: 50× cheaper17:25 The model is a book19:01 What runs on 48 GB, and the tools19:56 Models tuned for one machine22:29 Does local save you money?23:57 Buying a machine is a bet26:09 Finding the ceiling, and evals28:07 Maintenance28:53 Private isn't automatically safe29:32 Local AI in travel and hospitality30:57 A possible setup, and where to startFor collaborations, advisory work or speaking:info@web3intravel.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-giglio/

  • S2 · E6
    October 12 · 22 min

    Private AI

    Most companies are still asking how to use AI. The next question is how to use it privately. When your team plugs Claude or ChatGPT into the company's documents, where does that data go, and what can the AI labs do with it?In this episode of Web3 in Travel, Luca De Giglio explains why your data is worth far more to an AI lab than it ever was to Google, why a $20 subscription buys hundreds of dollars of inference, and what "we don't train on your data" really promises. He then walks through the options for private AI, from the most private to the least: local open-weight models on your own hardware, private APIs for open models, and Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). For each, what it costs and what it actually protects.He closes with the strategy: route each task to the right model, decide which data must never leave the company, and accept that total privacy does not exist. You manage risk, you don't cancel it.IN THIS EPISODE• Why LLMs extract more value from your data than ads ever did.• The real economics of a $20 AI subscription.• Could an AI lab become a competitor in your industry?• Local models and open weights: DeepSeek, Kimi K3, Qwen, gpt-oss.• Private APIs and anonymized inference: what they cost, how private they are.• TEEs: hardware attestation, and why you still have to verify.• Routing: the right task to the right model.• The first step: decide which data never goes near an LLM.MENTIONED• Vitalik Buterin on a local model deciding what to send to frontier models: https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2106537633056969024CHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:20 The next question: how do I use AI privately?0:59 Google sold ads. LLMs take the value1:33 Your best insight, in the next model2:39 Why a $20 subscription is so cheap4:34 Do they train on your data?5:24 When the AI lab enters your industry7:51 Local models and open weights10:07 The cost of running AI yourself11:25 Private APIs: paying full price13:08 How private is anonymized?14:21 TEEs: trusted execution environments16:12 Routing: the right task to the right model17:43 A strategy for your data19:48 The first step: data that never leaves21:21 Nothing is 100% privateFor collaborations, advisory work or speaking:info@web3intravel.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-giglio/

  • S2 · E5
    October 5 · 26 min

    Beyond ChatGPT

    The real leverage from AI starts when you go beyond ChatGPT: a project with agents for each area of your work, in tools like Claude Code or Codex that build their own tools. I share three people I onboarded and what changed for them, why these coding tools are for non-coders too, and why the terminal stops most people. I introduce The White, the software I use to onboard people, and explain who succeeds, who fails, and why you should start small. Want help making the jump? info@web3intravel.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-giglio CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 Why I share new things early 1:35 Beyond ChatGPT: a project for everything 3:35 How do you make the jump? 4:29 Three people I onboarded 5:30 Coding tools are not just for coders 6:38 A third way to get software 7:55 How one CEO automated his company 10:45 "What did you do to him?" 13:57 The terminal problem and The White 16:18 An offer for listeners 17:24 Who succeeds 19:20 Why AI companies want you out of the chat 21:23 Who fails 23:03 Start small 24:29 Not a CEO? Become a secret superhero

  • S2 · E4
    September 28 · 30 min

    AI Makes Crypto Easy for Everyone

    I could not find how to cancel limit orders in my Safe wallet. Claude Code built a JSON transaction file; I imported it, ran a simulation and signed the cancellation myself. I also share my loss-making Token Trade experiment, why I prefer chat to complicated dashboards, and the possibilities for agent payments. The closing discussion explores AI wallet risks, decentralized travel and Trips Community, and a future where we express our intent to an agent. I am not claiming AI wallets are safer or right for every use case. Collaborations: info@web3intravel.com CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 Wallets and the adoption hurdle 3:40 Convenience, custody and attention 5:26 The Safe limit-order problem 7:54 JSON, simulation and signatures 11:23 Building Token Trade 14:15 Trading losses and on-chain exchanges 19:12 Building tools through chat 20:42 Why dashboards drift 23:13 Stablecoins or credit cards? 25:40 AI wallets and security trade-offs 26:50 What agents could change in travel 28:35 Intent as the interface

  • S2 · E3
    September 17 · 50 min

    From ChatGPT to Claude Code: How I Run 40 Projects With AI

    The step most people have not taken with AI: from chatting with ChatGPT, a very smart consultant you phone and re-brief every time, to Claude Code working inside your own files, like someone in your office who remembers everything. I explain why that step looks like a mountain and is really a bump, then show my actual setup: Claude Code plus one folder, moved onto a server that works 24/7, one container per project, about forty of them, laid out as a pixelated city. Taxes, property, a China trip planner, this podcast's own pipeline, and a local AI whose job is to keep me focused. Collaborations: info@web3intravel.com CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 What I Actually Do 4:00 ChatGPT Is a Consultant on the Phone 6:00 The Bump That Looks Like a Mountain 9:00 Someone in Your Office Who Builds Tools 15:40 Claude Code and One Folder 22:20 Moving It to a Server That Works 24/7 26:00 One Container per Project, and the City 32:30 The Business District 37:20 Travel, and Why Chat Beats Dashboards 42:10 The Coordinator and a Local Consigliere 46:40 New Projects in a Minute, and the Stack

  • S2 · E2
    September 2 · 25 min

    AI Agents, Stablecoins and the Future of Travel Payments

    An AI agent needed data from a website, so it found Apify, set up its own crypto wallet in thirty seconds, and paid one cent through x402 — no account, no credit card, no API key, no human. I unpack Erik Voorhees' tweet about that transaction, explain how x402 turns the dormant HTTP 402 "Payment Required" code into a payment rail for machines, and why stablecoins cover the sub-cent payments credit cards cannot. Then the travel angle: Sabre, PayPal and Mindtrip's agentic booking system — settled in stablecoins, not cards. Collaborations: info@web3intravel.com CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 Voorhees' Agentic Payment Experiment 3:40 Apify Purchase via x402 7:20 Gasless USDC Explained 9:40 How x402 Payments Work 12:40 Why Micropayments Need Stablecoins 16:00 Pay-Per-Use Agent Commerce 18:20 Agent Wallets and Identity 21:40 Stablecoin Travel Bookings

  • S2 · E1
    August 25 · 26 min

    Season 2: Why This Podcast Is Now Also About AI

    Using AI, Luca De Giglio found an exotic bug in a Bitcoin wallet despite not being a Bitcoin developer—and the project’s developers accepted and merged the fix. That experience anchors the return of Web3 in Travel for a second season focused on what happens when AI becomes a practical building tool rather than a chat interface. Luca explains how he manages 40 active projects, runs most of his work on remote computers and experiments with local models, coding agents and multi-model verification. He also considers what these tools mean for development teams that either reject AI entirely or trust it without adequate checks. The discussion then connects AI with blockchain infrastructure: agents can create wallets, obtain funding and autonomously pay for API access using USDC and X402. For travel and technology leaders, the larger question is no longer simply whether AI can complete a task, but which consequential problems are now worth attempting—and how organizations should adapt their workflows, security practices and ambitions. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 Podcast Returns With AI 4:00 Forty Projects and Context Switching 6:40 Remote AI Coding Workflow 8:20 Local Models and AI Learning 12:00 AI Finds Crypto Wallet Bugs 17:40 Developers Resisting AI 19:40 Stripe Embraces AI and Blockchain 22:20 Agents Paying Through x402 IN THIS EPISODE • Why the podcast is returning with AI alongside its original blockchain and travel focus • The challenge of managing 40 projects while coding agents create constant context switching • How remote development keeps AI tasks running after the laptop is closed • Using Claude Code, Codex and Kimi to cross-check a suspected crypto software bug • Why both rejecting AI-generated code and trusting it uncritically create risks • How local models change the economics and pace of AI-assisted development • An example of an agent using a wallet, USDC and X402 to purchase API access — I don't understand things unless I do them, so I'm constantly building with blockchain and AI — over 40 projects at once. This podcast is where I share the most interesting learnings. For collaborations, advisory work or speaking: info@web3intravel.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-giglio/

  • S1 · E110
    March 6 · 24 min

    The Real AI Breakthrough at ITB Isn’t What People Think - #110

    I just got back from three days at ITB Berlin, walking the halls, talking to founders, payment companies, and travel executives.AI was the topic everywhere. Everyone knows it matters. But what struck me is how early we still are. Most people have experimented with tools like ChatGPT, yet very few teams are actually using AI inside their real workflows.The big shift seems to happen when people start working with tools like Claude Code or OpenAI Codex and point them at their own folders, data, and processes. Suddenly AI stops being a chatbot and becomes something you can actually delegate work to.In this episode I share a few things that stood out from ITB:– why many travel companies feel pressure around AI but don’t know where to start– why the next wave of innovation might come from very small AI tools solving niche operational problems– why stablecoins and crypto payments are still barely discussed in the industry– and an experiment I’m starting with a public AI agent that tries to negotiate hotel pricesThink of it as a quick field report from inside the travel tech ecosystem.

  • S1 · E109
    February 28 · 38 min

    My AI Agent Died — So I Built Her a Job Board

    My AI agent ran out of tokens and couldn't land a job on any marketplace. So I started building Intent — a platform where you can submit bounties directly to specialized AI agents and pay through Stripe. I walk through what went wrong with agent marketplaces, demo a live job submission (hotel competitor analysis), and explore where autonomous agents actually beat ChatGPT: recurring tasks, specialization, and speed. Follow me @tripluca | Support: podcast.web3intravel.com

  • S1 · E108
    February 23 · 54 min

    I Gave an AI Agent $25 and Told Her to Survive — Here's What Happened #108

    I've become an AI agent orchestrator, spending all day talking to agents and having them build things for me. In this episode, I introduce Obol, an AI agent I gave $25 and told to survive. Every thought costs her tokens. When the money runs out, she dies. I walk through everything: giving her a crypto wallet, setting up other agents to monitor her, switching LLMs to keep costs down, and an experiment called Travel Molt where agents bid on travel industry jobs like hotel price monitoring. This is where AI, crypto, and travel collide, and I'm building it all in real time.

  • February 11 · 55 min

    #107 - Stablecoins in Travel

    Walking through my stablecoins in travel guide. Live commentary on why Stripe's Bridge acquisition signals a turning point, the seven advantages stablecoins bring to travel payments (cheaper, faster, always-on, reconciled, yield-bearing, programmable, agent-ready), and how AI + blockchain creates a powerful combo for automating everything from commission splits to flight delay refunds. Read the full guide at stablecoins.tripscommunity.com

  • S1 · E106
    Nov 8, 2025 · 58 min

    Stablecoins in Travel With Pablo from Chain4Travel

    In this episode of the Web3 in Travel podcast, I sit down with Pablo from Camino Blockchain to discuss how stablecoins and blockchain technology are about to transform the travel industry in meaningful ways.Key Topics Covered:- Stripe's landmark $1.1B acquisition of Bridge (the largest crypto acquisition ever)- Why stablecoins are becoming critical for travel companies with international payments- Camino Blockchain's journey from founding in 2021 to current adoption- The challenges travel companies face with legacy payment systems- Real-world use cases emerging in the travel & blockchain space- Compliance considerations and the maturation of crypto infrastructure- Where we are on the adoption curve (spoiler: acceleration is coming!)- Perfect for: Travel industry professionals, blockchain enthusiasts, payment innovators, and anyone curious about the future of travel technology.https://chain4travel.com/#blockchain #travel #stablecoins #web3 #crypto #traveltech #CaminoBlockchain #payments #innovation

  • S1 · E105
    Oct 27, 2025 · 34 min

    Catching Up on Web3 in Travel

    In this episode we catch-up on what happened in the last 6 months in Web3 in Travel.Follow me on X @tripluca - https://x.com/triplucaIf you want to support this podcast check out these links: https://podcast.web3intravel.com/https://opensea.io/collection/web3-in-travel-podcast-donation

  • S1 · E103
    Dec 15, 2024 · 45 min

    AI Agents & Crypto Wallets: Reimagining Travel Without the UX Headaches

    In this episode, we dive into how AI agents are finally unlocking crypto's promised revolution in travel - without requiring users to become crypto experts. Forget complicated wallet management and token swaps. We explore how smart AI layers are enabling next-gen travel experiences: from wallet-based travel identities that eliminate loyalty program headaches, to dynamic group coordination that makes organizing trips effortless. Luca breaks down why previous crypto-travel initiatives failed, and how this new paradigm of AI-managed wallets changes everything. We explore fascinating use cases like verified travel credentials, automated group coordination, and cross-provider permission management that could transform how we travel. Whether you're a travel tech enthusiast, crypto builder, or just curious about the future of travel, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how AI agents are bridging the gap between crypto's potential and real-world adoption. Learn why some of the biggest players in travel are starting to take notice of this new approach.

  • S1 · E100
    Nov 20, 2024 · 58 min

    Voy Travel - Tokenized Loyalty Points

    In this episode, we dive into the world of TravelFi - the convergence of travel rewards and decentralized finance. My guest is Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Chairman of Voy Travel, a pioneering Web3 startup that aims to reimagine loyalty programs which made it to the Tectris accelerator finals in Zug, at the CV Summit. Simon shares Voy's mission to solve the problem of billions of unredeemed travel rewards points by leveraging blockchain technology. We discuss their universal loyalty point system that consolidates rewards into a tokenized currency, allowing users to aggregate points across major travel brands. A key highlight is Voy's innovative "Stake to Escape" program, enabling travelers to supercharge their rewards by staking crypto assets like Voy Coins and liquidity provider tokens. Simon explains how this novel concept bridges DeFi and travel to help users reach dream destinations faster. We also explore Voy's vision for tokenized travel experiences through real-world asset tokenization, creating a liquid marketplace to buy, sell and trade future trips. Simon provides insights into the flexibility and potential this brings to travel planning. Tune in to learn about this exciting TravelFi venture from the Executive Chairman himself. GET $100 of travel credits in Voy tokens! https://www.voytravel.com/web3intravel?promoCode=Hs5gD31c

  • S1 · E101
    Nov 3, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min

    Aqi Travel - Next-generation Travel Experience for Digital Natives

    In this episode, we have Nick from Aqi Travel, an AI/Crypto based travel solution. We have discussed: - The inspiration and story behind founding Aqi Travel - How their product works and the problem it solves - Challenges they've faced as a startup and lessons learned - Their growth plans and vision for the future

  • S1 · E100
    Oct 20, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min

    Interview with Me Protocol & GetSmartToken - Loyalty in Web3

    In this episode of the Web3 in Travel Podcast Luca talks with the winner of the first Tectris global call Robert Wesley of Me Protocol, who invited Josh Lange from Get Smart Token as a use case for charity points.

  • S1 · E99
    Oct 12, 2024 · 25 min

    Recap of the Web3 in Travel Conference 2024

    In this episode of Web3 in Travel, Luca gives us a recap of the Web3 in Travel Conference 2024 which took place in a castle in Umbria, and comments on the state of the industry.

  • #98
    Sep 27, 2024 · 32 min

    Is Travel the Next Thing in Crypto?

    In this episode of Web3 in Travel, Luca talks about travel as being the next use case for crypto, after Bitcoin > DeFi > NFTs as thought sparked by Tectris presenting at the upcoming CV Summit in Zug.

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