In terms of driving traffic, our SEO/SEA strategy so far has been considerably difficult to pull-of given our limited resources in light of the incredible budget of the traditional OTAs. FB/Twitter advertising has been somewhat better.

Additionally, SEO/SEA is something that we feel will be much more relevant for the parties in the market that cater to those users that already know where they would like to travel to and just need to find their flight and/or accommodation. We cater to those earlier in the cycle, wondering 'where can I go?'. This is the feeling we try to associate ourselves with, which is why brand advertising might prove more useful than direct response. Again, this is tricky with a small budget (<€1000)

Yes, we've tested with >5 random people. Users don't have to book immediately, but can create an account and save the itinerary for later.

Conversion metrics we're tracking: 'happy 1st visit' (i.e. views more than 5 trips), visit/search, search/save, search/book. account signup