Fora Travel, “the modern travel agency”—known for its strong online presence and social media marketing—has opened a pop-up in New York’s SoHo neighborhood this week. To mark the occasion, Fora is hosting a series of events throughout May. Travel Agent was on hand Thursday night as the agency celebrated the location’s grand opening party.
In attendance were Fora’s leadership—Co-founder and CEO Henley Vazquez, Co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer Jake Peters and Co-founder Evan Frank—as well as advisors, HQ staff, supplier partners and select media.
Speaking at the event, Vazquez said, “This is a place where people can come by, come in, discover our amazing partners, plan a trip, dream about where they want to go next—or just grab a coffee, or a gelato or have a Jamaican party, any of the amazing things we will be doing.”
As for why “the modern travel agency” has decided to go brick-and-mortar, Vazquez said that “we’ve (Fora’s leadership) always wanted to do this … This is something we really talked about from Day 1.” She added that they believe in the mantra: “What’s old is new again.”
Located at 433 West Broadway, the storefront will be open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be staffed entirely by Fora advisors. The month-long pop-up will include events and activations such as:
- Plant Passenger (May 2-3) – Juxtaposing human design with nature through vintage cars and lush foliage, artist Keith Martine created Plant Passenger as a living art experience.
- Red Bull x Miami GP Race Weekend Experience (May 4) – A high-octane celebration of Formula 1, complete with Red Bull’s race car simulators and live streaming of the Miami Grand Prix.
- Matcha Mornings with Montauk General Store (May 9-11) – A daily ritual of top-tier matcha to fuel travel brainstorming.
- Bouquet Building with New York Flower School (May 10) – A hands-on floral arrangement class inspired by destinations around the globe.
- Fora Fridays (May 2, 9, 16 and 23) – Every Friday in May, the pop-up transforms into a celebration of travel, culture, and community with DJs, surprise treats, curated experiences and more.
Fora Travel has also partnered with Rhythm Zero to bring an exclusive café experience to the space.
The storefront opening comes just as the agency reached a “double milestone:” $60 million raised in Series B and C rounds led by Thrive Capital and Insight Partners (with participation by previous investors including Forerunner Ventures and Heartcore Capital) and over $1 billion in lifetime bookings.
In sharing the news via LinkedIn, Frank implied that much of this funding will go toward tech. Noting that Fora has “one foot in a heritage industry, the other in Silicon Valley,” he explained that “travel advisors will require the latest AI technology to access the depth of traveler data and level of personalization required to deliver a best-in-class booking experience, and to make the work of an advisor more efficient and more enjoyable.”
Frank continued: “We expect the coming technological revolution to remove the administrative burden that has historically limited advisors’ scalability. With most planning and executional tasks streamlined by Fora’s platform, advisors can grow their businesses 10x—serving more clients, spending more time marketing, building bigger books of business, and unlocking new levels of earning potential.”
For more information, visit www.foratravel.com.
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