Oh Hyuk launches Vacance: an itinerary app built on 23 years of verified travel data

Oh Hyuk, founder of Korea's first e-commerce platform Auction and current CEO of Les Vacances, launched Vacance this month. The app generates travel itineraries based on a user's schedule and offers flight and accommodation recommendations in the same interface. Vacance builds on Les Vacances' institutional knowledge: 23 years of travel data, 656 guidebooks and 83 specialized museum catalogs.

# How Vacance avoids common AI travel mistakes

# The four engines that power Vacance Vacance combines four technology engines that operate together:

• Route generation engine: builds realistic daily routes that consider order and travel time between stops.
• Real-time condition engine: checks local conditions to avoid recommending closed or impractical options.
• Auto-update engine: updates guides and data when venue hours, prices, or availability change.
• Personalization engine: tailors recommendations to user preferences and schedules.

This architecture aims to move beyond simple itinerary lists to usable, time-efficient daily plans.

# Content and travel resources included

# Business model: how Vacance stays free for users Vacance does not charge users directly. Revenue streams are:

• Targeted B2B travel advertising aimed at travel suppliers and inbound agencies.
• Custom tour packages created and sold through local inbound agencies.

Oh frames this mix as a sustainable route to keep the app free while funding content and verification work.

# Timing and market rationale Oh points to two recent shifts in travel tech as opening a market opportunity: airlines introducing free in-flight Wi-Fi and the rising popularity of foldable smartphones. He expects travelers on long flights to spend time exploring destination content and itineraries rather than only streaming entertainment, making Vacance's rich destination material useful during flights.

# Background and personal context Oh led Auction to a Kosdaq listing and its later acquisition by eBay in 2001. After running businesses in the Philippines for more than a decade, he returned to software development and studied big data and machine learning. A serious medical incident in 2024 delayed the app's launch, but Oh resumed development and completed Vacance this year. He describes the project as a continuation of a career focused on practical product development and technical adaptation.

# What users can expect next Vacance is newly unveiled and available now. It positions itself as a travel planning alternative that emphasizes factual accuracy, prebuilt destination content, and combined booking options. The app targets travelers who want a single place for itinerary generation, destination reading, and booking recommendations rather than juggling multiple sites.

# Bottom line Vacance aims to reduce the common friction points of trip planning—conflicting or outdated information, time-consuming research and fragmented booking—by pairing automated itinerary building with human-verified travel data and a business model that keeps core features free for users.