Abstract
Collaborative economy has turned “trusting strangers” into new experiences with, often, happy ends for people involved in the sharing process. Several assumptions have been made and discussed in tourism literature, among which the idea that the direct relationship among peers contributes to a higher level of perceived authenticity. Nevertheless limited research has been conducted so far, as per authors’ knowledge, to investigate this claim. Purpose of the study The present paper explores experiential authenticity in the collaborative economy and specifically in the carpooling and car ridesharing sector (BlaBlaCar). The aim is to fill the gap of authenticity in collaborative economy and address further research in the tourism sector.