With the pandemic pausing most big 2020 vacation plans, the road-trip trend has emerged as a socially distanced, safer alternative for summer travel — and local startup Roadtrippers is stepping up to help adventurers explore safely.
Travel-planning app Roadtrippers launched in 2011 as a resource for crafting jam-packed and off-the-beaten-path overland itineraries. Roadtrippers users uncover unique destinations and oddities from a robust database with millions of locally recommended stops, ranging from top diners to surprising museums, with an array of strange and unique spots in between. Users can also book experiences, such as hotels, with free and paid subscriptions available.
Following its launch, Roadtrippers evolved from a wanderlust-inducing app into a travel technology powerhouse, thanks in large part to a game-changing acquisition by road-based tech platform Togo Group in 2018.
“In 2018, Roadtrippers was acquired by a technology joint venture created by two major companies in the RV manufacturing and rental markets,” said Steven Hileman, VP of marketing and communications for Togo Group. “The vision was to create a road-based travel platform that makes it easier to get to, stay in, and explore the outdoors. Roadtrippers had already tackled a portion of that vision and allowed the new company to start off with some momentum.”
The overarching travel-tech company, Togo Group, pairs Roadtrippers’ travel-planning tools with a companion app, Togo RV. This duo targets an increasingly popular travel market: RV travelers. Van life (living and traveling full-time in a van or RV), as well as shorter RV trips, were growing in popularity well before 2020.
Travelers sought these transportation methods for the freedom and flexibility to explore at whim, not to mention the chance to wake up to sunrises over the Grand Canyon, Smokey Mountains, or hundreds of dazzling RV campsite locales across the country.
Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has made this isolated travel style even more appealing — and the Togo Group is adapting quickly to meet this growing demand.
“We’ve started integrating certain features and building some new ones to improve the road trip and RV travel experience,” Hileman said. “The RV market has been booming in recent years and is, fortunately, shining again as a way to travel in your own safe little bubble.”
While business is on the upswing, 2020 didn’t start that way for Togo Group. The company, like most tourism businesses, suffered when Covid-19 put a halt on virtually all non-essential travel, including road trips. But all was not lost. Togo Group used this downtime to prepare for the boom they’re now experiencing — and they’re prepared to navigate it cautiously and safely.
“We cut back on expenses and focused on our product to make it the best it can be for when travel resumed,” Hileman said. “We then got lucky that the pandemic conditions made road trips and RV trips the safest way to travel this year, and the demand for a road-trip planning app surged. We’ve remained cautious with our readers and users, publishing stories and tips to ensure they stay safe and use caution while on the road.”
