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Let me throw out another idea- much longer term but more in keeping with how people sell services now.
Start a blog. Give it a name like "Road Trip Dreams". Design road trips with themes- "California Wine Country", "Historic Williamsburg", etc. Once you get a following, you can attract advertisers to the blog and they'll pay you. Two tricky parts: first, I don't think you'll get any readership with no pictures, which means you'll have to use your own or get them from other web sites with their permission. You'd think that Chambers of Commerce, museums, etc. might be happy for the additional publicity but if they paid a professional to take the pictures, they may be violating their agreement with the professional photographer if they let you use them.
The other is Search Engine Optimization. It can cost money to get someone to tell you how to make sure you get to the top of search results for specified terms such as "California Wine Country Road Trips". There are also ways to "boost" your blog link in FB and include it in the "Suggested Feed" of people whose activity indicates that type of interest.
No idea of the costs involved but this may be one way to do it.
Another thing to think about, unfortunately, is liability. Is there any? What safeguards must you employ to shield yourself should something go bad, a accident, theft, robbery, personal injury, etc.. while on a trip you planned and charged for? Sorry to say, these events happen and lawsuits do too.
It's something I've thought about, and a sad statement about our modern day litigious society. For that reason, there'd have to be an attorney-crafted disclaimer, beyond the service description regarding "suggestions" & "alternatives". Have to admit that issue is troubling to me. Paying attorney fees could quickly exceed the revenues from a hundred trip plans.
I completely understand where you are coming from. I love planning every aspect of our vacations. We mostly do overseas trips and cruises.
There are some road trips my husband and I plan to take at some point in the future. I do not have a lot of familiarity with planning US road trips. I would consider your service.
I think your service would be appreciated by many; especially for the cost ($20 per day is very reasonable!). Time is money. A lot of people are willing to make that exchange.
Because I enjoy it so much, I can "overplan" our trips. My daughter once described me as someone who can "plan the fun right out of a vacation".
The kinds of things that would interest you and me are not the same. So I wouldn't pay you anything to suggest where I should go. I'm not trying to be unkind, but really, do you want ME to plan YOUR trip?
I understand your point. To address that as an issue, I'd develop a comprehensive questionnaire regarding preferences, routing, avoiding states, etc. Also, the service is intended to be a type of broad brush "outline" from which a final itinerary is compiled by the traveler.
The biggest question isn't if people will pay for your service. The BIGGEST question (and barrier) Is how to market it. How to FIND those specific consumers who want and/or need your service.
Figure THAT out and you've got a nice side gig.
Agreed. And marketing is not my forte'. But then again, neither is technology... So I might need some consultant input on both fronts.
Yeah, the answer would be zero. But, that was the plan. I wanted to give the idea a "test drive".
Plan or not, I wouldn't take 15 hours of effort from a family member and not compensate them in some way.
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For that reason, there'd have to be an attorney-crafted disclaimer, beyond the service description regarding "suggestions" & "alternatives". Have to admit that issue is troubling to me. Paying attorney fees could quickly exceed the revenues from a hundred trip plans.
