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Old 06-13-2019, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Cottonwood CA
362 posts, read 1,115,541 times
Reputation: 377

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I've always enjoyed researching and organizing our vacations. I can easily spend hours on this site and others looking for attractions, motels, museums, restaurants, etc. that we might encounter along our roadtrips. That research pays off with (nearly) flawless itineraries that anticipate and mitigate issues deemed likely to arise on the road. For the record, my background is Land Use Planning and Geography. I'm am a real map Nerd.

A few weeks back, a family friend was asking how I went about organizing our trips. She said that planning was the hardest part for her and her husband. She then told me some details of a trip they're planning-a loop of about 2,000 miles. I told her that I'd do some prelim itinerary work for her. I ended up spending about 15 hours putting recommendations together for her.

Afterwards, it occurred to me that others may have the same need for trip planning help. And perhaps there might enough folks needing help to sustain a part time business. I'm retired and have some time to dedicate to such an endeavor. What I have in mind is not a Travel Agency. I would not do any scheduling or reservations. Instead, given a desired destination and trip duration, I would put together some suggestions as to routing, overnight waypoints, attractions, events, restaurants, etc. Upon completion, I'd forward the report for the travelers use in putting the final itinerary together.

The second part of this is how much would I charge someone for this service. I'm thinking a set rate/day of the trip. It wouldn't be expensive, I thinking perhaps $20/trip day to compile the info into the final report.

So, what do you folks think? Do you think there would be enough interest out there to sustain a part time business organizing road trips for folks?
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:13 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,621 posts, read 57,620,656 times
Reputation: 46064
Good idea,. I too do a lot of unique travel itineraries. Remember that AAA does this via Trip tik. Not sure of charges. My favorite apps outside of USA. Campermate,. And mapsme.
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Old 06-13-2019, 03:35 PM
 
2,568 posts, read 2,493,075 times
Reputation: 8479
Nowadays having sites like TripAdvisor available also makes trip planning much easier.
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Old 06-13-2019, 05:38 PM
 
2,020 posts, read 1,110,718 times
Reputation: 6047
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.
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Old 06-13-2019, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Cebu, Philippines
5,869 posts, read 4,173,371 times
Reputation: 10940
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?
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Old 06-13-2019, 07:29 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,621 posts, read 57,620,656 times
Reputation: 46064
Quote:
Originally Posted by cebuan View Post
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?
Trust us... many are very inept at road trip planning.

It would be very ez to tailor a special trip using a quick interest survey (with budget, stay preference, vehicle type, fuel stops, rest breaks), and applying an intelligent Web search based on these results to bring up a few favored routes with 'detours' / options based on time flexibility.

Very few in USA travel as I do (non-tourist / off the freeways (Scenic Byways) / cultural events / flower bloom and harvest season / and good home stays + good home cooking, and community events you can volunteer at.) But... I often run into Euro and Oceania travelers who are on my similar route / quest while in USA. We host many international travelers at our home and I share itineraries I have used for 40+ yrs.

I have a few friends who do custom / tailored bus tours for small groups in USA, Very interesting what people like to see (apart from the usual).

I wish the website 'Scenic Byways' had not got taken down due to violating what some states had already designated to meet tourism revenue.

I also query Roadside America, and Road Food America sites.

Lots of great options.
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Old 06-13-2019, 08:14 PM
 
Location: Cebu, Philippines
5,869 posts, read 4,173,371 times
Reputation: 10940
Stay off the interstates.



I guarantee that my advice will measurably increase the quality of your road trip.



No charge.
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Old 06-13-2019, 08:23 PM
 
Location: Northern California
128,316 posts, read 11,845,016 times
Reputation: 38591
I love planning our trips, & would not use a service, however, if you can find people who will pay you, go for it.
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Old 06-13-2019, 08:52 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,314,714 times
Reputation: 38565
If I could afford it, I'd pay for your service. There are plenty of folk out there who have the money and would appreciate it. The trick would be in how to market it. But, I believe there's a market out there. Your service would be kind of like joining a bus tour, without all the other passengers along for the ride. I think you could include GPS coordinates so people could just plug them into their phone's GPS app to take them here and there.
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Old 06-13-2019, 10:36 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,620,238 times
Reputation: 22118
I like planning my own trips, but for route advice, especially during roadwork season, AAA does a great job. No extra cost beyond membership.
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