Crowdfunding: Our Entrepreneurial Roadtrip

Planet Ride was built with a simple obsession: helping riders discover the world on two or four wheels—through routes that feel real, spectacular, and safe. Since 2014, we’ve been growing a community of motorized roadtrip lovers and connecting them with trusted local experts who design and run trips on the ground. Crowdfunding became our way to keep that ambition aligned with the people we travel with: our riders, our readers, and our believers.

Why Planet Ride exists (and what we actually do)

From day one, Planet Ride has focused on one job: finding the right local agencies for motorized roadtrips—the ones who know their territory, their seasons, their risks, and the kind of details that make a roadtrip smooth rather than stressful.

We don’t “stack” trips. We select, label, and publish itineraries after checking the fundamentals: the quality of the logistics, the professionalism of the guides (when guided), the reliability of vehicles and support, and the overall safety culture. Then we present these trips on our platform so travelers can choose with confidence and book without guesswork.

Over the years, we also worked to make the “Rider experience” simpler: clearer trip formats (guided or self-guided), easier conversations with local experts, and a platform designed like a meeting place for people who love the road as much as we do.

Choosing crowdfunding: a community-first decision

To grow responsibly, we needed resources—without losing our DNA. That’s why we chose a community path: crowdfunding.

In 2015, Planet Ride opened its capital to a community of “small” investors through the platform Sowefund. The campaign raised €300,000—and just as importantly, it brought advice, ideas, and introductions from people who understood what we were trying to build.

That collective support helped us:

• Recruit and structure the team—because a serious roadtrip platform needs real humans behind it, not just pages and forms.
• Bring in new motorized roadtrip professionals and broaden our range of destinations and vehicles.
• Invest in marketing and communication to keep growing the community—because the best local experts stay invisible if nobody can find them.

A founder’s words, at the time

When the crowdfunding round opened, Planet Ride co-founder Baptiste Frérot summed up the logic clearly:

“Like all the partners gathered around our project—simply human, travelers, and passionate—Planet Ride wants to share its travel experience with as many people as possible. Our startup is therefore opening its capital to crowdfunding. Offered to the public, this collaborative campaign strengthens our ties with the community.”

What crowdfunding changes for investors—and for a brand like ours

Crowdfunding has been reshaping how young companies grow. It lets individual investors access a type of financing that used to be reserved for a small circle of venture capital professionals.

Yes, investing in a startup involves risk. But it also creates something rare: direct participation in a project you’ve chosen. For Planet Ride, that alignment mattered. We weren’t looking for spectators—we wanted people who cared about the road, about craft, and about building something durable.

In France, crowdfunding investments may also come with tax advantages when they support innovative young companies, under specific conditions. (That framework evolves—so it’s always worth checking the current rules before investing.)

Concrete, on-the-ground reality: what it takes to build “safe freedom”

From the outside, a motorized roadtrip looks like pure freedom. From the inside, it’s a chain of practical decisions—hundreds of small ones—that protect the experience:

• Route design isn’t just distance. A 250–350 km day can be easy on open tarmac—or exhausting in mountains, heat, or mixed surfaces.
• Time on the road is what matters. On scenic roads with stops, photos, fuel, and breaks, a “short” stage can still mean 6–8 real hours door to door.
• Fuel strategy is part of safety. On remote stretches, you plan around reliable stations and realistic range—not best-case consumption.
• Connectivity is never guaranteed. Many areas have patchy coverage; having offline maps downloaded before departure is basic discipline.
• Documents and insurance need to match the trip format. Guided vs self-guided trips don’t create the same needs in terms of assistance, liability, and support.

Planet Ride pro tip: when we help riders pace a trip, we avoid chaining “big” stages back-to-back. A well-built roadtrip includes a lighter day every few days—shorter mileage, earlier arrival—so fatigue doesn’t quietly become risk.

2026 update: what to plan for before you book

Even if the story above started in 2015, the way people travel has evolved. If you’re planning a motorized roadtrip in 2026, a few realities are now standard:

• Book earlier for peak windows. On popular destinations, the best dates and vehicles often go first—especially for small-group departures.
• Go offline by default. Download maps and key documents before takeoff; treat signal as a bonus.
• eSIMs are changing the game. Many travelers now use eSIM plans for flexible data abroad—useful, but not a replacement for offline navigation.
• Regulations can tighten fast. Access rules, environmental limits, or local road restrictions may change from one season to the next—especially in protected areas.

Keep traveling with Planet Ride

If you’re here for the road—real routes, real terrain, and a ride that feels both free and well-framed—Planet Ride is built for you. We’ll keep doing what we’ve done since the start: connecting riders with trusted local experts so the adventure stays powerful, human, and reliable.

Ready to plan your next motorized roadtrip? Explore our trips and choose the format that fits your riding style—guided, self-guided, or tailor-made.

FAQ

• Is crowdfunding a “safe” investment?
  No investment in a startup is risk-free. Crowdfunding offers access and transparency, but the possibility of loss exists—invest with a long-term mindset.
• Do I need constant mobile network coverage on a roadtrip?
  No—and you shouldn’t rely on it. Offline maps, saved addresses, and downloaded trip documents are the baseline.
• How do you avoid fatigue on a multi-day motorized roadtrip?
  Keep daily stages realistic, plan regular breaks, and build lighter days into the sequence. Consistency beats hero mileage.