The idea of Share Bus started in our ‘office’ located in the corner of the living room. Since then, it has traveled to the kitchen, to different peoples’ houses as we enlisted help, to the myOZexp lodge and soon it’ll go to Broome and we are planning for it to eventually travel Australia.
It started simply. We thought; Why do people go on tours? They can be great, but independent travel offers a lot of benefits that tours don’t have. The reasons we came up were:
- They don’t know what to do and where to go
- They will be taken to the best place
- They want to meet people
- They don’t have the stuff/ equipment
- It’s easy
However, there is the other side.
Downside of tours
- You don’t have choice/freedom
- They are expensive
- You do the same as everyone else
- They are not very long
I absolutely love solo travel and independent travel. And I believe everyone is capable of it. You have freedom, you can do it cheaper, you can do whatever you want to do for how long you want to. So we thought; let’s make something that is a mix of a tour, and of independent travel. We’ll be able to keep the advantages of tours and fix the downsides. And so, Share Bus was born.
We thought: Why not do a shared rental, with all the equipment and guidance needed for a successful trip? Yet, provide freedom.
No car or equipment? We’ll provide it. We’ll be fully equipped for camping cooking and good times. Don’t know where to go? We’ll give you a recommended itinerary.
No awesome buds from all over the world to travel with? We’ll provide travelmates.
Not much money? We’ll make this far cheaper than a tour.
Don’t want a strict schedule, want more time ? We’ll give you FREEDOM!
We decided that it would work best if we fixed the start and end dates and locations but allow freedom in between. It was a great idea. However, even the best ideas are worthless without action. So, we started working.
We had to navigate a strange new world doing the following.
- Buying a minibus and trailer
- Customising the minibus
- Selecting/buying equipment
- The lawyer, insurance, accounting… and all that fun stuff!
- Trip planning, itineraries and sourcing discounts
- Website, graphic design, promotion, logo
- Competitions
It has definitely been a learning experience!