How do you find those little-known, cool, out-of-the-way places that don’t break the bank? Now you can use the DitchingSuburbia Where To Go Map.
Ditched families have different goals for travel than most people. We can’t afford to go to every attraction that charges an entrance fee. We dislike touristy areas that put up a false front. We want to experience local culture. We delight in the obscure. The unmarketed. The kitchsy.
But also the grand. The majestic. The (truly) epic. The awe-inspiring views of natural beauty of our world that we wouldn’t otherwise experience in our suburban settings.
How do you find those places?
There are a number of existing resources that we use to research - Pinterest, Roadtrippers.com, Roadside America.com, etc.
But nothing works so well as personal recommendations from other ditched families. Our best recommendations have been while sharing atlases around the campfire with another family who lives like we do.
We got to wondering - could we build an online tool that would work like that?
Where To Go
So we’re taking a stab at it. I’ll link to the new section in a moment - first let me explain our thinking behind it. We’re describing it as:
Crowdsourced, curated destinations for ditched families.
Crowdsourced
We wanted a map that others could contribute to - the digital version of handing us your paper atlas. We haven’t been everywhere. You haven’t been everywhere.
But if you and I add our cool spots to the map, and then we get a couple hundred other traveling families to add their favorite places to the map, we’d have a pretty good map.
Curated
The risk with crowdsourcing content is spam. We need to know the submission is coming from an actual traveling family - and not clever marketers looking to get their destination on the map.
We also don’t want a map junked up with every last go-cart track, Segway tour operator, wax museum, and mini-golf course in every town.
So we’re curating our map in two ways:
- Blog Post (Or YouTube Video) Required
In order to post a location to the map you’ll need a blog post about it. Or a YouTube video. This is how we’ll know it was a destination you really liked - it was worth creating content about. It will also give map users a way to get the full story of your experience at this location.
- Approval Process
Each submitted location comes to our attention first. We’ll check the notes, follow the links, make sure it’s family-friendly, etc. Once we’re happy with it we’ll publish it to the map.
Community
The map will promote destinations, yes. We’re hoping this approach also builds community.
Using the map you’ll get a sense for the blogs out there and the families behind them. You’ll get an idea for what they like to do and where they like to go. Maybe you’ll end up meeting them on the road.
If you recommend some places we also hope to send a bunch of blog traffic your way.
Enough Already! Where’s the Link?
Here’s the link to the new Where To Go section:
https://ditchingsuburbia.com/where-to-go
You’ll also be able to find it in the Resources section - under Inspiration.
Launch Partners
Thanks to the following bloggers who helped us seed the map before launch:
Give It a Spin!
Take a look and see what you think. Feel free to add your favorite spots - we have a lot of blank places on the map yet!
I love this! We aren’t on the road yet, but I found some new day trip ideas!
Cool - glad to hear it!
I just found your site and am looking forward to future road trips with all the new & wonderful things I’ll be learning from fellow travelers.
Thank you for the newsletter. :)
Well…I can’t get the choice boxes down below to work so please sign me up for the newsletter.