Brittany Palmer, Founder and CEO of Beeyonder, joins ChedHER to discuss how Beeyonder offers live and interactive digital travel experiences for those who cannot easily travel.

chedHER

How This Platform is Making Travel Accessible for All

our next guest created a platform with nearly 400 live and interactive digital experiences for those who can't travel joining us now is Brittney Palmer Founder and Ceo of beyond er Brittany. How does beyond er experience that actual experience work. Sure. So um when people come to our site they're able to look at a lot of different options for our live and interactive experiences. We have topics to choose from uh countries that you can select and uh we have two types of tours presentation style which is um videos and pictures and slides and a guy that kind of takes you through a story. And then we also have live walking tours um where the guide is actually walking you down the street, kind of like you see in this video here um and giving you a tour just as if you were there in person, both are super popular and all of them are done with a live guide. Um There is dual audio and video so you can talk to the guide and have a great conversation and communicate with them. You know obviously the marker for a great business idea is when you can identify a gap in the market and then fill that gap so to speak here. But I'm always curious what precipitates that, right, what's the story beyond or behind beyond her? And what did you see? And how did you identify what was missing in the market? Sure. So when the pandemic hit and travel uh sort of came to a halt for people um I started seeing virtual travel experiences pop up here and there. Um and I thought this would be amazing to um go to have to some places that I might not be able to see in person. Um I have a disability and and do love to travel but I do have some limitations from joint issues and there are some things that if I might not be able to do them. I wondered how many other people out there um might have similar or other limitations. And when I really looked into it I found that There are more than 50 million people just in the us alone that have disabilities or conditions or other limitations that prevent or inhibit travel. And I wanted people to be able to find all of these wonderful experiences in one place um and and to be able to travel and and see the world like others. So the two part question here, I'm just curious and what's the reception been like? And then secondly, you know, what would have been some of the favorite beyond their experiences that are now available? The reception has been incredible. Um We started out um you know, on a consumer level and have found that a lot of organizations as well are interested in these tours, which is where we've um mostly been concentrating for the past year. We've done tours for schools for kids and everything from pre k through university. Um Senior organizations, we have a special club just for senior groups. We've done team bonding experiences and um you know, other inclusive type experiences for de i related topics for corporations, um rehab facilities and and families who are trying to connect across the country. So it's been an incredible reception and one that has gone way beyond uh you know, the the pandemic um because a lot of these people are are still in a similar situation as they were even before the pandemic started and will continue to be in that situation afterwards as well. Um Some of those favorite experiences, we have so many incredible ones and all of them are, are vetted to make sure that the guides are going to give people an amazing experience, some unique ones that we have on the site right now are sailing the Nile uh in Egypt, visiting the end of the world in Ushuaia Argentina and uh visiting a koala sanctuary in Australia. Oh my goodness, the Nile in Egypt, that sounds like one that I definitely have to throw on my virtual bucket list of sorts here. Um But in terms of new experiences, right, how do you scout which one is, is gonna be one that's going to do well on the platform or or be grateful for the platform. Sure. So we do get a lot of requests in for tours and so we look at those that um people are requesting uh we also think about um what countries might be of interest to people that might be difficult to get to. Um and our amazing, amazing vice president of experienced Camille scandal is responsible for working to find guides in these locations and um either help train them or make sure that they understand how to conduct these virtual experiences really well before I have to let you go here, I've only got a few seconds, but I'm just curious what are the future plans for beyond? Er So future plans for beyond our, you know, to add more experiences and continue to grow in uh in these various spaces for corporate schools and uh and and senior groups um and to eventually expand globally more so than we already are and continue to bring the world to to people that have limitations on travel. Such a great idea, this company really appreciate your time, your insight, Brittney Palmer, Founder, founder and Ceo of Beyond er