Whitefish firm creates 'wandering' app

Old Town Creative in Whitefish is accepting a limited number of preregistered participants in Montana for a new mobile app that allows organizations to easily create and promote walking tours, birding trails, garden tours, scenic drives and other local tours.

The Wandering App helps visitors and locals get off the beaten path and immerse themselves in local communities and landscapes through historical walking tours, art walks, birding trails, brewery tours, route and trail ideas and trip ideas. 

All of these different kinds of point-to-point experiences have been gathered together under the notion of a “wandering.”

“Research is showing that mobile applications have a distinct ability to inspire travelers and even locals to discover something new, or explore a place they wouldn’t have otherwise considered,” said John Frandsen, chief product officer of Old Town Creative, the interactive firm that is developing the Wandering App.

Many local organizations spend money to build single mobile applications for things such as historical walking tours and art walks, he said.

“We’re providing a platform that allows them to easily build and promote these compelling experiences without having to go through the trouble and expense of custom development,” Frandsen said in a press release.

End users will only have to download one app and through that they will be able to discover many wanderings through a single platform, he said.

The Wandering App is being developed in part through a grant from the Montana Office of Tourism. Initially the app will include historical roadside markers and other interpretive information from across the state.

“Users will be able to read and explore the text of the historical roadside markers and natural history markers plotted across the state while they are driving,” Frandsen continued. “I think we have all had the experience of driving down the highway and seeing a roadside historical marker and wanting to know what it says, but not being able to stop at them all. The Wandering App will allow you to access that content on the go.”

Because of the connection with the Montana Office of Tourism, the Wandering App will get its start in Montana and the content and Wanderings of the State will be expanded and improved before moving on to other states.

Frandsen expects the app will grow beyond the state’s borders. 

Old Town previously developed several mobile apps for destinations across the United States and even internationally. The company is a key digital development firm for National Geographic Maps and has special experience in travel and mapping-integrated applications for the web and mobile devices.

Organizations or individuals interested in building a “Wandering” are encouraged to go to the website at Wander.Travel to preregister.