An innovative digital platform promising to transform travel for the motorhome community has launched today. The product, Motorhome Routes Ireland, has been created by 58-year-old entrepreneur Sandra Willis, who has lived an unconventional life split between a refurbished 29-year-old narrowboat in Lisnaskea and her trusty 26-year-old motorhome, accompanied everywhere by her two golden retrievers.
After building and selling a successful events business in England, freedom loving Sandra decided to follow her dream of living afloat. When her narrowboat began taking on water last year she had it restored and relocated her non-conventional home to the waterways of Fermanagh.
She now divides her time between Summers in Northern Ireland and sun-seeking winters in France and Spain. Drawing on her experience as a tour guide, the serial entrepreneur has launched a range of digital downloadable products designed for travellers who want curated, reliable routes, highlighting hidden gems and practical information for their motorhome adventures.
For the more discerning motorhome owner and renter, the digital entrepreneur, who has travelled extensively around Northern Ireland, is also available to develop one-to-one bespoke itineraries and review and improve rough plans designed at the dreaming stage of travel by people without local knowledge or previous experience.
Digital tourism has reshaped how people explore. From printed road atlas maps in years gone by, countless visitors now rely on mobile phone mapping such as Google Maps, which can, at times, for lesser known areas, be lacking in both detail and signposting. The digital downloads and consultancy service provided by Motorhome Routes Ireland offers priceless insight to guide journeys across Ireland, North and South, saving precious time in the process.
The entrepreneur has witnessed firsthand the appetite for motorhome, campervan and RV travel growing strongly with more motorhome ownership than ever before recorded year after year, with further growth forecasted.
Motorhome Routes Ireland
Sandra Willis commented: “This business is not just about plotting the fastest way from A to B. I wanted to create something that reflects the kind of travel I believe in – unhurried, authentic and good for the communities we, as visitors, are privileged to pass through.
“My routes take tourists away from relying too heavily on the crowded hotspots and out into the rural towns and landscapes that are far too often overlooked. My latest venture has been inspired not just by my own personal adventures and visitor experiences but it was borne from direct request, I was finding, more and more, people coming to me looking for advice, tips, insights, signposts to grow their confidence before embarking on their own journeys.
“My platform, digital products and consultancy service is designed to help travellers enjoy a richer, more balanced experience and ensure the benefits of tourism are felt more evenly across the regions. For me, Motorhome Routes Ireland is very much a lifestyle business that supports quality later years of an adventurous life for me while making a real difference to how and where people travel. Quite simply I am taking the hassle, time and risk out of motorhome journey planning.”
Digital routes are currently offered on a payable download basis. An additional exclusive subscription through Patreon gives travellers first access to new and regularly updated itineraries, featuring secret spots, VIP discounts and more.
The business is also set to collaborate with sponsors and funders to co-create themed or bespoke routes for specific audiences, whether culinary trails, cultural heritage loops or journeys that encourage travellers to take their time across unspoilt landscapes, rather than taking the quickest route.
The business concept aligns closely with Tourism Ireland’s recently launched global campaign “Ireland Unrushed”, which encourages visitors to slow down and connect more deeply with people and places. Motorhome Routes Ireland, conceived in the spirit of slow travel, stands as a practical digital companion for those who want to discover more.
To find out more about the routes and consultancy available or to discuss co-creating a sponsored route visit motorhomeroutes.co.uk.
For inspiration in this adventurous form of tourism you can follow Sandra on LinkedIn or Motor Home Routes on facebook, instagram, tiktok and youtube.
