By Nadia Imafidon
Some people never get out of their own backyard, let alone leave the country. But for entrepreneur Erin Papworth, traveling became her way of life in her early twenties after a week-long safari turned into a 13-year-long stint working for humanitarian efforts in 15 different countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Be Borderless. This is the saying her team lives by at Nav.it, a travel and lifestyle app for women who run the world and want to see it. On the site, Nav.it is defined as a verb: to navigate life.
Because of her savvy budgeting skills and by looking at travel as the way to learn and gain real wealth, Papworth established a level of financial freedom that gave her opportunities to live out-of-the-box and completely within her dream lifestyle. During her travels, Papworth was struck by the incredible women she met along the way, and it led her to a realization that landed her with plans to start a business: women want nothing more than to elevate their own life and be free to choose their lifestyle and travel goals.
“I created Nav.it so that women can find the tools they need to navigate the world on their own terms; to understand their power and agency, and most importantly – to learn how to manage their money in a way that turns their dreams into plans,” Papworth says.
Women comprise two-thirds of the world’s globetrotters, and make 92 percent of all online travel purchases in the U.S. “That is a lot of decision-making and a lot of travel stories to be told,” she says.
So what does it mean to have the tools to navigate your life and travel?
The beginning of travel planning is the dreamy part. You scroll through Instagram, and “like” every #travelinspo photo that captures the breathtaking escape to New Zealand you’ve dreamed of since you were a college student, up way too late sitting at your card table eating ramen and ignoring responsibility.
But how can you turn that aspiration into your actual spring getaway this year?
Through the Nav.it app, you can kill two birds with one stone by perusing curated articles about hot spots all over the world, and then learning how much money you need to save to get there. You even have the option to sync your bank account with the app, and set savings goals for your trips with the travel budget that best suit your unique needs—from luxurious, upscale dinners to quiet spa treatments to the local thrifty haunts your heart is after.
The app’s technology will show you where and how you’re spending the money you want to be putting toward that getaway with the girls. Set goals and spending limits, and ask Nav.it to bucket your money for you. Then all you have to do is sign in and see how far away you are from affording that ticket to New Zealand.
“Nav.it takes aspirational travel and makes it actionable,” Papworth says.
“We create monetizable city itineraries for you. We let you budget for every restaurant, hotel, museum and flight we review. And to top it off, we’ve created a community where you can share your tips and experiences with others while learning from their travel fails, their hacks and, most importantly, where to get the most amazing crème brûlée in Nice.”
All of the content in the app are travels documented from the Nav.it team of women who love to explore, just trying to figure it out like everyone else—they just write it all down and share. They offer tips on scoring the best deals, taking the road less traveled, packing for an adventurous trek abroad, and making sure you get the vaccinations you don’t think you need before leaving the country.
No matter your style, Nav.it has your back.
And once you’ve put money in the bank to travel to your dream location, you can share your own story in the app to help the next navigator get there too.
Why this campfire storytelling model?
Erin explains: “Women’s lives are not one-size-fits-all, so neither is the Nav.it experience. We are here to empower every woman to see the world in a way that is feasible to her, and we hope you come along for the ride!”
Erin is launching the Nav.it app this fall and hopes it will help many other women use their passport as a way to gain new experiences without the fear of financial roadblocks getting in the way of living their best lives.
“Knowing how to manage your money and save what you have is paramount to freedom, whether you’re traveling on a sexy shoestring or going on a luxury blitz.”
If you’re inspired by Erin Papworth’s entrepreneurial journey and want to learn how to build a travel app like Nav.it, check out a comprehensive guide on “How To Build a Travel App?”. This guide covers everything you need to know about planning, designing, and developing a successful travel app.
