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Campground views
Planning a trip is hard enough, reserving a campsite should be easy. Campground Views helps put your mind at ease with 360-degree tours and walking videos of campsites around the US. We had the pleasure of speaking to the CEO of Campground Views, Mark Koep, to hear more about this company and their mission!
Who is Mark Koep?
Mark spent many years running his own digital marketing agency before he and his wife decided to sell everything and travel all around the US in an RV. Originally only planning to travel for a year or so, their full-time RV living extended for 12 years. While on the road they quickly fell in love with the convenience and ease of traveling from site to site and exploring and finding new things to experience. During their travels, they visited 5,000+ campgrounds, and the one struggle they felt consistently was what their destination would look like. And even worse, showing up to campgrounds that didn’t look anything like the photos on Google.
So what did Mark do? Well, he created Campground Views. At the time of this Podcast, Campground Views has 1,350 campsites on their app and are constantly expanding on that list. In the next few months, they plan to have closer to 3,000 sites, and are adding new ones every day.
Google Street View For Campgrounds
When you are planning a trip, what’s one of the first things you do? Probably high on your list is going to Google Maps and trying to find pictures of the park. Well, when you try to drop a pin on the actual campground, it never lands on the actual location so you can get a good feel for the site. This is where Mark and his team come in. The technology they created allows you to virtually walk the campgrounds you plan to visit.
With the Go-Pro style technology it feels as though you are walking around the actual site. Plus, the 360 camera allows you to move the video around at your own pace so you can drill down on specific locations around the park. To top all of this, there will be clickable markers throughout the video and 360 cam that show you actual site numbers and the size of the lot. Once you’ve decided you’re ready to make your reservation, that same marker has a link that’ll take you directly to the campground’s booking link.
How does filming work?
Being all over the US with this technology, it’s near impossible to have Mark film every location. Now that they have expanded tremendously all over the US, he gives travelers the opportunity to make some extra cash by filming these parks themselves and sending them to Campground Views. Mark and his team provide all the instructions so all you have to do is hit the road and go camping!
There’s An App for That
Not only is the website extremely user-friendly, you’ll now have access to hundreds of campsites at the tip of your fingertips with their new app! Mark and his team are in the final stages of launching the Campground Views app. This will allow you to research locations you plan to travel to and book online with ease.
It’s Time To Explore!
Simply put, Mark’s vision is to make it easier for people to get outdoors. Camping is one way that people can unplug from their daily lives and connect with each other as well as the nature that surrounds us. The Campground Views website (and soon to be app) allows campers to easily find a location they want to camp at and tour the facilities before their trip even starts. No more wondering what conditions your campsite will be in or how you’re going to fit your RV, this technology allows you to narrow down to individual sites and even book straight from their website.
Helpful Links for episode 166 “The Best Site with Campground Views Mark Koep”
- Campground Views
- All RV Small Talk Episodes
- Princesscraft.com | Princess Craft RV
