Daytrip road trips are more than point A to point B

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Surveys found 78% of travelers looked for at least one memorable, locally authentic experience when planning their 2026 trips. Travelers increasingly want more from their vacations and are willing to pay extra to get that experience. That desire helps fuel the growth ofDaytrip, a global travel platform that recently surpassed 2 million travelers.

Founded in 2015, Daytrip was created around the idea that getting from one city to another should not feel like a struggle. Instead of navigating rental car pickups or multiple transit connections, travelers book door-to-door transportation with English-speaking drivers.

While private car services are nothing new, Daytrip 's unique draw is the ability to add sightseeing stops along the way, either from a list of options on the website or customer suggestions. Trips are fully customizable and can be booked entirely online. The company now operates in more than 130 countries with a network of more than 15,000 drivers.

Rise of experiential travel and mobile apps

Turning travel days into part of the vacation aligns with the continued rise of experiential travel. According to Going's 2026 State of Travel report, many travelers are not necessarily planning more vacations next year, but they do plan to spend more on the trips they do take. More than half say they will pay more for upgraded experiences.

"Traveling is also about the experiences we have along the way, before we even reach our destination," Daytrip cofounder Tomáš Turek said in a recent company statement announcing the 2 million traveler milestone.

A report from market research firm Dataintelo projected the experiential travel market will grow at a compound annual rate of 7.3% from 2026 through 2034. Experiential travel can be broadly categorized as travel that requires active participation in a meaningful experience, often involving local culture or environment. According to the report, cultural, culinary and adventure travel are the largest segments of experiential travel, while ecotravel is the fastest growing. And respondents were willing to spend more money to get more personal service and rare or unique experiences.

Zain Ali Niazi, a driver for Daytrip in France, said that most of his bookings were from Paris to Normandy, where people wanted to do history tours of D-Day locations. His other most requested trip was wine tours of the Burgundy region. While clients usually had itineraries already planned based on their own interests, he was happy to make suggestions for additional places to see or change their route based on his personal experience as a driver and local.

In response to customer feedback and growing demand for even more customization for their trips, Daytrip announced a new feature on June 9: the hourly driver rate. "The release of the hourly driver is a natural progression in Daytrip's continuous growth and reaction to customers' needs," said Tomas Turek, cofounder and CEO of Daytrip. "Whether on holidays or traveling for business, we have seen travelers asking for even more flexibility during their transfers, and the hourly driver is our response to that."

Decision detox

The ability of Daytrip's drivers to make suggestions while also handling all of the logistical details of the trip is another appeal of the company. A 2026 travel trends report from the travel PR firm Lemongrass found that increasingly overwhelmed travelers seek vacations that reduce the stress of constant planning and micro-decisions.

That desire for simplicity may help explain the growing popularity of private transfer services that eliminate the need to coordinate train schedules, parking logistics or complicated transit connections while traveling abroad. The convenience can be especially attractive for families with younger kids or traveling with older relatives.

Personal experience

On a recent trip to France, I needed to get from Caen in Normandy to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for an early evening flight. Normally, the trip requires connecting at least three trains and navigating through two train stations in Paris. Instead, I booked the transfer through Daytrip's app.

As I sat in the backseat chatting with our driver, I realized that I was completely relaxed. Instead of checking train times, shepherding family members through stations or watching for road signs while driving, I was asking questions about his favorite places to go in France.

When I booked the trip on Daytrip's app, it suggested possible sightseeing stops along our route to the airport, including a traditional Calvados distillery, the historic city of Rouen and Versailles, among others. Or you could suggest a stop of your own with Daytrip's new hourly driver rate.

We decided to stop in the harbor town of Honfleur, where fishing boats bobbed in the marina and picturesque cobblestoned streets invited exploring on foot. Famous as a favorite haunt of Impressionist artists and for its historic wooden church, our driver explained the layout of the town and where all the main sights were located. He dropped us off and picked us up by the harbor, allowing ample time to explore the town that Monet, Seurat and Bodin painted.

After two weeks of coordinating trains, hotels and transportation across Europe, handing over the logistics for the last day felt like its own kind of luxury. My trip reflected many of the broader travel trends shaping vacations today, including flexibility, personalization and the desire to make even the journey to the airport a memorable experience.

Amanda Luhn is a freelance writer who escapes from her never-ending cabin renovation by traveling, whether that is camping in her beloved Smoky Mountains or hopping on a plane to a new country. She writes for her family travel blog, Simply Awesome Trips, and her East Tennessee blog, Knoxville Backyard & Beyond.