A Whitefish, Montana company is accepting a limited numer of pre-registered 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 more.

The "Wandering App" helps visitors and locals alike to 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, great trip ideas and more. 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," says John Frandsen, Chief Product Officer of Old Town Creative, the Montana-based interactive firm that is developing the Wandering App.

There are a lot of local organizations that are spending money to build single, one-off mobile applications for things like historical walking tours and art walks, says Frandsen. "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."

For the end user, they will only have to download one app and through that they will be able to discover many wanderings through a single platform, says Frandsen.

The Wandering App is being developed in part through a grant from the Montana Office of Tourism. Initially the Wandering 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. "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," says Frandsen. "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. "We have a good partnership with the Montana Office of Tourism and also received content support from the Montana Historical Society and Montana Highway Department," says Frandsen.

While the Wandering App may have its roots in Montana, Frandsen expects that it will grow beyond the State's borders. We have had a lot of interest in the concept. Old Town has developed several mobile apps previously for destinations across the US 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.

Those organizations or individuals that are interested in building a Wandering are encouraged to go to the Web site at Wander.Travel to pre-register.

FOR QUESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, Please contact:

John Frandsen
Old Town Creative
(406) 730-2533
john@oldtowncreative.com