Polarsteps, the global travel app and community platform, reaches a major milestone as more users than ever inspire each other to travel by prioritizing honest storytelling over curated posts.
Leading travel tracking and sharing platform Polarsteps announced it has reached 15 million users worldwide, demonstrating its significant role in how travelers plan, track, and share their journeys.
The platform's growth reflects the joy of travel, where every shared journey — from weekend getaways to multi-year expeditions — becomes part of a larger story that inspires others to explore. In addition to tracking the places they’ve been, users are sharing real travel narratives that showcase the infinite ways people explore the world.
"What strikes us most about reaching 15 million users isn't just the number — it's the incredible diversity of stories being shared," says Polarsteps CEO Clare Jones. "Whether it's a family's slow-travel, low-carbon trip across Europe, a teenager's first backpacking trip in Asia, or a long weekend discovering a nearby forest, travelers' stories can inspire others around them to travel with curiosity and openmindedness."
Real travelers, extraordinary stories
Polarsteps users are showcasing the full spectrum of modern travel, from purpose-driven adventures to record-breaking expeditions:
Gus Trotter is combining adventure with activism, undertaking an epic journey while raising money for Generation Avant Garde, which funds sports prosthetics for amputees. His mission "to make sport accessible for all" has already raised over €15,000, proving that travel can be a powerful positive force.
Tiphaine and Pierre exemplify adventure partnership at its finest. After meeting in the Alps, they cycled for six months from France to Nepal — crossing Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan — just to hike the Great Himalaya Trail. Their story captures the beauty of slow travel: "We can soak up the scenery, we're forced to travel light, and we only worry about our essential needs. Every day brings something new!"
Bailey Whitnack is chasing history as she attempts to become the youngest person to complete the Trans-Canada Trail's 28,000km route using only foot, pedal, paddle, and (occasionally) skis. At 26, she's tackling the challenge with her dog Stoney by her side.
Mike and Iris show how travel dreams adapt to life's changes. Their overland journey from the Netherlands to Cape Town took an unexpected turn when, while traveling in Zimbabwe, they discovered they were expecting a baby. Now proud new parents, they plan to continue their trip in September, inspiring other families that "life can still be one big adventure, just with extra company."
Beyond social media
Unlike platforms focused on curated posts, Polarsteps enables its users to document their complete journeys with context and real moments. Users share everything from remote mountain crossings to urban neighborhood discoveries, with space for all the unexpected detours.
Tiphaine and Pierre documented both the "hellish" heat in Turkmenistan, where they cycled through the night to avoid deadly temperatures, and the magical moments cycling through the remote Pamir Mountains. Bailey shares her epic tales (including getting stuck in mud bogs) alongside her trail victories. Mike and Iris adapted their trip and updated their story in real-time when they discovered they were expecting a baby, showing how travel plans evolve with life's surprises.
This complete picture — challenges alongside triumphs — gives other travelers realistic expectations and genuine inspiration, rather than reinforcing the impossible standards set by perfectly curated travel content.
"Every story shared on our platform has the potential to inspire someone else's next adventure," says Jones. "Whether it's a weekend camping trip or a year-long cycling expedition, these experiences show a more personal, realistic, and complete picture than a curated social media post. They include the downs as well as the ups, without the filtering."
About Polarsteps
Polarsteps, the Amsterdam-based scale-up founded in 2015, has become an essential trip companion for over 15 million explorers worldwide. As an end-to-end app, it empowers travelers to plan, track, and relive their journeys in a uniquely smart and visually beautiful way. With a dedicated team of more than 80 international talents, the company has bold ambitions to ignite the spirit of adventure in modern explorers at every step of the journey. The big mission? To lead a global shift towards more authentic, meaningful, and responsible travel.
Follow the featured travelers on Polarsteps:
Cover image: Shutterstock/Foto-Migawki MD
