Roadtrippers LLC, which helps travelers find and purchase road trip-related travel and experiences, has closed a $250,000 investment from CincyTech and three individual investors and launched its beta version.

Roadtrippers' beta pulls together existing applications, Web sites and resources into one seamless experience. A traveler plans a route on the site based on driving distance, travel time and approximate fuel cost and then can explore various experiences to add to their trip.

Roadtrippers can search more than 20,000 attractions, services and accommodations as well as venues for entertainment, food and drink, history, nature, shopping and sports, aggregating all the deals available along the way. The Roadtrippers application maps all of this into one single itinerary for the user.

The investment will be used to expand content partnerships and further develop internal purchasing routes.

Roadtrippers also has partnered with Jamie Jensen, the author of the best-selling travel guide Road Trip USA, who is serving as an advisor to the team.

The iPad-friendly site was founded in a motel in Savannah, Ga., by James Fisher and Tatiana Parent, who then moved to Cincinnati in the summer of 2011 to participate in Cincinnati's top 10-ranked startup accelerator the Brandery.

"Tatiana and I had spent a lot of time in the car combining holiday road trips with visits to friends and family all over the United States and Europe. We were tired of eating fast food and staying at generic chain hotels," CEO James Fisher said. "Roadtrippers is a simple solution to creating a more fun and cost-effective travel experience."

CincyTech executive-in-residence Bob Gilbreath, a former top executive at digital agency Possible Worldwide, is working with Fisher and Parent using his Minimum Viable Concept outreach tool, which tests startup applications with large groups of consumers.

"We reached 300 potential users and found that they are using a handful of sites and applications to meet the need that Roadtrippers is fulfilling with its technology," said Gilbreath. "The MVC test also showed that Roadtrippers is viewed by consumers as a highly usable, unique solution to travel challenges that travelers begin using up to six weeks before a trip and continue to use through the duration of their travels."

Beginning at the end of June, users will be able to book accommodations along routes directly through the site.

About Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is a Web-based application that helps road travelers discover, plan and book the best places and experiences, hand picked by local experts and travel writers. Users determine a starting and ending point and then choose various attractions, amenities and experiences to complement their travel. Roadtrippers then consolidates everything into one simple itinerary.

About CincyTech

CincyTech is a public-private venture seed-stage venture firm that invests in startup businesses in high-tech industries in Southwest Ohio. With substantial support from Ohio Third Frontier and corporations, foundations, civic organizations and individuals here, it is stimulating the growth of venture-worthy companies in information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing.