Wander founder Cassandra Sasso has embarked on a crowdfunding trip to facilitate the expansion of her luxury accommodation alternative.

She hopes to build out the Sydney-based business into more regional Australian markets, including in South Australia, following on from the success of the off-grid accommodation pod model in Kangaroo Island and Scenic Rim, Queensland.

The Flinders Ranges is on her wishlist, as are other parts of SA like the many wine regions and coastal locations that would complement her WanderPods.

Sasso founded the business back in 2019 with a desire to fill demand for premium regional accommodation and to tap into the natural beauty of the nation’s landscapes.

Her WanderPods have the creature comforts of a luxury hotel contained in a moveable pod and perched facing stunning natural vistas. They come with a sofa, a dining table for four and a fully-equipped kitchen.

A separate bedroom features a king-size bed while the ensuite includes a rain shower. Each WanderPod has a coffee machine, Bluetooth speaker, and bath salts for the outdoor bath.

They strike a middle ground between luxury hotel, Airbnb and off-grid tiny home living; with Sasso saying they have implemented the best of all three to create a “higher value version”.

Cassandra Sasso. Photo: Provided.

“We’ve taken the best bits of what we think of three different products,” she said.

“Hotels can be quite boring and monotonous but they do give you a consistent guest experience and you know what you’re buying. With Airbnb you get access to these amazing locations but it’s a bit of a lucky dip. And then there’s tiny homes which are the newest category of the three but what we’re offering is an upgraded experience – a higher value version of that.

“It’s a new way to travel.”

Though based in Sydney, the entrepreneur makes the WanderPods in Adelaide with a “manufacturer that just understands the quality that we’re after” according to Sasso, who has a background in hospitality and interior design.

“They’re modular – so they’re built in a factory in Adelaide and then shipped to site, so there’s minimal site disruption,” she told InDaily.

“The pods have been engineered in a way that if we ever needed to move them – it’s not our intention to move them – we can pick them up, repurpose them and sell them or relocate them to another site and then there’s nothing left on the land. It can just regenerate.”

This model has seen Sasso find success on Kangaroo Island where four pods sit overlooking the northern coastline of the South Australian gem.

“Kangaroo Island is this faraway land that just has its own magic and wildness about it,” Sasso said.

“That comes across even if you haven’t been there and when we did get there it was just about 10 times that. We knew we were going to Wander here.”

Wander on Kangaroo Island. Phoro: Jacqui Faulkner.

Wander on Kangaroo Island. Photo: Remy Brand.

The business was looking to plant roots on KI pre-COVID but the pandemic held things up for Wander. Bushfires in 2019/20 on the island also decimated almost half of the island which was disastrous for local operators.

This was even more impetus to get Wander on KI for Sasso.

“It’s a nice opportunity – everyone turned their attention back to regional tourism,” she said.

Beyond already established facilities in Queensland’s Scenic Rim, Wander will use funds from an ongoing crowdfunding round facilitated by Birchal to expand the business.

The company’s website says Flinders Ranges is “coming soon”, but after that South Australia remains a priority for the business.

“We’re looking to establish a couple of really key locations in every state that showcases the best of that state,” she said.

“In our pipeline we’d like to establish a winery base and an outback one. If you had to do SA these are the places you need to go.”

The business model has also been praised by Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison, who said there was growing demand for premium accommodation in regions showcasing Australia’s natural beauty.

“With the luxury travel segment increasingly seeking out experiences with a commitment to sustainability offering exceptional accommodation immersed in Australia’s world-class landscapes that respect the natural environment is something that can be very appealing to these travellers,” Harrison said.