The businesses, the landowners, and the government officials we’ve met have been welcoming and encouraging,” explains Kristopher Guidry, co-owner of Wanderlust Rentals, a kayak rental service based in Lafayette. “But it’s not just that… I’ve learned a lot at each and every stop we’ve made.
“I’ve learned things I didn’t know about my own culture,” Guidry adds. “It’s one thing to start a business, and then having to go through all the hoops and coordinate everything… But everyone we talk to is so encouraging and generally excited about the project.”
Guidry and his cousin Reed Rudasill came into partial ownership of some family land a few years ago when their grandfather passed away, leaving some property behind that touched the Vermilion River in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“We tossed around ideas about boat rentals and stuff when were thinking of how we could use the property together,” says Rudasill. “The idea of kayak rentals didn’t come into our heads until we started kayaking ourselves and whenever someone who didn’t have a kayak wanted to join us… the only option was to buy one.
“Any rental options were usually part of a single location or a tour,” he continues. “There was no other option on the Vermilion River to simply rent a kayak, and we could see interest was increasing.”
Honestly, the whole thing just started basically solving a problem,” emphasizes Guidry. “We wanted to go kayak and down the Vermilion River, and our friend wanted to come with us. He didn’t have a kayak, and we called everywhere in town.
“We couldn’t find anywhere that we could just rent a kayak and take it out on our own accord,” adds Guidry. “It was only guided tours. So, we saw a problem to solve there, and it just kinda snowballed into what we’re actually doing now. We expect it to be way more and grow into a lot more than of a service than just kayaks.”
Wanderlust Rentals emerged, essentially, as a way for the two cousins to tackle a problem. The business is unique as it’s based on a model that allows customers to rent at one location and return at a different location. What really makes the idea so different is the fact that the rentals are 100% self-service.
“Actually, Reed came across the self-service model, and we vetted out different technology suppliers and different ways of executing this business model,” explains Guidry. “We came across this ‘share kayak’ service and started going down that road of using this to be the first multi-point selfservice kayak rental that no one around here has ever seen.
The idea that it’s a multi-point service means that a customer can start at 1 point, go down the river to the next the next kiosk. If the customer would like to stop at, they could return the kayak there, and then go about their day and not have to paddle back upriver or drive it on top of their vehicle. The service is like the “Lime” or “Bird” scooters implemented briefly in downtown Lafayette a few years ago.
“It’s going to be returned to a geo-fenced area so it can’t just be left anywhere,” reassures Rudasill. “That was the problem with the scooters... They were leaving them literally in the streets. Our system will keep them from being left on the rivers or in people’s yards, or anything like that.”
Wanderlust is putting their own spin on the model with their multi-point setup, as the local waterways are rivers with currents as opposed to lakes. “The technology we’re using is more popular in Australia,” adds Guidry. “It’s very popular in Australia,” says Rudasill. “It’s also popular in the Netherlands, but the company is from Europe.
“Initially we were gonna manage it and run it ourselves… kind of like everybody else has done in the past,” continues Rudasill. “A setup where you have a little warehouse, you supply the kayaks etc. That was our first kind of concept, and we’d also have a manned management business for short term rentals.”
Then something hit the young entrepreneurs… the idea of using modern technology where it never really existed before. The cousins decided to come up with and build their own self-service system using smart locks, cameras, and the internet.
“We were gonna build out the whole system ourselves, make it a self-service business just like we saw online in Australia and then we realized we didn’t need to re-invent the wheel,” explains Rudasill. “There already exists this software and technology. So now, we’re using technology and software that is out of Sweden. It’s used in a couple of other European countries.”
There are some locations throughout the United States that are using the smart lock system and software, but this technology is only being utilized on lakes.
“In the past, renters would either bring the kayak back to that same spot on the river or get dropped off upriver and finish at the spot,” says Rudasill. “We want to have about 6 locations up and down the Vermilion River to choose from. Somebody can start at the nature station and on the north side, and then they can paddle down the river with the current to our next location, which would be near Vermilionville. That’s two of our locations. They’d be able to stop, unload and then leave their kayak there. They would not have to worry about anything else.”
The concept, which is now in business, is a setup where renters can just leave their kayak. Once they lock it back up, the transaction completes… all based off a downloadable app (ShareKayak)that requires a waiver up front.
“In Lafayette, where we have a big presence of services like Uber and Lyft, it’s gonna work great,” says Guidry. “Even if you don’t take a car at all, you can literally Uber to where you’d like to start, finish it out and then go home after. It’s easy… All done through phones, Wi-Fi, GPS, and QR codes.”
The cousins expect new customers will experience an initial learning curve, so they take every chance they can to educate people on the process. The business will not be 100% self-service, as Wanderlust Rentals welcomes groups for scheduled rides. Those require more on-site coordination and planning.
“We are looking to build value,” says Guidry. “We’re looking to partner with a new, local tour bus company out of Lafayette (Evangeline Expeditions). Part of the bus tour involves kayaking down the river, and the group ends up where the tour began, and they can get in their cars and go.”
Neither Guidry, who has worked in construction most of his career, nor Rudasill, who has a lawn care business, had any experience with adventure rentals. While both love the outdoors, neither were all that into hunting or fishing. The idea behind Wanderlust Rentals just made sense.
“We started kayaking not too long ago,” explains Rudasill. “And we both love being able to work for ourselves - to be entrepreneurs. “Instead of working 40 hours a week for somebody else, we work 80 to 100 hours a week for ourselves, and we plan to grow this.
“We’re not just going to be selfservice.” He adds. “That’s gonna be just one of our arms. We’re also gonna be doing ticketed events, especially for parties greater than 15. We’ll be able to drop off some a group of people with the kayaks with the paddles where they can then paddle down river. To add even more value, we’re looking to partner with certain landowners as well as restaurant owners along the Vermilion, and Bayou Teche in order to have endpoints where they can grab a bite of food, or they can grab a drink. To really be a whole unique experience for the Acadiana area.”
With technology, the software, and the smart locks Wanderlust Rentals will soon rent out more than kayaks, but canoes and paddle boards as well. The company is ramping up with other branches and other offerings.
“We’re going to start branching out, depending on the location,” explains Rudasill. “With all the small towns that we’re working with along Bayou Teche, we may be able to quickly implement other things.
“We can rent out bikes and scooters… even golf carts,” Rudasill continues. “The town of Washington is interested in us running out and with golf carts, and we’re looking into the logistics. But they’re interested in golf carts being rented out on their street. So those are kind of some of like along those lines. We met up with the Mayor of Washington, and went over there to approach him for our kayak rentals, and he was interested in that, of course, but also, he said they had just passed an ordinance allow golf courts on their roads. So he was also looking at golf courts and bikes, just to kind of get more people traveling throughout the town.”
The setup will resemble a high school locker equipped with smart locks on the doors. So anything that can fit inside of a locker can be rented out. “Poche’s, the meat market out in Breaux Bridge, has a good chunk of land along Bayou Teche,” says Rudasill. “That’s one place we want rent out our kayaks, and we’re in the process of working out a deal right now, but they’re also interested in renting out camping gear and tents, because they would be open to campers camping out on their property.”
The cousins are now contemplating multi-day day excursions with camping gear included.
“We take the hassle out of the process,” says Guidry. “We solve the logistics problem and make it easier for more people to experience a beautiful resource that too many people never get to experience.”
Wanderlust rentals is aware of their impact on the river and offers rewards for removing trash and debris from the river. The cousins are committed to not only exposing more people to the local rivers but helping make them even better. “Everybody’s excited about what we’re having to offer,” says Guidry smiling.
There’s a lot to smile about.
