About Us

The Why

I'd like to say that Roadnaut was founded out of some sort of deep-level inspiration born from our travels, but I would be lying to you if I said that.

Roadnaut was actually founded out of spite - spite for the current state of news media in the campervan industry.

I have always wanted a trusted source for news and reviews in the space, but I keep stumbling across the same media-owned sources littered with ads, low-quality content, clickbait titles, and an obscene amount of AI-generated slop that has made its way to all parts of the web.

This is not the kind of web I like to explore, and I still haven't found a publication that genuinly interests me. None inform about the latest news in a manner that is easy to consume, have few distractions, and are run by honest, independent humans.

So, I am going to build that publication instead, and hopefully it will inspire you to travel this beautiful planet in the best way possible, via our incredible roads.

The Who

My name is Brandon Saltalamacchia, a mid-30-year-old with a wonderful partner and two young kids based in the United Kingdom.

I have a history in the publishing industry. I have worked in this space since the late 2000's, working for media companies, creating my own content brands in my spare time, and then eventually going solo after selling a van life blog in 2021, which enabled me to leave my full-time job and go on to create the world's leading retro gaming publication, Retro Dodo.

But now, with two young children in the mix, I yearn for the days when I travelled to different countries in a campervan. They were some of the most special times of my life.

During my research into looking for camper vans that fit my budget and needs, I was met with endless, low-quality content from the same large media companies, or AI-controlled YouTube pages that baited me into a click.

Now here I am, building a new content brand for our small media company, in the hope that it can turn into one of the best, most trusted sources for news, reviews and guides about travelling in a campervan through the UK and Europe.

To do that, I need help, and I am bringing in my good friend Sebastian Santabarbara to assist. He has travelled to over 15+ countries across two continents in a self-converted campervan, and has published numerous books about van life and tiny home living along the way.

Between us, we have the necessary talent and skills to craft Roadnaut into the very publication that we ourselves would want to consume.

But there's a big problem.

The How

Typical media, especially website-form, requires multiple methods of generating revenue to stay alive, the biggest being display advertising.

Those annoying advertisements that block your view, pop up out of nowhere and destroy your website experience? Yeah... well, they pay pretty damn well. That's why you see them everywhere; they allow big and independent websites to keep the lights on, to pay writers, to pay for camera equipment, travel expenses etc.

It's the largest portion of a publisher's income, but it sacrifices connection building and media consumption quality. That is why we are making the decision not use them.

We want to change the way news is consumed on the web, and we are going to flip how revenue is generated in a way the puts you, the consumer, first.

The biggest way of supporting us as an independent publication is by tipping or becoming a premium member. Premium members pay a small fee every month as a thank you for what we do, alongside access to premium content, exclusive to you.

We'll also work closely with brands we trust and love in a partnership that puts the consumer first, too.

This is not the most effective way of running a publishing business. In fact, it's a stupid way, but we're not the brightest of folk and want to build a genuinly great news source for other campervan enthusiasts, while making the web a slightly better place to explore.

So, welcome to Roadnaut - we're very grateful to have you here! Please explore our website; we've put a lot of time, money and effort into crafting this space for you.

If you do enjoy what you experience here, feel free to tip us or, even better, become a paying member of our community.

Safe travels, fellow Roadnaut.

Brandon & Sebastian