From VHS tapes to DVDs to a comprehensive travel and photo sharing app, Group Travel Videos has come a long way.
Over 25 years ago, founder Dave Martinson was bringing a photo-to-video montage program to dozens of Walmart stores, called Create A Video. “People would bring in their old family pictures, we would create an emotional, sentimental keepsake video right on the spot in the stores, and put it on a VHS tape.”
In 1997, he bought the company out and opened a retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina next door to a travel agent, which brought about a whole new idea: Group Travel Videos.
“We had this idea from the previous business, but never did anything with it, so I approached them,” Martinson said. “You send out some single-use film cameras with your group, leaders can take pictures, give them to us, we’ll process the film and pictures, make a video out of it for a VHS tape, and then every kid will get a keepsake. They tried it out, and it was a hit.”
With the evolution of technology, the company has consistently kept up with the times. VHS turned to DVDs, then it all changed when apps came on the scene. It was initially just a photo sharing app, but the key was privacy: No email addresses or phone numbers involved at all, just a username and password—and that remains true today.
Now, the app offers:
- Document Sharing, for itineraries, safety protocols, checklists, even assignments for the trip.
- Group Messaging, requiring no private contact information, which also allows for subgroups (i.e. among chaperones).
- Travel Locator, for helping find lost students or coordinating meetups with group members.
- Private Photo Gallery, which are much higher quality and more easily organized than using social media, and they can be shared with not just those on the trips, but parents, grandparents, siblings, school faculty, etc.
- Storytelling Video, the original product, combining photos into a keepsake video that can be streamed or downloaded, remaining on the server for three years. And soon, group members will be able to upload videos as well, which educators can review before they’re shared with the group.
It’s highly affordable, private and intuitive—and it makes for a great recruiting tool.
“If it is a band group, they love it, because they’re all time trying to get people into programs,” Martinson said. “One of the most attractive things about joining a band or an orchestra choir is the travel aspect. So when they’re having these recruiting meetings, they have last year’s video playing, they see people that they know, they see the fun times that they had in Orlando or Nashville or wherever that they went, and it gives them the extra effort to see if they pass the test.
“Everybody really wins from it. The kids have a great keepsake, the parents get some peace of mind during the trip, and of course, the teachers as well.”
Just last year in New York City, a group using the app had an eighth grader run away after a tiff with another student, and they were able to quickly locate and bring her back safely using the locator feature.
If you’re a teacher or director working with Group Travel Videos, you’ll also be in contact with them throughout the process, being educated on how to use all the features well before the trip, with a direct line of contact while traveling as well—you don’t need to bother your tour operator.
The whole experience is heavily guided by feedback from teachers, students and other groups, with more than 2,000,000 travelers working with the company since 1999. In other words: It’s a tried and true product, and there’s a reason groups keep coming back to use it year after year.
Learn more and get started at grouptravelvideos.com.
Testimonial:
“I will be honest, with everything I needed to do to prepare for our trip, the ‘after’ video wasn’t high on my priority list. After the trip was over, and went incredibly well, receiving the video/slide show a few weeks after returning was a great memory of our adventures on the West Coast! The pictures highlighted the amazing places we saw and the awesome times we had! What an incredible compilation of memories for my students to keep for a lifetime! All of this, with very little effort from our end! Thank you for this terrific gift!”
Kate Kallenbach
Fairmont Marching Band (Fairmont, MN)
Aug 21, 2025