We call it the Teleporter. While we haven't quite mastered actual teleportation technology (our dev team is focusing on things we can actually ship), we have created something almost as magical: a system that randomly dispatches our team members to destinations around the world.

The Teleporter

Here’s how it works: Once a year, around your work anniversary, you get to spin the Teleporter — a tool we built in-house that presents three random destinations to choose from, all real places our users have traveled to.

Initially, the plane Teleporter offered just one destination. Later, to make sure everyone felt safe and excited about where they’d be headed (knowing that comfort levels can vary depending on personal identity, culture, or local laws), we expanded it to three. One rule still stands: you can’t have visited the country before.

We also introduced the train Teleporter — a newer addition designed to encourage more sustainable travel. It’s a bit more flexible: repeat visits are allowed, and it comes with extra perks like €400 in spending money and the option of a 7-day Interrail Pass to sweeten the deal.

No matter which version you choose, a few basics stay the same: the destination must be safe (no negative travel advice), you’ll need to track your trip in the app, and share your findings when you return.

Wherever the Teleporter lands, we cover your ticket — and off you go.

Lessons from the road

But it’s more than a fun perk — it keeps us grounded in the traveler experience we’re designing for.

When we're updating our route on a spotty rural connection in Namibia, we’re not just navigating an off-the-grid journey — we’re experiencing exactly what our users deal with. And when we're in the Dolomites, linking scenic train journeys with cycling routes and hiking trails, we see opportunities to make multi-modal trip planning smoother and more seamless.

These aren't controlled test scenarios. They're real travel moments that lead to real product improvements. Some notable updates have included:

• Map view clarity: One of our designers noticed that planned routes were visually overpowering tracked paths. We made the planned lines more subtle, helping users better visualize where they’ve actually been.

• Improved trip planning: Several teammates ran into duplicated steps in the timeline, leading to a cleaner, more accurate planning flow.

• Bug squashing in the wild: Our support operations specialist met Polarsteps users in Guatemala who uncovered a bug preventing comments from appearing — quickly resolved back at HQ.

• Travel Together: Inspired by both user feedback and our team’s desire to document shared adventures, this feature became one of our most requested, and it's now one of our most beloved.

• Better trip sharing: After seeing users and teammates take screenshots of their maps to share journeys, we redesigned the sharing flow with improved map visuals and a smoother experience.

No focus group or user survey could have delivered these insights with the same urgency or clarity. When you hit a product limitation in the middle of a once-in-a-lifetime moment, solving it becomes more than just a task — it’s a mission with a personal payoff.

Embracing the travel mindset

Sure, the Teleporter looks like a perk. But underneath, it’s one of the smartest tools we have for product research. We come back from these trips with fresh insights, feature suggestions, and the occasional bug report. 

But maybe more importantly, we return with renewed empathy — for travelers planning complex routes, navigating spotty connections, documenting meaningful moments, or simply trying to capture the story of their journey as it unfolds.

It keeps our priorities straight and keeps us grounded in the realities we’re designing for.

Because if we're building tools to help people navigate the world, we should probably spend some time navigating it ourselves — even if we're not entirely sure where we're going.