Overview

Virtual Roadtrip is an AI-enabled career exploration and education-planning tool developed by Roadtrip Nation to help students explore career possibilities, connect their interests and goals to potential pathways, and develop plans for future education and work.

The online experience combines artificial intelligence, gamified career assessments, personalized career exploration, and story-based content drawn from Roadtrip Nation’s archive of interviews with professionals across the United States. While other career exploration tools present students primarily with lists of occupations, Virtual Roadtrip provides real-world stories, career pathways, educational options, and advice tailored to their interests, goals, work styles, and other characteristics.

An AI-supported experience helps students navigate career possibilities and connects them with relevant content from Roadtrip Nation’s archive of more than 13,500 video interviews. Students can explore careers they may not previously have considered and learn from individuals who have followed a variety of education and career pathways. The tool also supports education planning. Students can create personalized coursework plans aligned with their interests and future goals while meeting applicable state and district requirements.

Roadtrip Nation reports that students can create a customized plan in approximately one class period. The tool is designed to support independent student exploration while enabling K-12 school counselors to focus more of their time on individual advising, encouragement, decision making, and helping students translate goals into next steps.

Virtual Roadtrip is available to current American School Counselor Association (ASCA) members for use with students during the 2026–27 school year through ASCA University. Broader access for non-ASCA members is planned in the future.

Research

Roadtrip Nation launched a large-scale pilot of Virtual Roadtrip in schools and educational settings across the U.S. in 2024. Approximately 2,900 students from 45 schools participated in the pilot of the Virtual Roadtrip, and survey data was collected from 488 students. Roughly 16% of participants were in middle school, 55% in high school, 17% in community college, and 12% were in university settings.

A 2025 white paper, The Influence of AI-Assisted Virtual Roadtrips on Facets of Students’ Career Identity, reported positive changes in several measures following students’ participation in the pilot. The research was intended to both assess the pilot and inform continued development of the tool. Highlighted findings:

• Students reported increased sense of confidence and interest in career exploration after engaging with the Virtual Roadtrip.
• Students saw a 12.6% growth in feeling a sense of expanded career options, and a 12.2% growth in their confidence in being able to reach their future career goals.
• Anecdotally, some students mentioned increased feelings of personal growth and reduced anxieties about the future.

Background

Virtual Roadtrip grew out of Roadtrip Nation’s longstanding approach to career exploration through storytelling and exposure to the experiences of people working across industries and occupations. Roadtrip Nation has spent more than two decades collecting career stories and helping individuals connect their interests to education, careers, and meaningful work.

Development of Virtual Roadtrip extended this model by using AI and digital tools to personalize access to Roadtrip Nation’s archive of career stories and related career information.

Roadtrip Nation partnered with the University of California, Irvine Design and Partnership Lab (UCI Daplab), an affiliate of UCI’s Connected Learning Lab, to study how AI-guided career exploration could affect students’ developing career identities. Researchers examined areas including students’ awareness of career possibilities, confidence in pursuing career goals, and engagement in career exploration.

Virtual Roadtrip subsequently went through multiple rounds of piloting and refinement involving students, counselors, and educators.

In 2026, Roadtrip Nation introduced an expanded version of Virtual Roadtrip designed in collaboration with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The tool combines human storytelling, gamified career assessments, AI-supported personalization, career discovery, and high school course planning into a guided career navigation experience.

Funders

• Britebound (prior to January 2026, known as American Student Assistance / ASA) — National nonprofit organization focused on helping young people explore education and career options and make informed decisions about their futures. A multi-year funding partnership with ASA supported the development and large-scale piloting of Virtual Roadtrip. ASA also supported research examining the tool’s impact on students’ career exploration and career identity.
• Strada Education Foundation — Supported development and piloting of Virtual Roadtrip.

Partners

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA) — Collaboration focuses on integrating career exploration and course planning into a resource that can support counselors working with large student caseloads.
• Britebound (formerly American Student Assistance) —Strategic partner in the development and piloting of Virtual Roadtrip, with focus on expanding access to career exploration for young people.
• Roadtrip Nation — Developed Virtual Roadtrip and provides the career stories, video interview archive, educational content, and career exploration framework that underpin the platform.
• University of California, Irvine Design and Partnership Lab (UCI Daplab) —Conducted research examining the effects of the Virtual Roadtrip pilot on students’ career identity, career awareness, confidence, and exploration. UCI Daplab is affiliated with the university’s Connected Learning Lab.

References

American Student Assistance. (2025, July 15). AI-powered Virtual “Roadtrips” help young people discover career possibilities, gain confidence. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-powered-virtual-roadtrips-help-young-people-discover-career-possibilities-gain-confidence-302505055.html

Roadtrip Nation. (n.d.). Impact: The impact of AI-powered Virtual Roadtrips. Includes access to the executive summary and UCI + Roadtrip Nation white paper on findings from the Virtual Roadtrip pilot. https://roadtripnation.com/pages/impact

Roadtrip Nation. (2026). Virtual Roadtrip. https://roadtripnation.com/virtual-roadtrip