Our history
The Founders
Simon and Jason, two childhood friends, founded Authentik after traveling across Canada together. At the age of 27, they will give themselves the mission of helping travelers from around the world to discover their neck of the woods.
Our first office
It all started in Simon's apartment, located at 652 2e Avenue in Verdun (Montreal). The great ideas were brainstormed around the kitchen table.
Aventour Canada
Before we were Authentik, we went by the name of Aventour. We were forced to change our name in the spring of 2003, as the name Aventour had already been registered in the trademarks register. It was part of the learning process !
Our first travelers
We welcomed our first customers on December 21st, 2002. A group consisting of 8 French people passing through Montreal, who wanted to leave the next day for a day of snowmobiling. At the time, we were distributing leaflets by hand to all the concierges of Montreal hotels (image above). We were concentrating our offer around snowmobile and dog sledding day trips, including round-trip transportation from Montreal.
The start of a revolution
It was by creating our first Authentik website that we came up with the idea of targeting international travelers directly via the Internet. This new business model subsequently revolutionized the distribution network of the tourism industry. Let us remember that, at the time, the Internet was not yet a very popular tool.
Finally ! A real office space.
It is clear that business is going well. At least well enough to pay for real offices on Wellington Street, in Verdun. During the summer, it gets really hot without air conditioning. The bosses go on slushies trips to keep our soldiers refreshed in. It was, nonetheless, our 1500 square feet of paradise.
We are getting a makeover
Our little web revolution is very successful and we have to re-think our website to meet the needs of our travelers. That year, we will make our first million in sales.
Our first Authentik outing
We are now 6 full-time employees and we see it as an opportunity to have our first team building activity in order to get to know each other a little better. To do so, nothing felt more right than going on a 3-day canoe-camping adventure in the meanders of L'Assomption River.
We're moving...again
Our 1500 square feet are no longer large enough to accommodate everyone. We are now 15 employees making the dream of thousands of travelers who want to explore our great wilderness come true.
Gold Laureate Grands Prix du Tourisme
We take great pride in having won the ultimate recognition of tourism in Quebec. That evening, we walked chests-out as the whole Authentik team went up on the stage to receive the Grand Prix du Tourisme. We saw it as a real pat on the back from the Quebec tourism industry, which only encouraged us to continue on our path to greater innovation.
Authentik, growth leader in Quebec
Each year, the renowned business magazine L'Actualité lists the companies that have experienced the strongest growth in Quebec over the past 5 years. In 2009, Authentik came in second place of this prestigious list, thanks to an explosive growth rate of 3557%.
Authentik USA
2011 marked the launch of Authentik USA, our sister company offering road trips across Western United States. This new venture is part of the strategies leading to the relaunch of the company following the financial crisis of 2008, which had its toll of damage on us
First Authentik Forest
In 2011, we planted our first Authentik Forest, in which we were committed to plant 1 tree per customer. The objective was to offset the CO2 emitted by our travelers in order to contribute to the fight against climate change.
Brand new website
The 2011 version of our website has truly enabled the company to grow exponentially and then overcome the psychological barrier of 10 million in turnover. The web is now more than ever part of our DNA.
Office Christmas party
We are now more or so 20 employees and we always have memorable Christmas parties. Here, in 2011, we celebrated it as a team at the Petit Sacacomie chalet in Mauricie. We even had a visit from our now famous Authentik Santa.
We need more space !
We are now over 40 employees and our turnover exceeds 15 million. We need more space to manage all of this great growth.
Our first travel guide
Authentik publishes its first travel guide, which visitors can download for free on the website.
Authentik camping trip
The team is growing still! This year, we are going camping in the Mauricie National Park, where we will once again create lasting memories. The feeling of becoming a real family is now evident.
New logo
After 15 years in the game, the time has come to adapt our visual identity to the current times. The new logo places more emphasis on the Authentik brand.
Launch of our road trip planner
After a few years of innovation, Authentik is launching the very first "road trip planner" in the world. This is a new generation of website where one can plan a tailor-made road trip from A to Z, by hand-picking accommodations and destinations, and where it is also possible to add vehicle rental and air tickets to build a complete trip.
Grand Prix de l'Innovation
Authentik is awarded the Grand Prize for Innovation for the launch of its new road trip planner. The industry rewards the company for its years of innovation in trying to change the way of planning an online trip.
The 2018 Authentik Forest
The team is more than ever involved in the fight against climate change. In 2018, we came together to plant 1762 trees on the Ferme 5 Étoiles site in the Saguenay Fjord region.
Authentik donates 1% of its sales to the planet
After the Authentik Forests initiative, where the company planted trees to offset the CO2 of its travelers, Authentik now believes it will become more efficient by donating 1% of its sales to the organization 1% for the planet.
Las Vegas Office
Authentik USA inaugurates its new office located at 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway in Las Vegas. The company thus wants to better position itself to help its eager clientele to realize their American dream.
Pandemic hits the tourism industry
From 2020 to 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the global tourism industry in a devastating way. Authentik was particularly hard hit by travel restrictions and border closures.
Authentik World
In 2023, we launched Authentik World. We are now offering trips all over the world and thus have become the largest road trip planner in the world. This is in some ways our answer to the global pandemic aftermath.