Road Trip Travel Slowing Down?

Travel Slowing Down? Isn't that what everyone is saying this summer? Somehow, We're not believing it. We do think people may not being going as far or as fast, but from where we sit, folks are still traveling. We hear every week from someone who is getting ready to live their dream. Remember not to over react - yes the price of gas is up from last year, and yes we all have to decide what our priorities are; but... on a 1,000 mile road trip in a car that gets 22MPG, the added cost of fuel this year over last is about $40 - is that a reason to cancel your summer fun? If you drive an RV, the added cost is about double that, but the savings in lodging/ campgrounds more than makes up that difference. Fuel is only the number two or three item on your vacation expense list - besides you and your loved ones deserve a break and time together. Phil and Carol White

Home Marketing E-Book Now Available One of the questions that we get most frequently is about marketing your home to lease while you are gone on your trip. We never felt like we had enough room in the book to adequately cover this topic, so we put together an e-booklet that covers more information and examples of forms, letters, marketing materials, etc. than we have in the book. This e-book is now available for $4.95 on the website for those who want more information on marketing their home.

Visitors Come to See Us on their Road Trip Dream Keith and Mary McGrath have poured over their copy of Live Your Road Trip Dream for months and finally hit the road. In early May, they had made their way to Portland, Oregon and we got to visit with them for lunch. They have prepared well and are thoroughly enjoying their time on the road. We shared some good laughs, common stories and experiences and enjoyed seeing their choice of travel vehicles. We always invite our readers to contact us as they come through this area and see if we can arrange to meet - it is one of the true pleasures of having done this book. Hilarious new Road Tripping Book Hits the Market Visualize for just a minute a self-described Long Island, Jewish-American Princess and her easy-going husband embarking on a year long road trip - with two cats and a dog - in a bus. Doreen Orion has penned a wonderful armchair travel book called Queen of the Road and their website is one of the best I've seen. She and hubby Tim (Project Nerd) have more mis-adventures than the Griswold's and Doreen's way of dealing with each turn is to invent a new cocktail to get her through the trauma and back in the bus. If you are up for a fun read this summer, this is it.

You Think Your Fuel Bill is High? Hah! If you think the fuel bill for your RV is high, consider Carnival Corp., the parent company of nearly a dozen cruise lines including Carnival, Princess and Holland America. The company will spend nearly $2 Billion this year on fuel, up from $400 million five years ago. -- from RV Travel Newsletter

Blogs from Road Trippers of all Types One of the most fun ways to stay in touch on your road trip is to write a blog or keep a journal of some type. I have often mentioned MyTripJournal.com as my favorite for all around useability, ability to map and store photos and journals all together and the ability with one touch to send an email to family and friends about your updates. But some people are getting really creative with their blogs now. They are no longer dry text with a few pictures thrown in. Here are some of my favorites this spring. The Dream Year - A couple who has taken our lead and purchased a Class B - they are about to embark on their journey and going through those last terrifying, exhilarating weeks. The Long Honeymoon - These two young folks with a real knack for video are vagabonding around the US and have apparently found a way to get some sponsors for their trip. Lots of fun stuff going on at their site. Ty and Mari's Mobile Lifestyle Blog - These two younger boomers have really figured this technical stuff all out - you'll be amazed at all the various kinds of things they have incorporated into their blog - and it is a hoot just to follow them along. Anyone who's "logo" is cute legs sticking out an RV window with flip-flops on is my kind of gal! Live, Work Dream - Some great updated budget information from Rene and Jim who are just completing their first year on the road and are going to keep it up for a while longer. Congratulations to you both. They are long time "Dreaming" supporters. Send me your favorite blogs and websites and I'll be happy to include them from time to time. Don’t forget! Personally autographed copies of the book are always available on our website Also - RVed101's great videos are available through our site too www.roadtripdream.com

5 Reasons Why Gas Prices Shouldn’t Cancel Your Summer Fun

Everyone seems to be complaining about the high cost of fuel causing them to cancel their summer vacation plans. Carol White, co-author of the book “Live Your Road Trip Dream”, says, “I don’t like the higher prices, but if you take a realistic look at it, it’s something that most of us can deal with.”

Did you cancel last year’s plans? According to AAA, gas prices have increased an average of $.56 a gallon since this time last year. Let’s go crazy and say it has been $.75 a gallon in your area. If your summer trip is 1000 miles long and your car gets an average of 23 MPG, your fuel will cost $32.60 more this year than last. One dinner at home instead of eating out before you go will save that much. Is $32 any reason to cancel your vacation?

What does it really cost? When you add up all the expenses of a vacation, fuel only counts as about the second or third highest expense. Typically food and lodging will cost more than fuel. If you need to cut back, consider RVing or eating more meals in, or renting a slightly less expensive lodging.

How can you afford to RV? According to a study done for the RV Association, RVing is still less expensive than piling a family of four into an airplane and hotels for vacation. Using a similar example to the one above and a typical mid-size RV fuel economy of 12 MPG, the additional fuel cost for RV fuel this year would be $62.50. This is easily off-set by the lower cost of campgrounds vs. motels, resorts or cabins at your favorite destination.

What about family bonding? One of the best parts of taking a road trip or an RV get-away is the extra time you get to spend with your traveling companions. In the close quarters of automobiles, RVs, campgrounds and motels, a family has the opportunity to enjoy old-fashioned fun like cards, board games, campfires and more. It really is fun talking to your kids. Ditch the electronics just for the week and see what might happen.

And the final reason you shouldn’t let fuel get in your way? You and your family deserve the time together and the time away. Have everyone work together to be able to afford the extra cost of gas. Go on a Starbucks-free week, check for the best fuel prices, just say “no” to an evening at the movies, or take a pass on that cute new pair of shoes and you will have the added money to cover fuel. Don’t let the “psychology of price,” rather than real price get the best of you.

Have fun and enjoy your summer vacation.

*************************

Carol White is the co-author of the award-winning book, “Live Your Road Trip Dream” (www.roadtripdream.com) – the ultimate road trip planning guide for extended road trips. Carol and her husband Phil have traveled over 50,000 road miles in the past several years, visiting all fifty states and having visited all of the National Parks in the “lower forth-eight.” As national spokespeople for the RV Industry, they now spend their days speaking, writing, and helping others to live their dreams.

Small Business Grows "Green" Results

How can a small publisher who produces paper books be sensitive to the environment? It seems almost like an oxymoron for such a paper-intensive business to be "green."

Oregon-based RLI Press, the publisher of travel information including the award-winning book, Live Your Road Trip Dream, had been struggling with this dilemma since their inception in 2003. Early efforts included obvious efficiencies like recycling and/or reusing all paper products in their office, recycling of ink cartridges from printers, using electronic communications instead of paper communications whenever possible, and recycling cast-off office goods on freecycle.org. But their consumption of trees and other environmentally-sensitive products in their book production activities continued to bother them.

While recycled paper has been around for quite some time, it wasn't of the quality that was needed for their products. That is until this spring's release of the second edition of Live Your Road Trip Dream. Print broker, Bob Smith of BookPrinters Network, was able to secure from Bang Printing in Minnesota a white, recycled paper (containing 30% post-consumer recycled fiber), of high enough quality for the new edition. It is this "eco-friendly" paper that becomes the basis for the savings calculation of trees, water and energy below. Another feature that was attractive about Bang's environmental commitment is their use of all vegetable-based inks in their printing process.

And what about the subject of their award-winning book? Road trips consume a lot of fuel energy, don't they? The authors, Phil and Carol White, are quick to point out that they advocate traveling in smaller, more-efficient RVs (they got over 20 mpg on their recent publicity tour in a Roadtrek Class B motorhome) and also point out that while they consume more auto fuel while traveling, they aren't consuming energy in a house that requires far more fuel than an automobile or small RV; or consuming airplane fuel and hotel energy jetting around the country.

When RLI Press realized that their printing "dream" could finally come true along with their authors' travel dreams, they joined the Green Press Initiative (http://www.greenpressinitiative.org) in support of other publishers and printers, like Bang Printing, who were making the environment a priority in their businesses. As a result, the second edition printing of "Dream" will save 13 trees, 617 pounds of solid waste, 4,804 gallons of water, 1,157 pounds of greenhouse gases, 9 million BTUs of energy. An e-book version of their new edition will also be available this spring in order to further their environmental commitment. Not bad for a now "green" small business from Oregon.

Hollywood Goes Road Tripping

From Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman to Joan Allen, Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange, Hollywood is going on a road trip.

With terror threats abroad, the dollar getting hammered, air travel becoming so difficult and the economy sliding, many vacationers with wanderlust are again looking at the US as a great travel bargain. And Hollywood producers are confirming that taking the all-American road trip is not only a great way to live out life dreams, like in "The Bucket List", but a great way take off with friends for the time of your life, like the girlfriends in "Bonneville" (release 2/29).

Phil and Carol White already did part of their "Bucket List", when they took off and traveled the US for an entire year, then wrote a book to help others do the same. The book is a must-have planning tool to plan "Bucket List" trips, or to head out with girlfriends ala "Bonneville."

These veteran road trippers are National Spokespeople for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association's "Go RVing" campaign, and know a lot about what makes a successful road trip. They could have saved the Hollywood types some heartache on their road trips.

The Whites speak at such prestigious conferences as AARP's Life@50+, and national conventions like The Good Sam Club's Great North American RV Rally, and talk to the press frequently as experts on road tripping. The Whites are also frequent guests on TV and radio and have been featured speakers for AAA in their home state of Oregon.

Live Your Road Trip Dream has been heralded as the ultimate road trip planning guide by both journalists and readers alike:

• Beth Harpaz of the Associated Press calls it "practical and inspirational"
• Bonnie Neely of Real Travel Adventures dubbed it "the Encyclopedia of Planning"
• "[their] book was head and shoulders above the rest" says road tripper Steve Albrecht who planned a trip based on the book

Join the Hollywood trend and get planning your road trip today with the help from Live Your Road Trip Dream.

Best Selling Authors Conduct First East Coast Media Tour

Come Meet and Hear Phil & Carol White

Best-selling authors Phil and Carol White will be making their first-ever
East Coast Media Tour in September.
Their tour starts with an appearance at the

National AARP Convention in Boston, MA September 5-8

Carol will speak at noon on September 8th at one of the stages on the show floor. Be sure to stop by the Go RVing booth (#1929) and say hi - or get your autographed copy of Live Your Road Trip Dream directly from them. They will also sign copies that you have bought from Amazon or other retail locations.

After leaving Boston, the White's will appear in the following cities - watch your local media for times and locations or visit their website's appearance page for further information.

September 10 - Springfield, MA

September 12 - Albany, NY

September 14 - Binghamton, NY

September 17 - Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA

September 19 - Harrisburg, PA

September 21 - Baltimore, MD

If you would like the Whites' to speak to your club or organization or appear at your book store or library, contact them at 888 522 8747 for information and availability.