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Live Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost of Staying Home
Where would your dream take you if you had a whole year to just travel? But perhaps you’re thinking, "if I only knew how to start planning my adventure!" This detailed "how-to" guide will get you moving from the dreaming to the doing in no time at all. Included is step-by-step, real-life information on planning the trip you’ve always wanted to take -- along with generous doses of humor and advice on topics such * How to pay for a year away from home * How to unravel all your current commitments – to family, work, and organizations * How to plan on the fly and enjoy every day * How to pack in 3 small drawers and 24" of closet space – for two! * How to handle the emergencies that crop up along the way * And the most asked How to enjoy your traveling companion on a 24/7 basis! Once you’ve decided to "leave it all behind", Live Your Road Trip Dream takes you along on an action-packed, whirlwind tour of the authors’ trip – just to help you visualize what months on the road might really be like, and to offer a glimpse into how decisions and discoveries are made along the way. This is the ultimate road trip planning guide.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
276 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 18, 2008
Ok I had to read this after I saw the title, which my husband would re-word as "live your road trip nightmare" -- the subtitle is "travel for a year for the cost of staying home."
Now I have to say my brother and his wife have what I refer to as a "big-ass motor home" - one of those where they can hit the road and have "all the comforts" - it has a washer and dryer for god's sake. Let's face it, most of the world lives with less than they drive around with. But I digress! I admit that there was a certain envy when I saw them just go off for months at a time, with no apparent worries or cares...and then I'd get in my little 30 mpg car and trundle off to work. I knew my sister and I had both cried reading their blog..OK ENOUGH DIGRESSING.
I thought this book might give me some insight into how to be a semi-nomad and yet not feel like a total sloth. "Aha! (I thought) "this book will rid me of the uneasy feeling I have about rolling along using an ungodly share of fossil fuel while people are dying over oil resources and candidates are pretending that everything is swell."
Alas, it was not to be. By page 17, I had seen the actual budget of the couple who wrote this book, and realized that their idea of the cost of staying home differed a bit from mine (they spent over seventy-six thousand dollars, not including cost to maintain their permanent base). And they were driving a smaller Class B rig, possibly a "middles-size-ass motor home"
I swear I would have to hide on the floorboards riding along in something I could actually LIVE in. So, while part of me still yearns for the carefree existence and wonders what it might be like to spend days (weeks? months?) on end relaxing and getting to know my husband better, I don't see it in my future.
Besides, these people are from another planet than the one I am from, I am sure of it. Nice people, I am sure, but definitely alien life forms for someone living in santa cruz!
Now I have to say my brother and his wife have what I refer to as a "big-ass motor home" - one of those where they can hit the road and have "all the comforts" - it has a washer and dryer for god's sake. Let's face it, most of the world lives with less than they drive around with. But I digress! I admit that there was a certain envy when I saw them just go off for months at a time, with no apparent worries or cares...and then I'd get in my little 30 mpg car and trundle off to work. I knew my sister and I had both cried reading their blog..OK ENOUGH DIGRESSING.
I thought this book might give me some insight into how to be a semi-nomad and yet not feel like a total sloth. "Aha! (I thought) "this book will rid me of the uneasy feeling I have about rolling along using an ungodly share of fossil fuel while people are dying over oil resources and candidates are pretending that everything is swell."
Alas, it was not to be. By page 17, I had seen the actual budget of the couple who wrote this book, and realized that their idea of the cost of staying home differed a bit from mine (they spent over seventy-six thousand dollars, not including cost to maintain their permanent base). And they were driving a smaller Class B rig, possibly a "middles-size-ass motor home"
I swear I would have to hide on the floorboards riding along in something I could actually LIVE in. So, while part of me still yearns for the carefree existence and wonders what it might be like to spend days (weeks? months?) on end relaxing and getting to know my husband better, I don't see it in my future.
Besides, these people are from another planet than the one I am from, I am sure of it. Nice people, I am sure, but definitely alien life forms for someone living in santa cruz!
July 14, 2017
Reading this book reaffirms my desire to take this trip....only I would change the route and make it my own. Thank you for sharing your experience!
January 29, 2014
As another reviewer noted, these people live on an entirely different planet. Excuse me while I rant a bit.
Who the blazes vacations with a wardrobe that requires dry cleaning? Like, close on five hundred dollars worth of dry cleaning bills over the course of the year (plus another $300 or so for laundry). For that cash I could buy a new outfit and burn it every freaking day and not ever have to do laundry, let alone take things to a dry cleaner.
Worse (page 18): "we realize that $76,000 plus some expenses at home [...] is not a budget that everyone can work with. But we did learn some things along the way that we believe could result in a lower budget range..." Honeybunches o' luvin, if I had 3/4 of a million dollars coming to me every freaking year I wouldn't need a book to tell me that I can manage a year-long driving tour of the country in my retirement. I certainly wouldn't be dithering over which lucky child of mine gets to take on which of my home-based obligations.
Okay. Okay okay okay. Oooooooookay.
Attempting to set all that aside, I don't think this book actually addressed much of what the back cover blurb said it would. If you take it as a journal of "the White's year off" and completely ignore their attempts to justify how you too can do it, it's just a semi-interesting travelogue.
Who the blazes vacations with a wardrobe that requires dry cleaning? Like, close on five hundred dollars worth of dry cleaning bills over the course of the year (plus another $300 or so for laundry). For that cash I could buy a new outfit and burn it every freaking day and not ever have to do laundry, let alone take things to a dry cleaner.
Worse (page 18): "we realize that $76,000 plus some expenses at home [...] is not a budget that everyone can work with. But we did learn some things along the way that we believe could result in a lower budget range..." Honeybunches o' luvin, if I had 3/4 of a million dollars coming to me every freaking year I wouldn't need a book to tell me that I can manage a year-long driving tour of the country in my retirement. I certainly wouldn't be dithering over which lucky child of mine gets to take on which of my home-based obligations.
Okay. Okay okay okay. Oooooooookay.
Attempting to set all that aside, I don't think this book actually addressed much of what the back cover blurb said it would. If you take it as a journal of "the White's year off" and completely ignore their attempts to justify how you too can do it, it's just a semi-interesting travelogue.
December 28, 2013
I was so excited about finding this book - I thought this would be the roadmap for my upcoming, life-changing RV life. But not exactly. These folks chose a different RV lifestyle than the one I am planning. Their objectives included see every National Park in the lower 48 states, playing golf at least once in every state they visited, and visiting some number of sports venues. Their year-long trip used a class B+ RV, many nights in motels, and numerous meals in restaurants. My RV year will near to be more RV-focused, with only a very few motels/lodgings and infrequent restaurants. Nevertheless, there is fascinating/valuable information in this book about establishing a budget for the year-long trip, an action plan, and lists of items to include in the RV - kitchen, clothing, etc.
Even though the RV road trip in this book does not exactly match my ambitions for my own RV life, this is a valuable reference for me and I'll refer to it multiple times.
Even though the RV road trip in this book does not exactly match my ambitions for my own RV life, this is a valuable reference for me and I'll refer to it multiple times.
Read
October 9, 2009"Carol and Phil White were retirees with a dream: to travel around the country on their own, for a year, without running out of money or energy. They planned, they budgetted, they kissed their children and grandchildren farewell, and they headed out.[return]This newly revised manual and travelogue tells how they did it, both in practical and human terms. They provide budget plans, recommendations on transportation choices, insights into travel decisions, and suggestions for websites (including their own) which provide more information and tools. The first half of the book provides the planning tools and suggestions; the second is the diary from their own travels.[return]Anyone interested in long travel, RV use, or travelogues should consider this readable, useful volume."
Read
July 27, 2011This book is written in two parts.
The first part is a How-to for leaving your retirement home and heading out on an RV roadtrip for a year. For those who'd like to plan adventure just like the Whites did, I'm sure much of this information is quite valuable. For me, unfortunately, it wasn't very applicable since we're already full-timers.
The second part is a transcript of their trip blog. Some of it is too personal, but I did write down a few places that I want to go visit now. My major criticism of this section is that Carol writes with too many exclaimation points! Seriously! The things she thinks are exciting are NOT! Jeez! It gets a little bit annoying! (See what I mean?)
The first part is a How-to for leaving your retirement home and heading out on an RV roadtrip for a year. For those who'd like to plan adventure just like the Whites did, I'm sure much of this information is quite valuable. For me, unfortunately, it wasn't very applicable since we're already full-timers.
The second part is a transcript of their trip blog. Some of it is too personal, but I did write down a few places that I want to go visit now. My major criticism of this section is that Carol writes with too many exclaimation points! Seriously! The things she thinks are exciting are NOT! Jeez! It gets a little bit annoying! (See what I mean?)
April 24, 2009
This wasn't really what I was looking for. The book is written by a retired couple about how to travel around the US in a motorhome. For people like them, this book might be a helpful guide since it provided a lot of detail. But over half the book is just a summary of their travel blog while they were on their one year trip. It was like watching slides of someone else's vacation- someone you don't even know, someone who plays a lot of golf and loves ranger talks.
June 17, 2015
This book is two parts - First part is how-to, second part is this couples travelogue.
Unlike most other reviews I read, the second part was my favorite. I loved hearing about their adventures. I actually just skimmed the first part, because it is all kind of dated. I particularily found ammusing their bitching about gas being too expensive at $1.54 a gallon. This was in 2003. Amazing how it has doubled in 10 years!
Unlike most other reviews I read, the second part was my favorite. I loved hearing about their adventures. I actually just skimmed the first part, because it is all kind of dated. I particularily found ammusing their bitching about gas being too expensive at $1.54 a gallon. This was in 2003. Amazing how it has doubled in 10 years!
May 13, 2011
Hard to rate. Living on the road myself, I actually agree with most of the advice, so if you're planning a trip it's not a bad resource (even if you couldn't afford to stay home on their budget). Their trip account is definitely not my style, but I read a fair amount with a strange fascination at how people with different values and resources live on the road.
February 4, 2017
Interesting book! The first section is about the logistics of planning such a trip and the second section is about the places they went. I much preferred the second half of the book. I am fascinated by the idea of taking an extended road trip some day.
September 8, 2011
A terrific HOW TO pack up and go book!
April 21, 2016
This was really to tactical for me and not for my age group.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews