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WFTW

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On April 3rd I will depart from Florida on a six month road trip across the United States, camping the entire time. What guy hasn't wanted to take such a trip...in a Jeep no less? :D

I'll be writing a book about the experience (funny how we writers write books about everything we do), which will include such things as detailed research prior to the trip (roads, points of interest, campsites, equipment, etc), the places I go, the people I encounter, the experiences I have, etc.

I want it to be sort of a "how to" guide for road tripping and I'd like it to inspire people to take their own road trips to see what we have to offer here in America. I also want to make the book entertaining to read through humor...not a dry "go here and see this" book.

My questions for you all are...

1. What type of things would you like to read about in a book such as this?

2. What type of places would you be interested in finding out more about (parks, trails, monuments, cemetaries)?

3. For those of you who are road trip kings and queens, what would have have liked to know before heading out?

4. For those of you who've never taken a road trip, what would inspire you to buy a book such as this one and get you interested in hoping in your car and putting foot to pedal for a week or so?

THANKS! I'm looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about this. :D
 

CaroGirl

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When I read a "road" book, I'm interested in people and experiences. I want the culture of a place but only in the context of the people you met and what experiences you had. Humour is important. I think of the trip taken by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman (didn't read the book but watched the show). I even think of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Good luck! It sounds like it's going to be a fun and profound experience. You should think about making a video diary too!
 

WFTW

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Thanks for responding. :)

One of the best things about road trips are the interesting people you meet along the way. The book will tell of these people. Some I may meet while on hikes, others may be people or families occupying a campsite adjacent to my own. Perhaps some will work in a local diner.

You're certainly right about the humor being important. I want to keep the book lively unlike many of the dry travel books I've read, which can bore you to tears. The proposal I've written is quite funny...hopefully I can get the same vibe to come across in the query.
 

kristie911

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I like to read about the places I normally don't find in the travel guides. I can easily find out about Yellowstone but what about the little campground 15 miles from the west entrance with the beautiful view? KWIM?

I'm all about getting off the beaten path. It's where you find the real gems.
 

WFTW

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Kristie911...I agree completely. There are many competing books which list various scenic drives (mostly popular and well known). But, road trips are about discovery and adventure. How much is someone going to discover by following someone else's map and itenerary? "Take this road to here, stop to see this monument here, take this road west to this intersection, etc, etc, etc." How boring.

Just one of the ways my book will differ is I'll give the readers the tools neccessary to make their own discoveries. I'll teach them to learn to let go of the "M" word (maps) and find their own paths.

I'm also going to show them that you don't always have to stay at an "H" word (hotel). It's possible to camp in style, and for a 4th of the cost of an "H" word. Heck, my tent has air conditioning and my Jeep has a refrigerator. Readers will discover how to live like a king or queen on the road, yet appear to be "roughing it," all the while saving quite a bit of money.
 

CaroGirl

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How does a traveller find anything, like even a camp ground, without using a map? Frankly, I'd be loath to go anywhere that wasn't on a detailed and recent map. But maybe your book is the one that would prove me wrong.
I like the camping "in style" while saving money approach, though. I'd be all over that.
 

WFTW

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CaroGirl...I've traveled from northeast Florida to southwest Florida taking only backroads and only using a compass and "the force"...was fun! :D If you're not in any kind of hurry, you should try that sometime when going from one place to the next.

What I teach in the book is how to properly research the area you want to explore (not everyone can take off down the road for six months like I am, but they certainly can disappear for a long weekend). With my techniques they can drive around carefree and take in the sights and sounds (without having to constantly refer to a map or worry about reading road signs) and when their ready to call it a day, they'll have the available campsites at their fingertips. My method will be proven because I'm going to travel the country, see terrific sights, meet great people, have an absolute blast, and yet won't take a single map with me. I'll have a GPS, but it won't be used much. I also have to have that for emergencies (I'll be far away from civilization during various times of the trip...safety, safety, safety).

If you like to camp but you also like the little comforts in life then you'll enjoy the research I've done on equipment. Believe me, after 15 months in Iraq, I've had enough of "roughing it," yet I still love to camp in the great outdoors.
 
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CaroGirl

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CaroGirl...I've traveled from northeast Florida to southwest Florida taking only backroads and only using a compass and "the force"...was fun! :D If you're not in any kind of hurry, you should try that sometime when going from one place to the next.
I get it now. I was thinking you were talking about going places that weren't ON maps, not just travelling without using them. Duh. Me, not you. :)
 

WFTW

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No sweat. Don't get me wrong though, I'm going to visit famous landmarks around the U.S. here and there. But, getting from one to the next won't be done in a straight line by jumping on an interstate. As the saying goes, "half the fun is getting there."

America is huge, but people just don't seem to realize it. To put it in perspective, take a look at a globe and compare it to Switzerland, or even Germany. With so much to discover, it would be criminal to stick to interstates or highways the entire time. Every once in a while you have to "flip a b****" or "bang a left," if for no other reason than you hadn't been down that road before. :D
 

Yeshanu

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How does a traveller find anything, like even a camp ground, without using a map? Frankly, I'd be loath to go anywhere that wasn't on a detailed and recent map. But maybe your book is the one that would prove me wrong.
I like the camping "in style" while saving money approach, though. I'd be all over that.

Roadsided signs. Local advice. Advice from friends who have been there.

Not all camping places are on even detailed and recent maps, just as not all stores and restaurants are, and the ones that are there are often the ones that have paid to be there, and are already well-known.

I've been camping pretty much every summer for the last forty or so years, and only the first couple of years in anything other than tents. I've also been camping in spring, fall and winter. Fall camping is the best! Neither too hot nor too cold, and one morning we woke up to find that God had iced all the multi-coloured leaves with a sprinkling of frost. Absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!

We used to keep our camping gear in the trunk of the car (still do, actually) along with tins of food and boxes of craft dinner, and every so often we'd just GO. Or we'd take a day trip that turned out to be two or three days instead. Ah, for those times.

I rarely take the highway, even to go to work. I'm a back road freak. If your publisher will go for it, and if you're a decent photographer, colour photos of off-beat places would be wonderful. Definitely stories of people and places you encounter along the way.

And I know you want to go by car this time, but what about your next book being about leaving the car behind and taking the bus? Talk about meeting interesting people...

But perhaps that's my book. :D
 

WFTW

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Yeshanu...hahaha...to this day I still keep a bag in my vehicle loaded up with random camping necessities and a change of clothing...just never know when the mood is going to strike you and you need to take off for a day or two. :)

You can be sure I'll be putting my camera to good use (Nikon D60 DSLR w/17-200mm lens). While this won't be a picture book, a few shots here and there would enhance the book. Certainly at least a shot or two of my campsite so that everyone can see I'm living large while traveling rather than huddled under a pup tent nightly.

LOVE the bus idea! I'll have to store that up on a shelf for later and maybe give it a shot in two years (just might have that opportunity at the end of 2010...but would wait until spring of 2011 for better weather).

For now, I'll settle for getting around in a vehicle of my own. Ever since I was a strapping young lad in short pants I've wanted to drive across the country in a Jeep. There's just something about that particular vehicle that screams adventure and freedom.