Customer Reviews

Live Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost of Staying Home

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have to admit that when I first opened LIVE YOUR ROAD TRIP DREAM by Phil and Carol White, I wondered who in the world could pull off such a task? I mean, really. Living on the road for a whole year? What about responsibilities? What about possessions? What about finances?

I quickly learned that Phil and Carol White had already thought of these things - and more! In fact, their decision to carefully plan absolutely everything turned this feat (and yes, I do mean feat, as even the most dedicated traveler might be overwhelmed by lack of planning when attempting to vacation for an entire year) from an unrealistic dream into a doable possibility.

Fortunately for the rest of us, the Whites lived their road trip dream with the objective to share with us their experiences, warts and all. Because of their meticulousness, their journals, their detailed accounting, and their willingness to be pioneers of travel, the rest of us can avoid the minor pitfalls and poor decisions that can inconvenience or derail even the tiniest vacation, much less a year-long trip across the country.

Through the Whites we learn about (among a great many other things):

*What to do with your house while you're gone

*Who will take care of your responsibilities while you're on the road

*Traveling with pets

*Choosing a vehicle for the trip

*Packing a year's worth of clothing without dragging along everything you own

Quite possibly the most detailed vacation planning guide you could get your hands on, LIVE YOUR ROAD TRIP DREAM will have you more than wishing you could spend a year away - it will have you actually believing it is possible!

The first half of the book is dedicated to planning for your trip, with tons of advice that could be useful for even shorter trips and proves to be absolutely necessary for a year on the road. The second half is a travel journal of sorts, complete with pictures, that chronicles the White's vacation experience and offers glimpses of what is to be seen in regions literally across the country. Unlike typical travel guides which offer prices and hours of exhibits but little in the way of commentary on what was enjoyable and what was not, LIVE YOUR ROAD TRIP DREAM attacks the vacation experience from a refreshing angle - like that of a trusted neighbor who's just come home from a holiday.

In addition, there is a lengthy appendix at the back of the book that is packed full of worksheets, tip sheets, and templates that would get a prospective year-long traveler well on his way of getting started.

A good resource guide to have around for future vacations of any length, LIVE YOUR ROAD TRIP DREAM is a tempting book for any travel fan. And, who knows? Maybe with the help of Phil and Carol White, your own road trip dream can become a reality.

My husband and I have been on the road for almost a year, and we owe much of this successful year to Phil and Carol's book.

I bought the book because I wanted to figure out how we could take some time off without going broke, and Road Trip Dream succeeded in helping us do just that. We aren't even close to retirement, and this book really helped us to see that a trip like this was possible at our age.

With the release of its second edition, the Whites' book is as vital as ever when it comes to considering every critical aspect of how to plan, execute and live your own road trip dream. Don't even think of embarking on a journey without reading and following the advice laid out by these two seasoned road trippers.

Great Budgeting Information
Based on our own spending habits over the last year, I can vouch for the fact that the book's budgeting methodology is on the money. Their budget's "memory joggers" will help you look at every aspect of road trip living that you'll spend money on, from postage to Internet access. They also spotlight important things to consider, like realizing that you need to plan for fluctuating costs in different regions around the country (for example, campground fees in the east are much higher than in the west).

Get Creative, and Get on the Road NOW!
For working age people like my husband and I, the Whites have included a section about sabbaticals, working from the road, and even "road schooling" for families. The information, suggestions and ideas provided in this section help get a reader's mind around the fact that you don't have to be retired to take time off to travel. With some creativity and flexibility, they illustrate how even working people and families can hit the road. In this edition of the book they've provided a number of resources and ways to research this further.

Keeping In Contact on the Road
Technology changes so much in just a couple of years, and the revised tech section in the book is great. I can appreciate how the Whites do a good job of presenting a general overview of road technologies, without going over the heads of novice users. They did a fabulous job of explaining air cards for internet access, which is what most people end up using on the road. A comprehensive resource section at the end of the book includes lots of great websites to consult.

Hit The Road with the Information You Need
By reading and following the White's advice in Live Your Road Trip Dream, we were able to pull off our journey in the kind of organized, budgeted and well-prepared manner that makes us both comfortable. If we had just taken off without doing our research first, this journey might have ended months ago.

There are so many things to consider and planning for something like this can seem overwhelming. Don't let it. Buy Road Trip Dream, and you will receive the comfort and encouragement that it takes to believe in yourself, and know that you can get your way to living your own road trip adventure.

The book is well-organized, well-written, and a smooth, easy read. Carol writes well, and obviously put a lot of time into it. But there is very little substantive information in it. This is not a book for RV'ers. Although they used a Class B RV (basically a full van conversion), they stayed in motels most nights. Their RV advice was to buy one of the excellent books on RVs already out there. Sadly, their trip seemed rushed. I think they were more interested in being able to say that they visited every state, than enjoying where they visited. The whole last half of the book is just entries from their journal. These are cryptic, and offer little help in choosing where you might want to visit yourself. Financially, the book assumes that you are retired, and that you sell or rent your house and use that money, along with your retirement income to pay for the trip. In all, the book reads like a day dream, and doesn't give much more information than the obvious. If you are just looking for inspiration and confidence to do the trip, this may be a good book for you.

The title of this book is misleading - it says you can live on the road for the same price as staying at home - however, the authors spent about $77,000 (not including any house or mortgage payments while they were gone) - that comes out to about over $3,000 per person, per month. What a ridiculous budget - if I had that much money to spend, travelling in an rv would be a piece of cake - the rest of the book is fluff and gives no practical advice.

Well, obviously, it gives no practical advice about saving money because the authors splurged. I feel cheated by the title of this book.

The collaboration of the husband and wife team of Phil and Carol White, Live Your Road Trip Dream: Travel For A Year For The Cost Of Staying Home is a superbly organized compendium of "trip tested" instruction, information and advice. Chapters address how to build a travel budget, break the news of a lengthy voyage to family and friends, plan a route, stay in touch while on the go, handle emergencies, as well as an engaging narration of the trip the authors took fill this compendium of practical advice and enjoyable armchair traveler stories. Recommended reading for anyone considering an extended road trip of their own.

This is an excellent primer for a very extended road trip, but it's not about being an rv full timer. The authors decribe intending to be "full timers" for a year with only incidental trips home for holidays and emergencies. They describe the evaluation in purchasing an rv and provide plans for living at camp grounds. But they stayed in hotels 4 to 5 nights a week and ate at restaurants even more often.
So it's really about their road trip to see the contiguous states in a year, how they planned & prepared, where they went, what they saw, and how they dealt with personal and family emergencies.
There's a good routing plan to see the lower 48 and many sites are described in detail, including many "do"s, "don't"s, and "watch-out-for"s.
The most valuable sections describe their analysis for dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities they left behind when they're on the road, far away.

Can two adults really share a small RV for thousands of miles and not drive each crazy?

Carol and Phil convinced us to give it a try. And we're glad they did. Their excellent book is not only a step-by-step 'how to do it', it's a inspiration.

Reading it gave us the courage to pack up everything we own and hit the road in a Pleasure-way, a compact but comfortable RV with everything you need to keep smiling on the highway.

We've been on the road for two months so far, we've traveled 6,500, and we love the RV life.

Merrily we roll along...

I read 3 books about the RV Lifestyle before we left on an adventure of our own. Carol & Phil's book was head and shoulders above the rest with regard to offering helpful advice, and inspiring the excitement of living on the road.
Carol and Phil traveled for a year in their Class B RV, "The Rolling White House." They played a lot of golf, visited a ton of National Parks, enjoyed several Happy Hours, wrote a very good book that you'll find invaluable in planning a similar trip....... and, mostly, stayed in hotels. Carol's take on their transportation selection is very sound, and she has included many tips about planning and executing a trip (in any kind of RV) that may not cross your mind until it's too late, and she does it all with a personal touch.

This book is great. It has so much detail on how to go about planning and executing your own road trip. I plan on using much of the advice when I plan my around-the-country NFL trip. I also enjoyed the authors' witty dialogue mixed in with the wisdom such an excursion imparts.

I highly recommend this book.

My husband and I have been planning a similar trip for when we retire (in 4 years) but this book actually gives a step-by-step guide to preparing and planning your trip (even a master budget). Carol talks about things that I hadn't thought about (mail, voting, income tax filing, etc.). I couldn't put the book down once I started. It made me wish we could leave sooner. I love the idea of a theme - National Parks. Can't wait to "Live My Road Trip Dream."