Customer Reviews

RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was good. But, based on the information in the description I was a little disappointed.

I was looking for a book written by single women RVing alone. There are a couple of stories in the book written by a widowed woman, but the rest of the writers are traveling with their husbands/families.

As just an "RV Life" book I'd give it a 4.

Whether you go on the road this winter or stay at home, one thing on your must-do list is to take the time to read RV Traveling Tales - Women's Journeys on the Open Road.
The eclectic collection presents a bird's-eye view of life on the road with anecdotal stories from a woman's point-of-view. The often humorous, always thought-provoking tales reflect an extensive array of emotions and impressions from women who span a wide range of age, temperament, financial circumstances and marital status. If one story doesn't grab you with the "been there, done that" syndrome, another will.
Each story paints a vibrant picture of life in an RV. Each miniature composition captures the unquenchable spirit of women as they reflect on events ranging from mechanical trouble on the road and fighting the RV bulge (both for their units and themselves) to making lasting friendships in a transient setting and discovering (rediscovering?) the joy of life. Issues covered deal with just about anything encountered while RVing - from illness on the road, coping with expenses, fending off the wildlife (animal and human) and the trivial day-to-day things that make life an adventure.
Thank you, Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz, for putting together this collection of RVing stories. With representation from both American and Canadian women, RV Traveling Tales truly chronicles the history of RVing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading (and re-reading) RV Traveling Tales and, as a woman who is totally committed to the RV camping lifestyle, rejoiced in discovering this inspired blend of stories from kindred souls. - Diane Batten, Editor, RV gazette/Explorer RV Club - Canada.

I LOVE this book, the stories are so interesting,fun and poignant,really pulled me along as if I were a member of the RV'ers myself. I wanna buy a rig and join the Nomads.
From some of the stories I can tell which of the women I'd love to meet and get to know better. I think they have stumbled onto the way to cut through all of the normal everyday baloney to find people with ones own values and interests, a short cut to that mysterious chemistry called friendship. Maybe life would be too intense if we never had any frivolous conversations or friendships but sometimes I'd chance it in a heart beat if it meant the possibility to experience these adventures.I do admire these people for pursuing this way of life, enjoying the little time that we have, doing their best not to waste it on things and stuff!!This book came as a surprising gem in the middle of a long and cold Michigan winter.
Too bad Oprah's book club has been discontinued it would be a sure pick. It is an easy, fun read but has a strong and unsuspected undertow. I found myself 3 days later still hashing over the various contributions. Courage, strength, perseverance all put forth by women of today. Maybe we have come a long way after all!!

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, columnist and reviewer for MyShelf and author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered

Move over Thelma and Louise! Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz have arrived.

They've edited a collection of essays called "RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Opne Road" that will appeal to anyone who knows--deep down in--that women are sisters and should help one another to a more fulfilling life. I liked "City Girl Takes a Hike" by Cathi Tessler. It convinced me that traveling in an RV is not necessarily for someone else, someone less citified, someone less prissy. After all, who wouldn't like the change from "waking up to the incessant ringing of the alarm at 4:45" to "waking up to...birdsong."

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Americans will be staying closer to home this year than in the past. That may mean more RV travel. That may mean all those Americans will be reading RV Traveling Tales. Let's hear it for Thelma and Louise and Jaimie and Alice! They've done their part to convince women to strike out in any direction that beckons to them!

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This is the Place, has won eight awards. Her newly released Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remember has won three.)

The choice between roots and roaming can be a difficult one for women who have lived snug in a network of friends and family. Retirees who load up their RVs and leave their lifelong routines behind are embarking on journeys both physical and emotional.
Alice Zyetz and co-editor Jaimie Hall have collected essays by dozens of women who have written from their hearts about the nomad's conflicts and contentment in RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road. While most of the writers were prepared to learn more about the USA, en route they have learned much about themselves as well.
The contributing writers range from those who revel in solitude to others who search for connectedness with old and new friends as email an cellphones make staying in touch so much simpler. Even when life's a trip with glorious scenery and new horizons, the women find themselves facing challenges of loneliness, illness and death. They tell us how they learn to cherish the kindness of strangers and new friends and test their own limits.
Women RVers will find comfort and encouragement here. Non-Rvers will have to discard their sterotypes of these travelers because this book reveals the diverse personalities that like to ease on down the road. One woman writes about being an abibliphobic, a wonderful word referring to a person who is afraid of running out of books to read.

I loved this book! As a weekend camper I've always been curious to know what life might be like for those women who are on the road full-time. After reading the wonderful stories in this book I now have my window into some of their experiences. Many of the tales made me laugh, some had me in tears, but all of them had my attention. Thank you Alice Zyetz and Jaime Hall for putting together such a neat book! I can't wait to share it with more of my friends.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys On The Open Road is comprised of an engaging collection of travel-essays by a variety of authors about living in and traveling in an RV with an emphasis on the needs and experiences of women. Each writing is brief, yet presents a memorable snapshot of RV life. Enhanced with a glossary of RV terms, RV Traveling Tales is commended as being a thoroughly engaging work useful reading for anyone considering buying or taking a trip in an RV.

Going your own way: Some women travel alone by choice. In other cases, circumstances--a divorce or death of a spouse--may leave a woman without her travel partner. These women share stories of what it is like being a solo traveler.

This quote is from the Amazon review and what I thought I was buying. I am well over half way through and have yet to find an essay written by a woman traveling alone. These women are passengers on the journey, not pilots and their essays reflect this. While some of the essays are well written, overall the book was a disappointment.

When I found out this book was being published, I couldn't wait. There are several great books by and about women RVers and you'll want this one on your bookshelf. Fifty-two women--some coupled, some solo, all experienced--tell their adventures to Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz. Some stories are poignant, some are silly and all are wonderful. I too am a woman RVer and if there are any other women out there who are planning to take the plunge into the RVing lifestyle, this is a must read.

It was wonderful to read about women RVers who travel alone or with others. Women have a unique perspective on what it's like to leave the secure, solid world behind and set out for unknown places, people and problems. Some of the contributors are alone by chance; others by choice. What I found amazing was the ability to network with other women wherever they stopped. I plan to be a full-timer soon and I recommend this book for anyone who is pondering the same decision. The book is also a great read for the armchair traveler in all of us. This is the second book I've read by Jaimie Hall and I hope to see many more.