Live Your Road Trip Dream by Phil and Carol White is a comprehensive, detailed and well organized reference source for anyone interested in taking a year long road trip. The book is broken into two parts. Part 1 discusses all the logistics of planning a trip of this nature. Part 2 provides a week by week summary of the year long trip by the Whites, which inspired this book.
The book began with a very slow start. I immediately sensed that the target audience for this book is the upper class soon-to-retire age group. Once I read past chapter three, the advice and tips became applicable for a wide range of vacation plans for all ages, not just extended trips.
Part one covers every detail that needs to be considered before leaving for an extended trip. Bills, family obligations, cars, health plans, etc. The White provide valuable tips and suggestions to make the transition easier, from selling the house, to renting or just leasing the house for the duration of the trip. Most high school graduates usually don’t have major expenses of obligations and will not need to take extensive measures for their trip, but parents and/or grandparents will have more to consider. Other valuable tips include budgeting strategies as well as vehicle selection (the Whites chose a modest 19 foot RV for their travels).
At the end of the book there is a Traveler’s Resource List which provides websites as well as worksheets for budgeting, itineraries and other maintenance issues. My boyfriend’s parents travel a lot in their RV, they go on weekend long trips and sometimes month long trips, and I think this book would be a perfect addition to their collection of resources. The advice is practical and universal whatever your specific trip purpose may be.
You can also check out their website www.roadtripdream.com for more information, and pictures of the White’s road trip.
Find this book at your local library
