Questions and Answers from Live Your Road Trip Dream experts Carol and Phil White

1. How long before you left did you decide to do this?
2. How did you come up with your budget?
3. Why did you choose that little van to travel in for a whole year?
4. What was the most difficult part of the trip?
5. Would you do it again?
6. Speaking of your travel partner, how did you do manage that much closeness?
7. How would today's gas prices effect the budget for the trip?
8. Do you have any special instructions for traveling in Canada?
9. How did you carry 2 sets of golf clubs in your Pleasure-Way van?
10. We read on the website that the fresh water tanks may freeze in sub-freezing temperatures. While we'll be in good weather most of the year, there will certainly be times when we'll encounter sub-freezing weather, especially at night. How did you handle this?

1. How long before you left did you decide to do this?
We dreamed of it for years, but actually set our date to work towards about a year and a half ahead of our actually leaving. That gives you plenty of time to decide what you really want to do, socialize it amongst your friends and family, and get all the planning done at a more leisurely pace. However, we have seen people do it in as little as a couple of months! It depends upon whether you are a planner or are more impulsive!

2. How did you come up with your budget?
It was really just a shot in the dark! Once we had decided what we wanted our trip to look like (visit all 48 contiguous states, see all the National Parks, etc.), we started pulling the figures together and saw that we really could do it for the cost of staying home - so why stay home? You now have the benefit of our experience as a basis for your own budget.

3. Why did you choose that little van to travel in for a whole year?
We know that not everyone could live in that small a space, but we were looking for the combination of ease of driving, good gas mileage, total flexibility in where we took it (you can park them anywhere - even a parking space downtown!) and some creature comforts. We didn't sleep in it most of the time, but it was sure handy to have a bathroom on-board, cold water in the refrigerator, and a full kitchen.

4. What was the most difficult part of the trip?
Emotionally, it was definitely being away from family and friends. We often went weeks or months without seeing a single soul that we knew. That was hard. Physically the most challenging part was just becoming road-weary. We actually had to take "vacations" from the travel - where we would just stop and chill-out for a few days. Seems strange, huh?

5. Would you do it again?
Absolutely! It was the best experience of our lives. You just can't imagine how much you learn, how many interesting people you meet, and how "freeing" it is to just make your own decisions each day without outside influences dictating your time - it is truly like being a kid again. But the best part is really getting to know your traveling partner so much better. You depend upon just each other every day, for everything.

6. Speaking of your travel partner, how did you do manage that much closeness?
Some days it wasn't easy! But we had an understanding before we left that we would really support each other's bad days, work out a routine that suited both of us, and go our individual ways for a few hours when it got bad, which it really never did. We were only apart 9 hours in the first 6 months. You've got to have a plan!

7. How would today's gas prices effect the budget for the trip?
That's a very good question, so I went back and researched it for you. We used 2,775 gallons of gas and our average price was $1.56 (high = $2.35, low = $1.22) for a total expenditure of $4,338, or 5 1/2 % of the overall budget -- our fifth largest expense as you can see in the budget in the book. I then looked at, what if the AVERAGE went to $2.10 - a 35% increase - a healthy increase. That same 2,775 gallons would then cost $5,827, or 7 1/2 % of the budget, and still our fifth largest expenditure. So, you can see that this is not a reason to delay your trip -- gas price is not a deal breaker!

8. Do you have any special instructions for traveling in Canada?
The planning for a Canadian trip would be much the same as for a US trip. Be sure you carry your passport. You can also get help with reservations and information at roadtripvacations.com.

9. How did you carry 2 sets of golf clubs in your Pleasure-Way van?
Yes, we both had a full set of golf clubs, plus shoes, gloves, etc. with us. The trick was we bought 2 "Sunday bags". They are small, collapsible, very clever, lightweight bags. Even Carol could carry her own clubs with this bag! They are made by several manufacturer's including Ping and Titlist.

10. We read on the website that the fresh water tanks may freeze in sub-freezing temperatures. While we'll be in good weather most of the year, there will certainly be times when we'll encounter sub-freezing weather, especially at night. How did you handle this? Sally Grissom, Baltimore, MD
That's not a "feature" of the Pleasure-Way, that's a fact of life for any RV!

You've got tanks full of fresh water, grey water and black water under every rig, and if you are in a place where the temps are freezing, they are going to naturally be subject to freezing. Some rigs have more anti-freezing features than others.

We, like you, were in very little really cold weather, so it was never a huge concern, but you treat the issue just like any "freezing pipe" issue at home. Keep the tanks less than totally full to allow for expansion, put some anti-freeze in the grey and black water tanks, keep cupboard doors slightly ajar to allow warm air to pipes, insulate the pipes if possible, be aware that that clunking sound could be a chunk of ice floating around in a tank (this actually happened to us - we couldn't figure out what it was for a minute or so!), and most of all, talk to your RV dealer about specific things to do with your specific rig to "winterize" it.