Mini-Road Trips & Dressed Up Dogs

Happy Thanksgiving! Long road-trips over the last couple of days for us all. But, enough of that. On to what's important. Cooper! Here he is, wearing his Thanksgiving Day outfit. Note that Keith had nothing to do with this, as he was in Jersey and Cooper was in New York. Renee is the one to thank for this...

And here's how things are going with training... pretty good! Wondering what should be next... spin the other way round? Get me a beer from the fridge? So many possibilities.

Let's Visit Hillsboro!

Alright, so that title doesn't seem very exciting nor to make sense when this entire blog is devoted to taking a cross country trip. But after you plot all the Hillsboros (including Hillsboro Mountain, VT and Hillsboro Beach, FL) in this country on a U.S. map, you get a different picture all together. Though the two NH ladies on this trip will claim there is a Hillsboro in every state, there is actually only 30 states represented. Which to me is still a strong showing.

So, which ones do we visit?

Found the iPhone App!

I'm pretty pumped! I found an app through the AppStore that let's me post straight to the blog from my iPhone. This is going to be instrumental on the trip!

Picture us driving along, seeing absolutely stunning things across the US, and being able to share them right at that moment - with a little blurb. I took the pic below a few weeks back when I was in south carolina - setting sun behind the blue ridge mountains.


I'm excited to get home and see what the post looks like on the blog.

RVer Profile: Renee

Did someone say road trip?!! Count me in. I can’t wait to get the show on the road. East coast to the west coast baby that’s what I’m talking about. This trip has been a long time in the making. I can remember planning my trip across America back in elementary school. I was a pioneer, a wagon leader I was guiding my party of settlers to Oregon.

Well it’s time to hit the trail again, but this time I’d like to trade in the 4 axel wagon for luxury RV and a group of my closest amigos. You have already gotten to know the rest of the gang so here is a little about me…

I grew up in New Hampshire “live free or die” and moved to Boston after college “go sox!”. I spent the last 9 years working in marketing. I started working as a promotional sales representative for Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, Amstel Light, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Jack Daniels. I quickly learned that I loved marketing and I wanted to start a career of it. My first full-time gig was for zipcar. I was responsible for growing the brand in Boston.

After many ziptrips I left for a job at glaceau…the makers of smartwater and vitaminwater. I was the Southern New England Marketing Manager. I educated, entertained and hydrated consumers with samples of the most delicious electrolyte enhanced water on the planet.

I recently moved to Charlottesville, Virginia with my awesome bf Keith and put my zipcar hat back on to launch the largest car sharing program at UVA.

I also work at Veritas, a local winery and vineyard. I’m learning everything there is to know about wine…in vino veritas!

As you can see being the brand is what I am all about. I take a brand and put it on my back. Does your brand need a piggyback? I’m ready for my next brand challenge!

In my spare time I like to travel, attend theme parties, make pottery, dress my dog up in silly costumes, go bike riding, hiking and hit the slopes.

The reason for the trek

So I thought it would be nice to show "the why" behind this trip. It's not that we want to drive across country with two dogs in the hopes of driving each other crazy with our personal habits and increasing the risk of losing one other as friends. Not that all. It's because some of our closest Everyday Friends (I think Hannah may have a trademark on that name) Thereasa and Shane are getting married in Oregon next July.

To give you a better idea who Thereasa and Share are, you can check out their engagement video:

 

If you want to know more about Thereasa, you can follow her blog about her life on the East Coast after moving to Boston from San Francisco too.

The word on Social Media

When this was all just idea that we were shooting around to eachother, we hadn't thought about how impactful it could potentially be - when combined with some of the different social media vehicles out there. Well, a month in and I must say that I'm intrigued (and eager to keep learning!).

Twitter: We're starting to tweet from e2wandback. The number of people that we can connect with is phenomenal. Last week, I ran a couple of google searches - "CPG brands twitter", "Food companies on twitter", etc - and the number of hits returned was pretty impressive. I started following a bunch of those hits, and will continue to do so. Check us out on twitter to see what we're up to... and follow us! I sent a couple of tweets out too - haven't heard anything back yet (granted, I did tweet Doug at Nature Valley and Angie at MountainDew - two big brands with a big following), but I will continue to drop tweets and see what comes up. Overall, a great way to make connections.

The Blog: Not much to say here - other than the fact that it's becoming quite the vice! Paul even started up his own blog soon after we got the ball rolling on this one. Check him out at saturdaymorningicedcoffee... We're trying to make this blog as userfriendly as possible - just this morning I reformatted the site so that it would display well at different screen resolutions, added a number of gadgets to the sidebard, and put up some quick links to what we're trying to & our profiles.

Facebook: We are all on Facebook - I'm going to figure out how to link our profiles to this site. As we put up posts, I am using TweetDeck to post up to e2wandback and to my status update simultaneously. Pretty cool, and it's generated a number of clickthroughs to the site.

Google Analytics: I guess this falls under social media. It's a cool tool that was sent my way from one of the Darden Student Bloggers - JulyDream. I'm actually kind of addicted to checking it - and it's going to work wonders in showing the reach of our voice to potential partners. It's basically a service that lets you see where you are getting hits from, how long people are staying on your site, number of hits, etc. Don't worry... it doesnt say WHO you are, it just tells us that we are getting seen. So far most people have come from the States, but we've had a visitor from Jordan, another from the UK, and one from Amsterdam.

Platial: I posted up about this earlier - check out the map at the bottom of this page. I downloaded the IPhone app for Platial - which is going to be huge when we're on our trip. A great way to do a quick geotag.

Blogger App: I'm sure this exists - in fact, I think I've seen it somewhere already. In between wireless hotspots we'll be using the IPhone to post up pics / our thoughts on the road. Who knows - maybe we'll me you and you'll be featured on the site!

E-Mail Signature: Ok, this one's a bit of a stretch, but we're adding our twitter & blog URL info to our email signatures... we're all about experimenting at this stage.

So, what else? How can we be more integrated? We will undoubtedly be learning more over the coming months, but if you've got any advice please post up a comment!

on the road entertainment

pulled out the guitar hero this morning after a few months absence. im surprised that my motor skills for the game were still sharp. stepped in and rocked a 5 song set with 98% accuracy.

there has to be jacks on the RV tv to allow for the wii to travel with us right? we could be guitar heros, do some bowling or maybe even throw in the occasional yoga workout during the hours of road time. with christmas around the corner maybe ill pick up a few more games too.

cant you just envision the lounge scene inside the RV? i sure can!!

RVer Profile: Hannah

Hello all…RVer Hannah here….for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to drive cross country…I think it started when I was a kid and my friends dad showed us half a dollar bill that he and his friend had ripped in half on their trip cross country and both had kept half as a reminder of their trip for the rest of their lives…seemed so cool when I was a kid…SO, it’s only taken me about 20 years after hearing that story to actually be planning to drive cross country…I’m so excited to see what the rest of this expansive country has to offer….I’m certain that there are some interesting corners of this country that will change the way I see things and I am certain that there will be lots of laughs along the way…and tons of documentation along the way…did we mention that we might be “shutterbugs”....the last wedding the RV crew was at amounted to over 200 shots in one day...all quality! Here’s a taste of our photojournalistic style…

I’m sure that there must be a brand out there that wants to take advantage of all the skills this group has to offer…so what do I bring to the table additionally…while I can’t say that I’ve had as much screen time as my husband, I have had the opportunity to be in a few commercials myself…I’ve had plenty of experience as a brand ambassador for zipcar, which in its early stages was about as grassroots as you can get…people talking to people trying to get a message out about a great service…I’ve also experience a wide variety of beverage promotions over the years…I am currently in selling dental implants, so while I have extensive marketing experience, my recent years have been spent trying to close sales…which is always a challenge…but something that every brand needs in order to survive!


The thought of spending a few weeks with some of my best friends in a house of wheels is slightly frightening but very exciting as well…the last time I took a trip in an RV was when I was about 12 years old and my family drove from NH to Virginia with another family, this time it was 5 kids, 1 dog and 3 adults...our family friend, Joyce Maynard, was writing an article for a family magazine about travelling by rv and visiting some of the different sites along the way…by far the most memorable part of our trip was making bricks in colonial Williamsburg by stomping on mud with our bare feet…but a close second would be when one of the “adults” managed to pop the tire of our rv while making a tight turn…although what I think I remember most about this trip was that the magnets on our cabinets in the rv didn’t work very well and every time we turned a corner we all stood up to hold the cabinets shut so our supplies didn’t come flying out…so perhaps there’s a magazine out there looking for a new article about travelling the country in an rv? I hope so…


I’m not as organized as Paul but am having my mom dig up some pictures of that first RV trip…stay tuned!

Yosemite National Park

so in just making my first blog entry it caused me to go back and look through my photo album of my last trip. probably my favorite stop was at yosemite national park. everything is just bigger -- the trees, the waterfalls, the mountains. we did a bunch of hiking and even some rock climbing. we hiked to the base of el capitan but didnt have the time nor the skill to climb it. im not sure that that level of rock climbing is in my future.

RVer Profile: Millie

greetings.

im millie and i am a 4 1/2 year old vizsla/beagle mix. i was born somewhere near richmond VA but got adopted in boston when i was 8 weeks old. it was orginally believed that i was a bassett hound because my ears looked so much bigger than my body.

take a look:

some would say i was a handful the first few years of my life but since those tumultuous early years i have matured into a much more trustworthy dog. at times i can be very high energy but i'm also cool with just lying on the back of the couch staring out the window and keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

though i love to take hikes and wrestle with paul, i'm most comfortable when i'm lounging on the couch with hannah.

while i've seen most of the states from virginia to maine, ive not gone very far west. i've yet to meet my soon-to-be best friend cooper and i really am looking forward to doing lots of traveling with him, running wild in the woods and sniffing every inch of this country.

RVer Profile: Paul

hey everyone, i'm paul.

so the last time i made a cross country trip was in 1995. i was fresh out of college and thought i had the world all figured out. that trip 14 years ago had no purpose other than for 6 guys to celebrate their graduation and to see the country a little bit. we slept in campgrounds, ate meals from gas stations and had the time of our lives. i have always wanted to make this trip all over again as you don't really get a sense and feel for the united states until you have spent some time traveling on its roads.

here i am during those innocent days back in the mid-90s

so post college had me spending some time in northern virginia then atlanta and finally in boston. along those stops i spent time working in various sales, marketing and advertising jobs. while in atlanta i even worked for a talent agency and got my first (small) glimpse of the world of acting/modeling. while working at this job i was able to get myself into some local tv ads and print magazine pieces as well as doing a bunch of promotional marketing for various products including winston, craisins and surge.

when i moved to boston i worked for an ad agency where i was also able to get placed in some national print ad spots. the biggest exposure for me was my most recent experience which was auditioning for a national wheaties ad and actually making it on tv during monday night football! it's very strange to see yourself on tv when it's not home movies.

perhaps i missed my calling to go to hollywood, who knows?

my move to boston was supposed to be temporary as i had grand plans of moving west. (perhaps that's why this cross country trip is more appealing to me?) however, i now have a great job in pharmaceutical sales and met the girl of my dreams which helps to grow some roots in new england.

when i'm not landing in random ad spots, you can find me doing pretty much anything sports related -- basketball, softball, flag football, 5K runs, triathlons, snowboarding. our fellow RVer millie and i love to take long hikes in the woods in the greater boston area as well.

even though this trip is over half a year away, i get giddy just thinking about it.

Pricing information starting to trickle in!

One of the big questions we have for this is how much is it actually going to cost to get an RV, tour from Boston to Portland and back (gas, daily rental, etc)... and of course what does it cost to wrap one of these things? Paul did some digging, and from the looks of things it actually could turn out to be a pretty economical advertising vehicle (pun intended ha!) for some lucky brand out there. This next bit might get a little bit boring (read: detailed - although we do have even more information), but we did want to show the level at which we are thinking about this. Our entire goal starting this early was to have a really solid understanding of what this would entail... here goes!

If we were to use cruiseamerica and their affiliates, we would be looking at something along the following lines:

The Basics:

• No special licenses are required, which is a big plus. All drivers must appear in person with license at a Cruise America office. There are offices throughout the country if all of us don’t originate in MA.
• Given that we are 5 people and 2 dogs, a 30ft RV is recommended as it sleeps 7 and has extra space http://www.cruiseamerica.com/rent/our_vehicles/large_rv.aspx
• We're looking at regular gas, with an average of 10-12 mpg

Mileage Fees

• No set mileage/day, but we do pay for all miles used which are currently priced at $0.32 / mile... however you CAN get promotions for $0.16 / mile - typically when you book early. And that's what we're hoping to do.

Daily Rate

• Again - the earlier we book, the more we could potentially save off typical price. Summer rates are approximately $189/day, but current promotions have rate at $149/day
• A $500 deposit would lock in the rental, and would give us an agent willing to work with us on giving us the best current promotion. Deposit is refundable as long as 4+ days in advance.

Other Fees

• Returned vehicle cleaning fee starts at $50, can be a couple hundred depending on the amount of pet cleaning that needs to be done. Cleaning charges include shower, bathroom, stove, carpets, beds
• Generator on-board can be used if power cord can’t be hooked up. Approximately $3/hour
• Extra fees to empty sewage tank - I think we could take care of that at an RV site!

So, on to the rental estimate given all the info above and the specific assumptions below... it comes out to about $5,500

• $149/day x 16 dAys (July 10 – 24)
• $500 deposit
• 8000 miles at $0.32/mile (If $0.16/mile the rate is $4300)

And the fuel estimate.... $2,900

• According to AAA the current national average is $2.93/gallon
• Assume summer months have higher rates - lets assume $3.50 / gallon
• 8000 miles traveled with 55 gallon tank at 10 miles/gallon means about 15 fill-ups
• 15 fill-ups at $3.50/gallon equals $2900

That means a TOTAL RV Rental + Fuel cost of = $8400

Expanding our thinking a little...

With Cooper and Millie along for the ride, what about a pet food company / brand? Del Monte? Iams? Hills Science Diet? Two pretty awesome brand ambassadors...

A couple of fun facts...

Paul came across these a few days ago - interesting, as they show the potential of what we're talking about doing here for a brand that is looking to increase awareness. Admittedly, we haven't found the exact source (but will continue to look!), so take these with a grain of salt. Food for thought though!

• 74% of motorist are positively influenced by companies and products advertised on trucks, according to the Interstate Advertising Corporation.
• By advertising on your vehicle, you can generate more than 600 visual impressions for every mile driven, according to the American Trucking Association.

That second was is particularly astounding... when you think about the fact that we will be travelling around 8,000 miles as in, that's a whopping 4.8 MILLION impressions. Sounds a little on the high end for us, given that we're planning touring a few scenic areas, but impressive nonetheless!

RVer Profile: Keith

Here's Keith's profile... from the question "write a little blurb about yourself"...

"I’m a second year MBA student at the Darden Graduate School of Business in Charlottesville, VA. I spent the five years prior to business school working for Monitor Group, a strategy consulting firm based out of Boston, MA. Most of my work was marketing related with Fortune 500 clients, focused on consumer buying process, segmentation, segment profiling & messaging. With each project I took on increasing levels of responsibility, most recently acting as a project manager with overall responsibility for the client relationship & project team.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the project based nature of consulting, and the marketing focus of my work, I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of ownership over the final deliverable. I came to business school to hone my general management skillset, with the knowledge that I would transition into industry for a career in a consumer packaged food company. I spent the summer of 2009 as an Associate Marketing Manager Intern at General Mills, in the Pillsbury Totino’s division. I have an offer to return full-time, and will most likely be moving there next summer.

Outside of work / school, my passion is off-roading. I have a 2003 Jeep Wrangler with about seven inches of lift, beefy tires, and a whole bunch of other goodies… hence the desire to visit Moab, Utah and check out off-roading on the red rock out there!"

Has this been done before?

The internet has a lot of "stuff" on it... so we were wondering if anything like what we are proposing has been done in the past. A few GOOGLE searches later, and nothing bubbles to the top. There have to be people that have thought about this though - any insight? We would love to see routes people took, companies they partnered with, details of the relationship, etc.

The closest thing that I (Keith) know of was a trip my good friend Mark took this past summer with his wife Giulia and their dog Augustus. San Francisco, CA to Wilmington, DE - for a wedding, no less. Mark is an avid skater, and had goals of visiting skate parks across the US / meeting skaters in all the cities he visited. He tweeted daily about his trip, blogged about skaters, and put together video profiles. Mark has also been a long time user of Sector 9 boards, and tagged road signs across the US with Sector 9 stickers... he also "@ messaged" Sector 9 on twitter and built up a pretty significant following. VERY impressive! Check out his trip here:

Skating Across America

Starting to think about what this could cost...

We're in the process of putting our pitch together... we have a number of questions we're looking to answer - check out what we're thinking about right now. This is taken from an email we have bouncing around.

Detailed pricing on RV
We have ballpark figures from stuff that Paul looked at a while ago, but it would be awesome to have a little more specificity from a couple of different RV outfitters. Looking for information on things like
-- What are the different size options we could be thinking about, given size of our group
-- Rates for different options - base rental + daily rate + overage charges
-- Gas estimate - based on MPG of different size RVs, estimates on distance we're going to travel / associated gas cost (making assumptions on gas prices, probably looking back at averages over the past few summers / what the trend has been over the past few years).
-- Also - wondering if we need to do anything with our driver licenses if we go for a very large size - like a bus.

Cruise America
Get RV
RV Rental of America

Info on RV wrapping
A quick google search found a number of options for companies that do wrapping. I have NO clue how much that stuff costs / how it works with printing wrap material / etc... can someone look into that and figure it out? This might be a step after the detailed pricing piece above - given that we'll likely need to give size of wrap to the company. Also - there are different options for wrapping, I would guess - more simple logos all over vs an entire wrap of the vehicle.

Skinzwraps
Wrap Vehicles
Paradise Graphix

RVer Profile: Michelle

Five faces up top on the banner - what about the people behind those faces? First up for their blog profile: Michelle! Here's her response to "can you all write up a little blurb about yourselves?"

"What to say about me.... hmmm...

I'm a VP of the U.S. Asset Servicing branch at BNY Mellon, mainly working on Foundation and Endowment clients. I manage a staff of 30 people. I've worked here since I graduated college, for about 9+ years now. I communicate with my staff, clients, investment managers and internal groups on a daily basis. I travel about once a month to see clients face to face, for due diligence, to work on new projects or to promote new products/services. I also like long walks on the beach and am always down for grabbing a cocktail!

Does that work? ;-) ha ha! Let me know if you need me to explain more. I don't have any marketing experience, I hope I'm not kicked off the RV."

Platial.com...

We have lots of ideas, and were looking around for a place to log those ideas / track the potential route we could take across the states - and back. Platial.com is an awesome tool to do just that. Check out the map at the bottom of the blog to see what we're thinking - the GREY markers are our ideas. Over the course of the summer we'll log our actual trip with pictures throughout the journey....