Jason and Nikki Wynn have arguably the coolest named blog in the motorhome / RV community, 'Gone With The Wynns'. We got chatting to them a couple of months ago and were instantly in awe of their amazing Monaco Vesta affectionately named Windy. They recently interviewed us on their 'Confessions of a Traveller' section and we fired them off some questions ....
1.) We really love your blog! It looks like you guys take blogging really seriously and there seems to be a much bigger travel blog community in the US. What are your main incentives for doing so?
Our blog started as a simple question from friends: Are you planning to document your adventures? ….and so our blog was born! In the first year we shot as many videos and created as much content as we could manage. Year 2 we were able to get companies to help fund our travels by shooting a video for them. On our website you won’t find many paid articles, corporate videos, or advertisements; it’s a delicate balance as we want our viewers to visit our website for adventure, inspiration, and advice.
The US based blogging community is huge but the European market is growing momentum. I know some people make money from their blogs, but the main incentive is reaching out and finding other cool people with similar interests.
2.) America is such a vast country - how do you decide which of the 50 states to visit and in what order? Do you have any plans to take Windy out of the US?
Our original plan: Take 1 year and travel across the USA by RV. Well, a few months in we realized that wouldn’t work. Our next plan: Take 2 years to travel across the USA. Well….here we are about to start year 3! Oops. America is HUGE and to truly explore each state one would need a lifetime.
As far as taking Windy out of the US that won’t likely happen. Based on your information (check out Confessions of a Traveler: Europe by Camper) it would cost a small fortune to fuel the RV.
3.) We get a lot of comments about the cost of travelling in Europe, how does it compare to travelling in the USA? What's your average daily expenditure?
We keep a running tab on our expenses called The Cost of Living Full-Time on the Road It seems our results are wildly different than yours as we spend $62 USD per person per day. That’s right nearly 3 times more than you guys! I think what it boils down to is the lifestyle you’re used to living and your expectations during your travels.
We film a lot of videos on the road so our wardrobe is pretty extensive, also we like to feature cool adventures which are typically more costly than a typical holiday. Of course each traveller will have their own unique experience with costs, and that is why readers are so interested in a cost of travelling post.
3.) We recently had a look in a Monaco Vesta like Windy in Europe, what a fantastic RV! Do you think you'll always have her or will you change up or settle down in the future?
Well….our Windy is actually for sale! We wrote a nice note about her if you’re interested: Windy’s for Sale We’re challenging ourselves to downsize, maybe go a little more European like you guys. Also we have dreams of sailing over to Europe one day, so a smaller RV will simply be one step closer to even smaller living.
4.) Have you come across many young people (say under 40) on the road in the US? If not, do you get on well with your older RVing neighbors?
The #1 goal while RVing is: have a good time. 99% of the people we meet on the road are young at heart, even if their 80 years old. As for meeting youthful people it’s definitely few and far between. There is an emerging RV market in the states with a new type of RV called a “toy hauler”. This is proving to a style perfect for the young family, or adventurer traveler because you can store motorcycles, 4 wheelers, dune buggies, etc in the back part of the RV! Pretty cool, but don’t think it’ll make it well in Europe because these RVs are HUGE!
5.) In Europe, Especially France and Germany, it is common to find "Aires" or "Stellplatz" in many towns. These are special parking areas for RV's to stay a couple of days and usually have basic facilities available. Does a similar thing exist in the US or is it mainly campgrounds and "boondocking" (Free / Wild Camping).
Believe it or not the US isn’t really setup for this style of city RVing, I think it has to do with the size of a typical US RVs. In fact simply trying to find free parking in most larger cities can be difficult, and free overnight parking with facilities is nearly impossible.
The best option is to call the town visitor center before you arrive and to ask for safe RV parking.
If you stay outside of the cities you can camp our favorite style “Off the Cord”. In the United States there is BLM and National Forest areas that provide free camping up to 14 days, only downside is there are no facilities other than a space to park your RV. The good news is you’re surrounded by nature and more than likely you’ll be all alone. Many are located near larger cities or attractions.
6.) One day we'd love to come to the US and travel in an American RV. How easy do you think it would be for two British citizens to buy (and insure etc) an RV in the US? We've heard of some Europeans shipping their own RV's over instead!
Ohh, that’s a tough one. We’ve ran across many Europeans who are travelling the USA by rental RV, and only a few who paid to ship their personal RV across the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t think buying an insuring a new RV would be difficult, but acquiring a VISA with enough time to explore all the USA has to offer is another story all together! You might also try and contact British Columbia, Canada; since you’re basically all family they may have less strict rules for British travellers One thing’s for sure if you make it across the drink you MUST give us a call! See you soon.
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| Nikki and Jason Wynn with their RV, Windy |
Our blog started as a simple question from friends: Are you planning to document your adventures? ….and so our blog was born! In the first year we shot as many videos and created as much content as we could manage. Year 2 we were able to get companies to help fund our travels by shooting a video for them. On our website you won’t find many paid articles, corporate videos, or advertisements; it’s a delicate balance as we want our viewers to visit our website for adventure, inspiration, and advice.
The US based blogging community is huge but the European market is growing momentum. I know some people make money from their blogs, but the main incentive is reaching out and finding other cool people with similar interests.
2.) America is such a vast country - how do you decide which of the 50 states to visit and in what order? Do you have any plans to take Windy out of the US?
Our original plan: Take 1 year and travel across the USA by RV. Well, a few months in we realized that wouldn’t work. Our next plan: Take 2 years to travel across the USA. Well….here we are about to start year 3! Oops. America is HUGE and to truly explore each state one would need a lifetime.
As far as taking Windy out of the US that won’t likely happen. Based on your information (check out Confessions of a Traveler: Europe by Camper) it would cost a small fortune to fuel the RV.
3.) We get a lot of comments about the cost of travelling in Europe, how does it compare to travelling in the USA? What's your average daily expenditure?
We film a lot of videos on the road so our wardrobe is pretty extensive, also we like to feature cool adventures which are typically more costly than a typical holiday. Of course each traveller will have their own unique experience with costs, and that is why readers are so interested in a cost of travelling post.
3.) We recently had a look in a Monaco Vesta like Windy in Europe, what a fantastic RV! Do you think you'll always have her or will you change up or settle down in the future?
Well….our Windy is actually for sale! We wrote a nice note about her if you’re interested: Windy’s for Sale We’re challenging ourselves to downsize, maybe go a little more European like you guys. Also we have dreams of sailing over to Europe one day, so a smaller RV will simply be one step closer to even smaller living.
 |
| Nikki & Jason's past RV's ..... |
4.) Have you come across many young people (say under 40) on the road in the US? If not, do you get on well with your older RVing neighbors?
The #1 goal while RVing is: have a good time. 99% of the people we meet on the road are young at heart, even if their 80 years old. As for meeting youthful people it’s definitely few and far between. There is an emerging RV market in the states with a new type of RV called a “toy hauler”. This is proving to a style perfect for the young family, or adventurer traveler because you can store motorcycles, 4 wheelers, dune buggies, etc in the back part of the RV! Pretty cool, but don’t think it’ll make it well in Europe because these RVs are HUGE!
5.) In Europe, Especially France and Germany, it is common to find "Aires" or "Stellplatz" in many towns. These are special parking areas for RV's to stay a couple of days and usually have basic facilities available. Does a similar thing exist in the US or is it mainly campgrounds and "boondocking" (Free / Wild Camping).
The best option is to call the town visitor center before you arrive and to ask for safe RV parking.
If you stay outside of the cities you can camp our favorite style “Off the Cord”. In the United States there is BLM and National Forest areas that provide free camping up to 14 days, only downside is there are no facilities other than a space to park your RV. The good news is you’re surrounded by nature and more than likely you’ll be all alone. Many are located near larger cities or attractions.
6.) One day we'd love to come to the US and travel in an American RV. How easy do you think it would be for two British citizens to buy (and insure etc) an RV in the US? We've heard of some Europeans shipping their own RV's over instead!
Ohh, that’s a tough one. We’ve ran across many Europeans who are travelling the USA by rental RV, and only a few who paid to ship their personal RV across the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t think buying an insuring a new RV would be difficult, but acquiring a VISA with enough time to explore all the USA has to offer is another story all together! You might also try and contact British Columbia, Canada; since you’re basically all family they may have less strict rules for British travellers One thing’s for sure if you make it across the drink you MUST give us a call! See you soon.
Wow! Amazing blog, another great one to follow!! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the Wynns blog! Real pro's at blogging as well. Such an engaging read..looking forward to more articles from you guys as well!
ReplyDeleteDarren.
AdventureOverlandUk Ltd
https://www.facebook.com/Adventureoverlanduk
Hello Europe! Thanks for sharing the love, and glad you finally chose a new RV. We're going through the same battle as you guys but we haven't found that perfect one....yet. Our dreams lead us to Europe in 2014-2015 either by boat or RV, or who knows: maybe both! See you soon!
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog! You two should RV swap for a year or so.... and of course blog about it!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I gave up work in 2005, flew to Tampa, bought an RV and covered 42 States over the next 5 years. Its easy to do and many Brits do it. Yes you have to leave the US every 6 months but you can tour Canada (summer) and Mexico for a month or two before driving back in to the US.
ReplyDelete