Launching Life's Journeys - An RV Podcast

How do you stop a propane leak in its tracks? Martin Niezen, the founder of GasStop, has the answer. He’s developed a propane tank gauge that can identify minor invisible gas leaks, prevent major leaks completely, and let you see whether there’s enough gas in your tank to get you through the day. Developed in the Netherlands, GasStop has undergone more than a year of rigorous testing to earn a UL safety rating and an ISO standard certification so US customers can purchase this high-quality product with confidence. 

Martin sat down with Will to talk about: 

●      Why OPD valves do NOT protect you against propane leaks once the tank is hooked up to your RV – and how GasStop functions differently to shut down major leaks immediately

●      The simple detail that lets customers see testing data for every individual GasStop product 

●      How GasStop can help you “see” even a minor leak when you smell gas – not just in your own RV, but for anyone else nearby

●      The reason Martin made it a point to personally talk to real American RV campers one-on-one as he developed his flagship product 

●      Which products are compatible with RV trailers and which ones were designed for Class A and Class C RVs

Because GasStop tests every one of its products by hand, it can offer a generous five-year warranty. GasStop is the only product of its kind on the US market, offering RVers incredible peace of mind, value, and convenience when they travel with liquid propane. It retails for $69 and can be bought at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart Plus, Camping World, eTrailer, and GasStop’s website. Visit gasstopusa.com to learn more.

Click here to watch the podcast interview.

On a trip to the Texas Hill Country, Brandy Gleason stumbled across the picture-perfect town of Fredericksburg. She and Will are joined today by McKenzie Moellering, the Communications Manager for the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, to talk about what makes the town so special.

In this episode, they cover:
● Where to find this hidden gem that’s only an hour away from San Antonio and 90 minutes from Austin
● All the lodgings available in Fredericksburg, from 13 different RV parks to dozens of hotels, bed and breakfasts, short-term rentals, cabins, and more
● What you’ll find in town, including 150 shops, restaurants, tasting rooms, museums, and tons of outdoor activities
● The one-of-a-kind, Smithsonian-affiliated National Museum of the Pacific War that was recently recognized as one of the top five historical museums in the country by USA Today
● And where you can get pre-planned itineraries for Fredericksburg that cater to different trip lengths and themes to make planning your visit easy

You can learn more about Fredericksburg, Texas, and its amazing attractions at www.visitfredericksburgtx.com/. The website has tons of resources to help you plan your trip to take advantage of everything the town has to offer. If you’re traveling with a larger group and planning a family reunion or RV rally, the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau is happy to help you plan and coordinate your visit. Just contact Kelly Criddle, Destination Services Manager at [email protected] for personal assistance.

Click here to watch the full interview.

Mike Culpepper, owner of a Landmark and avid RVer, owns Culpepper’s Smokehouse near Fort Worth, Texas – the best-kept secret for home-cooked barbeque in the region. With 15 major RV parks nearby, Mike supplies campers with brisket, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs by the pound. He sells his barbeque in vacuum-sealed packaging you can keep in the freezer, and you can reheat it right in the package in boiling water to keep the meat juicy and tender.

Today, Will is talking to Mike about:

● The way he single-handedly shops, preps, cooks, packages, and distributes his barbeque so he can control every aspect of its quality
● How campers can grill Culpepper Smokehouse’s pre-cooked meat for all the satisfaction of cooking over an open flame with a quality result in a fraction of the time
● His custom, hand-built barbeque setup where he spends 22 hours making the perfect brisket in bulk
● How you can get free delivery from Mike himself when you’re camping within the Fort Worth area, and how to hire him to cater an event with fifty people or less
● And the exact kind of wood Mike uses to smoke his mouth-watering barbeque menu

Warning: This episode might make you extremely hungry as Will found out first-hand. If you’re near Fort Worth and have a craving for barbeque, you can contact Mike with Culpepper’s Smokehouse directly at 817-229-1853 to place an order.

Click here to watch the full interview. 

Will’s chatting with an old friend today, Branden Elwell. As a Senior Director of OEM Sales at Impel.io, Branden helps RV dealerships sell RVs with artificial intelligence tools that respond to customers, an app that integrates RV listings with brand-supplied information and specs, and a shopping experience that gives customers all the details they need in one place. Formerly called Spin Car, Impel.io has created 360-degree tours of cars for automotive dealerships for years. Now they’re turning their attention to the RV market and changing the way people will shop for RVs forever.

In this episode, they discuss:

● How Impel syncs OEM info with dealership websites so shoppers can get comprehensive details on each listing with no additional effort on the dealer’s side
● The foolproof way the Impel app nudges dealers to take perfect pictures of real RV models
● An easy way to add brand-level walkthrough videos to every model listing with no additional effort – and why both shoppers and your sales team will love it
● How to respond to 100% of your inbound requests for info from your website without running your sales team ragged
● And what Impel does to bring the ultimate transparency to local dealerships to help them build trust with their local audience

To learn more about Impel and how they’re using technology to benefit campers and dealers alike, visit Impel.io and browse their many use cases, testimonials, and reviews. To connect with Branden Elwell directly, email him at [email protected] or send him a direct message on LinkedIn.

Click here to watch the full interview.

Jimi and Sandi Falin from TryNSomethingNew are on the podcast today to chat with Will about how they left their jobs as professional filmmakers and got started in their rock-and-roll RV lifestyle. With nearly a million followers on YouTube and TikTok, the Fallons have built a huge business that lets them travel full-time with their three kids and their dog, Roxy – all by doing what they’re passionate about.

They’re sharing:
● How they walked away from their standard lifestyle and took a leap of faith into traveling year-round
● Which American city was “horrible” to RV in
● Why they went from a Class A to a spacious fifth-wheel model that was trickier to tow
● The features that made them choose their Heartland after touring every single floor plan at the Tampa RV show last year
● What they’ve done to build their business, make money, and enable them to spend a life traveling to gorgeous destinations whenever they want, and how they’re teaching other people to do the same
● And where they’re headed this spring in their boondocking-friendly Cyclone 4006
You can learn more about the Fallon Family and browse their filmmaking courses at https://www.trynsomethingnew.com/. Check out more of their amazing RVing content (and see more of Sandi's incredible pink mohawk) on YouTube and TikTok under @trynsomethingnew.

Click here for the full video interview.

Maris Brennan is back with Will to get people excited about the upcoming 58th Annual Detroit RV and Camping Show. It’s from Wednesday, January 31st to Sunday, February 4th at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI, right off I-96. And with adjusted hours this year, this 400,000-square-foot show will be open later for anyone attending after work or in the evenings. 

 In this episode, they’re also chatting about: 

 ●      The hundreds of RVs that will be on display, from “little canned hams” to $500,000 luxury coaches

●      Which special guests will be there, from Tom and Jim of Under the Radar to the Department of Natural Resources to every major RV supplier campers could ever want to talk to

●      How frugal RVers can get a discount on the admission price (and put their extra pennies toward a trip this summer)

●      Details about the exclusive, top-secret B2B event on January 30th for campground owners, suppliers, and service providers 

Tickets to the 58th Annual Detroit RV and Camping Show are $11 for seniors and $12 for adults, with free admission for kids under 12. You can buy tickets and more details to plan your visit at https://www.michiganrvandcampgrounds.org/. For more information about the vendor showcase, go to the same site and click the Members tab at the top of the page. 

Click here to watch the full video episode. 

Brandy Gleason is once again joining Will Miller with special guest Shannon Carter to talk about the hidden gems of Ohio Amish Country. In her role as the Tourism Marketing Manager for the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, Shannon spent years promoting tourism to the second-largest community of Amish people in the world, spanning a 30-mile radius across Holmes County. And as the author of the book 100 Things to Do in Amish Country Before You Die, Brandy Gleason knows the area inside and out. 

In this episode, they’re discussing: 

●      Which non-traditional Amish Country experiences to explore, including picking flowers, seeing steam engines up close, and booking a romantic couples getaway

●      The #1 way to know if your visit to Amish Country was a success

●      Where to get the best food, including pies, tarts, a buffet, the famous “hot trail and Swiss” sandwich (a local specialty), and the biggest and best Long John donuts in the state

●      Why you should download Wander, the interactive map app that lets you easily navigate Ohio Amish Country’s tapestry of small, rural towns 

●      What events to schedule your visit around, including the blowout Harvest Fest every September in Berlin, and the 2024 Heartland Rally at Evergreen RV Resort, hosted by Brandy Gleason herself

●      And so much more

Amish Country’s strong, tight-knit community is a wonderful place to bring the whole family and offers tons of welcoming, wholesome fun for all ages. To learn more about Ohio Amish Country, visit www.visitamishcountry.com, where you can book accommodations at nearby campsites and hotels. Look for the link to the downloadable Wander app in the header. To learn more about the Ohio Heartland RV rally in fall 2024, email [email protected] before January 31st to reserve a spot. 

 Click here to watch the full episode.  

With the 39th annual Florida RV SuperShow a month away, we grabbed a few minutes with Dave Kelly, the executive director of the Florida RV Trade Association. He’s giving us the inside scoop on the event, including:

● The impressive number of attendees that temporarily increases Tampa’s population by 20 percent
● Things first-time attendees need to know to plan for making the most of their two-day ticket
● Why the Tampa show is the perfect place to check out RVs with zero pressure to buy
● What kind of topics will be covered in the 30+ seminars held every hour over five days
● And how to find the best travel and lodging arrangements to attend this year’s show (or plan for January 2025)

The 2024 Florida SuperShow will be held from Wednesday, January 17 to Sunday, January 21, and open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (9 to 5 on Sunday). Each ticket costs $15 per adult and includes two full days’ admission to the show. Kids under 16 attend free, and there are discounts for seniors, first responders, and military personnel. For tickets and more information about the event, visit www.FRVTA.org.

To watch the full video podcast, click here.

As one of the most well-connected experts in RV technical education and media, you may have heard of Chris Dougherty from Dougherty RV Consulting. Every vendor at every RV conference seems to know him – or know of him. Today, Will is talking with him about how he became the guy dealerships, RV technicians, and campers alike turn to when they need to learn how to maintain and service new RV components. Chris has been RVing since 1973 and spent 10 years living in an RV full-time. He holds multiple certifications as a technician and instructor, is the RV expert of choice for publications like RV Enthusiast Magazine and RVTravel.com, and contributes articles to RVing publications across the U.S. In this conversation, they’re also discussing:

●How a temporary turn living in an RV between selling a house and purchasing a new one turned into a 10-year adventure on the road
●Why the RV industry had to pivot when Millennials started becoming RV enthusiasts, and how marketing to them changed to address new concerns
●The reason even experienced RV techs seek out his training services
●Who the biggest competitors to the RV industry really are
●And why having MORE information about RV troubleshooting online can sometimes be a bad thing

In 2024, you can find Chris Dougherty and Dougherty RV Consulting at the Springfield RV and Camping Show in West Springfield, MA from February 16-19. He’ll also have a remote presence at the Boston RV Show in January, and you can find him in person at the Hershey RV Show next fall. To learn more about Dougherty RV Consulting, visit https://doughertyrv.com/, and sign up for their newsletter to stay informed about the exciting developments they’ll be sharing next year.


View full video podcast here.

Will is chatting with our frequent podcast co-host Maris Brennan today to discuss the new MARVAC Vendor Showcase this spring before the Annual Detroit RV & Camping Show in Novi, MI. The Vendor Showcase will take place on January 30, the Tuesday before the show opens, and will give campground owners the resources they need to make the 2024 camping season a success. 

In this episode, Maris and Will also discuss: 

●      Why Will is so excited about growing his first-ever beard and what it has to do with the Vendor Showcase

●      Which kinds of vendors will be in attendance, and why this is a great networking opportunity – for campground managers and vendors alike 

●      Who is eligible to participate in the Vendor Showcase for FREE

●      The many different games, activities, and social events MARVAC has planned for the showcase 

●      What each level of sponsorship tier gets you, and how you can ensure your business stands out from the crowd with an exclusive sponsorship tier

MARVAC is currently looking for Vendor Showcase sponsors, and sponsors have until the end of November to sign up for a platinum, gold, silver, or bronze package. Only sponsors will get ads in the Vendor Showcase book; all other vendors and participants will get directory listings with QR codes that link to a landing page of their choice. Vendors and campgrounds have until the end of December to register for a booth. To learn more about the Vendor Showcase, visit www.rvcmembers.org/, and to purchase a sponsorship package, contact Maris Brennan directly at (517) 999-6878 before November 30, 2023. 

 
Click here to watch the full interview.