The One, The Only!

Speakers & Events

PLEASE NOTE:

The following information is from the 2013 Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show. 

Howard & Linda Payne - RV-Dreams.com

Howard & Linda Payne quit their corporate jobs and sold their house at age 41. Though they were living what most people would call the “American Dream”, they felt there was more to life than what traditional society expected.

So, in a moment of enlightenment, or mid-life crisis if you prefer, they gave up all they knew, including a steady paycheck, for life on the road in an RV for an indefinite period. That was in 2005.

Along with that decision, they decided to start a website called RV-Dreams.com. It is a site in which Howard took the mounds of research he had done and compiled it into one place for others considering full-time RVing. In addition, he and Linda decided to open up their lives and post their journey, their triumphs and mistakes, and their financial information for a more complete, honest look at full-time RVing.

That little website has grown into quite a community and includes a daily online journal, a forum, a live chat room, and more. Howard and Linda have presented seminars at RV shows and the former Life On Wheels Conferences. They are currently core lifestyle instructors for the RV Safety Education Foundation’s RV Lifestyle, Education, and Safety Conferences. And they also put on their own RV-Dreams educational rallies each year.

In addition to running the RV-Dreams website, putting on rallies, and speaking at events, Howard and Linda have also worked a variety of jobs on the road to help support their full-timing lifestyle. Their diversity of experiences, their age, and their background have combined to create an interesting perspective on RV living. And, their refreshingly straightforward approach provides those investigating the lifestyle with tools to properly evaluate whether full-timing is right for them.

Full-Time & Extended RVing Seminars

Living in an RV, whether full-time or for a few months at a time, is much different than taking your RV on a vacation or a weekend camping trip. These seminars help you understand those differences and how to best prepare for "living" on the road for months or even years at a time.

Be Prepared! (Full-Time & Extended RVing)

Click Here for the full schedule of seminars & events!

Working on the Road (Full-Time & Extended RVing)

Click Here for the full schedule of seminars & events!

Selecting A Home Base & Insurance Considerations (Full-Time & Extended RVing)

Click Here for the full schedule of seminars & events!

What Does it Cost? (Full-Time & Extended RVing)

Click Here for the full schedule of seminars & events!

Jim DuFresne

Jim DuFresne is a Clarkston-based author of more than 20 guidebooks including Michigan’s Best Campgrounds, Michigan: Off  The Beaten Path and 50 Hikes in Michigan. He is also the main contributor to MichiganTrailMaps.com, a resource website providing trail users maps, descriptions and information on trails and paths in the Great Lakes State.

Alaska Marine Highway: Easy Travel for 50 Years

The Alaska Marine Highway system of ferry boats will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2013 and outdoor expert Jim DuFresne will focus on using the famous “blue canoes” to explore the best that Alaska has to offer.

Why book an expensive cruise on a boat that carries a 2,000 other passengers when the Alaska State ferry system will not only carry you but also your recreational vehicle? DuFresne will give a media presentation on state of Alaska’s wonderful ferry system, taking his audience from Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, stopping at towns along the way to enjoy glacier walks, kayaking adventures, halibut fishing and the famed White Pass & Yukon Railroad.

Alaska by Road, Sea & Air

Travel expert Jim DuFresne will provide the ins and outs of a trip to Alaska in his presentation, The Long Drive North: Traveling To & Exploring the 49th State in Your RV. DuFresne will focus on driving the famed Alaskan Highway as well as flying to Alaska and renting an recreational vehicle for those with shorter amounts of time. He’ll cover the state from Southeast Alaska to Fairbanks and everything in between, providing the information you need to plan a perfect Alaskan adventure.

The Most Beautiful Place in the USA: Sleeping Bear Dunes & Michigan's Other National Parks

Last year Good Morning America viewers voted Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in the country. Join noted travel author Jim DuFresne as his shows why Sleeping Bear and Michigan's other national parks are such stunning jewels and worthy destinations for travelers.