next tour

jennie miles , I have a 42 ft Spartan Imperial ! Awesome trailers.

Paul having someone blogging about the trip was great for those of us who could not make it.
You are a rock star!

paul wheaton wrote:Am feeling good today. Three days left on the tour. No more speaking.

I guess the big thing is that this seems like a good idea. The down side is the expense. I like the idea of doing it and coming out ahead. This trip will end with me in the red (I took money from my savings for a farm).

Nearly all of the stops wanted me to stay longer. At least one was outright begging. And nearly all of the stops had a list of more places to visit that sounded cool. And a lot of the speaking gigs had people wanting to hear my other presentations.

Lots and lots of upsides.

But for me to shell out this much money to and talk and visit farms is not wise. Wise would be to hang on to the money and use it to buy land.

So I am trying to figure out an alternative.

Suggestions:

1. Designated driver drives throughout the night. Less traffic, cooler temps, better mileage, etc. Crew gets necessary rest needed for effective presentations. Driver rests and sleeps while crew is busy in daylight hours. Also utilizes sleeping space. (like a submarine crew).
2. Solicit donations/fees from interested parties that wish to have you talk to defray expenses.
3. Create media based materials to offer for sale at scheduled presentations, again to defray costs and spread the word. Your speaking engagements are but a moment in time. Media extends the knowledge and memories and last a lot longer. Think book signings, swag sales, etc. Think of it as an alternative fuel source.
4. Find someone knowledgeable about the Land Whale long before you take off on a cross-country tour. From what I've read you had no one with any real experience with RV systems, maintenance or adequate mechanical ability nor did you have anyone on board that truly knew the RV from stem to stern (no offense Geoff). Consider it for what it truly is, a land based vessel that has intricate, somewhat complex inter-related systems that require knowledge and familiarity to operate effectively.
5. Limit the number of passengers. Although at first glance it appears to be a good idea to sell space on the Whale to total strangers to defray costs, having 12 people along on a tour full time in one vehicle with no defined purpose or direction is going to get a bit crowded in the long run.
6. If you are going to solicit passengers, screen them for usable skill sets. Tech, Mechanical, Logistics, Navigation, etc., that will enhance the journey, not complicate it.
7. A cross country tour takes as much aforethought and planning as a permaculture endeavor does to be pulled off successfully.

WebDog

> alternatives

Well, sending out 12 apostles is a time honored method... <g>

Seriously, your ideas and attitude and enthusiasm resonate with a lot of people; though few are rich, when they can gather in certain numbers at each locale there may be enough of a pool of resources to cover your team's expenses and personal requirements. TBD, but what's that quote... "take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." Sorry. Just too perfect. <G> But I think the general idea sort of applies - when people see value and are of good will there's usually several excellent solutions. Sure it's a give and take but when we stay honest and keep at least one foot on the ground, well I expect you'll find good and rewording ways to nurture the permies movement.

Cheers

Rufus

Kinda got lost there for a minute in reading all this..
Hum.. Just wondering if the "primary driver" can be a newbie to PC, new to your site (which lead me to PC) and learn as they go?? I have a CDL with P (passenger endorsement). I've driven buses full of soldiers), AND I'm from the SE.. I would love the chance to learn as I go, if you would excuse my ignorance in the PC world. PM or email me if you want to. Hey, can the primary driver get a full size bed?? lol

Hello guys! I'm The Navigator! I'd just like to chip in and say that the tour was awesome, and you are all stupid if you don't start to save up for next years trip immediately... ups... was this to suggest that anyone on permies.com is anything less than perfect? I might be banned. How's that for first post. But seriously: everyone here are permies and what would be awesomer than travelling around with others that are as nuts about it as you, and meet leading permaculturists and see fantastic examples of permaculture, and participate in conversations with experts... And it is never boring to hang around Paul Wheaton, and despite living on top of each other 24 hours a day for three weeks, it was super smooth and it's hard to pick out... well, for one it is hard to pick out highlights out of the bunch of experiences, second, it is equally difficult to point out things that could have been better. Nothing is perfect but it comes to a point where it gets pretty close to perfect, and what's the point in poking any more with it? This trip is THE best way to spend 2K, and I encourage you all to do everything you can to join!

@ Me Wagner: You have a year to learn! But to answer your question: at some points there was non-permies that joined some of the tours and social gatherings around the bonfire and when they asked questions sometimes it felt like you wanted to roll your eyes, because they asked super basic questions which took time away from interesting stuff. Or saying stuff like "you can't do that because..." when there are permaculture techniques to do it. This tour is like the podcasts, you have to have a certain level in to get the most out of it.

Here are a few places I can think of visiting on the eastern-ish part of the continent.

Mark Sheppard's Food forest in Wisconsin
Whole Systems Design in Vermont
Joel Salatin's farm in Virginia (maybe not totally permaculture, but absolutely worth visiting)

Any other thoughts?

We'd like to join the tour, me as general assist or full payer and my wife as cook or secondary cook or full payer, depending on other people's qualifications.
That brings the total of interested people to 4, I hope more people will grab this opportunity and make it come true.

and Paul, thanks anyway if this remains a dream...

Manfred,

maybe the tour should be over your side of the Pond! That would make for a good tour and obviously the tour could stop at Sepp's place in Austria!

Well, Adrien, I was thinking on these lines too, but for the year after... I' am mouthwatering for the moment listening to Paul's podcast about the Herbfarm...

Yeah, that is on the West Coast, but I am sure there are similar places on the Eastern seaboard. In fact, I have been to very good restaurants in Atlanta, GA. They were not nearly as pricey but definitely would fit in the foodie category. Now the tour has to go as far South as Atlanta

I have been looking into transport for a European tour. Bunkbuses are not that easy to come by. A french circus company has one but they stopped renting it out. A Dutch company with very good buses for the purpose rents them for a max of 10 days.

http://www.bushotel.nl/bushotel_inr.htm

I then looked into train transportation, but the only practical way, through a monthly pass, is only open to long time European residents.

What I still have to look into as an alternative is a central point for most nights and flying out to the different permaculture spaces (Scotland, England, Germany, Benelux; Austria, Spain...) on low cost airlines...and renting minivans for transportation.

That's it for the moment...

Wow! You have been busy!

When I did a tour of few European countries some 10 years ago, I used a rail pass I bought from Eurail. Not sure how good they are anymore though.

I could see doing a tour in europe, but it would really need to be something that somebody else manages.

It would be pretty cool to have a bus and we just stay at some arranged hotel every night. Although I like the idea of going to sleep in one town and waking up in a different town A LOT.

Sounds just like a band touring. With all that implies... Might need a little adjustment to suit.

Rufus