Welcome to the new column, Feature Friday, where every week, I’ll introduce you to a Roadpreneur who is building a business that lets them RV more often (maybe even full-time). Through these stories, you’ll see sparks of inspiration that can be woven into your own journey and go behind the scenes of other people’s businesses that are successfully growing from the road.
Roadpreneurs show up in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes, our RV adventures take the backseat to the work we do. Other times, it’s at the forefront of our business.
Today’s Featured Friday guest has beautifully placed her RV travels front and center with a series of books that highlight the adventures she’s found on the open road.
Desiree van Welsum is a Ph.D. economist turned author who made a big, dreamy life decision to move from potentially being stuck behind a desk all day to now being able to work and write from anywhere. If you’re a fellow author like myself, you probably just felt the back of your neck prickle with excitement over that possibility. Wake up somewhere new, write, and then take pictures to support your work. She’s truly living the Roadpreneur dream, so I knew I had to bring Desiree here for you to meet. Welcome, Desiree!
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Desirée van Welsum. I am a Ph.D. economist by training, but after a serious health incident, I made a drastic lifestyle change, and I am now a published travel book author. The Long Way Home - An American Adventure, The Eastern United States parts 1 and 2 are the first two books in a series that will cover the entire United States. Parts 1 and 2 contain 240 entries covering 27 states in the Eastern USA, Washington, DC, all five of The Great Lakes, the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, big cities and small-town America, and a wide range of bucket list locations, and richly illustrated with over 2,000 pictures. The next parts will cover the Midwest and Mountain States, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Route 66, and the West Coast.
How do you seek adventure on the open road?
We’re on a mission to check off as many places and things to do as we can in the Lower 48 and beyond. We are both European, but now live in the U.S. When COVID hit, and living in South Florida, we needed a way to evacuate from hurricanes with our four rescued Beagles safely, so we bought an RV. We started watching some RV travel YouTube videos and were inspired to hit the road. We have just completed our third eight-month road trip, have visited all of the Lower 48 states, and are currently planning this year’s trip, which will take us to Canada. We use a variety of sources to identify places we want to visit, from just general knowledge to Instagram, YouTube, Google and Google Maps, Roadside America, Atlas Obscura, as well as by talking to people everywhere we go, both fellow travelers and locals.
What inspired you to start this business?
My husband is still working full time and I had stopped working, so I had quite a bit of time available. I had started posting about our travels on Facebook and Instagram. The feedback I got eventually evolved into writing a series of travel books filled with short travelogues (with interesting background information, history, fun facts, and personal experiences from visiting each destination) and richly illustrated with tons of full-color photographs. Both the writing and photography are entirely done on my iPhone.
What do you like most about your business?
I love it when people contact me telling me how much they are enjoying the content, for example, because they are discovering places and things they had never heard of, finding out more about places they had heard of but didn’t really know much about, or because it is bringing back fond memories from previous trips or their childhood, and it makes them want to go back.
What’s going through your audience’s mind when they come to you for help?
People usually ask me for advice on places to visit or how to best visit them, whether they are dog friendly, and where to stay.
How have you designed your business to run while you roam?
I used a designer to create my Instagram logo. I have a publisher for the books and worked with their designers on the interior and cover designs. Everything is completely digital, so it doesn’t really matter where we are (or where they are) as long as we have a good Internet connection (which has become a lot easier with Starlink). I am not involved in the general fulfillment of any orders.
What challenges have you faced by running a business from the road?
Receiving packages when I don’t know how long it will take to get to me (for example, when they include printing at outside facilities like in the case of print proof copies). Organizing things like book signings or attending events (and bringing copies of the books, which have to be sent to me somewhere) can be challenging to coordinate while on the road and moving a lot and quite quickly the way we do.
If you had to start over again, what would you do differently?
I don’t think I would do things differently.
What’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever received?
That people are buying my books, leaving great reviews, and telling me how much they love them. Hearing from people how much they love the books, how they experience them (curling up with the books during nasty weather outside and reading them, or dipping into them when they have a moment, or looking up specific destinations in the books), and what they get out of them (a fun time feeling like they are traveling along with us from the comfort of their armchair at home, inspiration for trips they are planning, reliving memories) is really very special.
What are you getting excited about right now?
I am working on parts 3 and 4, which will cover the Midwest and Mountain States (and parts 5 and 6 will cover the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Route 66, and the West Coast), and we are planning our 2024 trip.
Where can we connect with you?
On my website:
https://thelongwayhometravels.com/
At my Instagram account: @rvcruising
And of course by buying my books, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart.