Download the App!
show episodes
 
Whether you are new to traveling the world one mile at a time, or you have raised a family with thousands of memories made at a campsite…this podcast is all about the people, journeys and stories that are shared.Recreational vehicles allow people the ability to travel the world, mile by mile while providing safe shelter and comfortable living quarters when destinations are reached. Willie invites you to join him on his journey with Heartland RV. Whether you are new to traveling the world one ...
  continue reading
 
Loading …
show series
 
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 …
  continue reading
 
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 …
  continue reading
 
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 free…
  continue reading
 
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…
  continue reading
 
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 t…
  continue reading
 
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 w…
  continue reading
 
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, spannin…
  continue reading
 
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 …
  continue reading
 
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 t…
  continue reading
 
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 s…
  continue reading
 
When Will met Lesa McDermott at the Elkhart RV Dealer Open House, he knew he wanted to interview her about her work at Girl Camper. As the VP of Operations and Contributing Editor, Lesa has helped Girl Camper become one of the US's largest women’s outdoor adventure groups. Girl Camper’s mission is to help women explore the great outdoors by pairing…
  continue reading
 
Will Miller and Maris Brennan from MARVAC are joining forces again today to interview Jacob Brown of the Otsego Lake County Park in Otsego County, Michigan. It’s the first county-owned campground we’ve featured, nestled in northern (lower) Michigan, near Gaylord and Johannesburg, and within an easy drive to the Mackinac Bridge. The waterfront campg…
  continue reading
 
Our guest today is Justin Richards from Alice Springs RV Park in Ionia, Michigan. He’s chatting with Will Miller and Maris Brennan from MARVAC about this 178-acre property located in the center of Michigan, between Grand Rapids and Lansing and on the way up to the Mackinac Bridge. Although they currently have 128 RV pads with full hookups, Alice Sp…
  continue reading
 
If you’re in Ohio, you’ll love this episode. Will sat down with Brandy Gleason from Gleason Family Adventure and Adria Bergeron, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) to discuss some of Ohio's best campgrounds. The MWCD is a nearly 100-year-old organization that focuses on conservation, flo…
  continue reading
 
Do you read Woodall’s Campground Magazine? Founded in the 1930s, they’re coming up on 100 years of providing campground news to outdoor enthusiasts across the country. Today, we’re talking with Ben Quiggle, Editor of Woodall’s, about the publication that has nearly 15,000 subscribers – with more signing up every day. In this episode, Will and Ben d…
  continue reading
 
From Dexter Axle, we’re joined today by Mark Nave, Product Manager, and Kary Royer, Midwest Director of Sales. As the largest axle manufacturer in the world, Dexter products are found not only in almost all RVs on the road today, but in tons of other towables as well. Will chats with them about the history of the company, founded as a family busine…
  continue reading
 
Want a Smoke-Free Campfire? Solo Stove to the Rescue. Ryan Powell joins our podcast today, talking about Solo Stoves – a piece of equipment beloved by millions of campers. As the Head of Dealer Sales, he’s in charge of selling retailers the smokeless wood-burning fire pits, camping stoves, and fire pit accessories that have made the brand famous. F…
  continue reading
 
Introducing A New TV Channel Just For RV Campers Will sat down with Dan Dominski, Vice President of Content, Programming and Sponsorships at Cannella Media to chat about the all-new RVTV – a TV channel dedicated to covering RV-related topics. The channel will launch with 15 hours a day of programming from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. everyday, and you can wat…
  continue reading
 
America's Largest RV Show Is One of the Best RV Events Every Year With America’s Largest RV show in Hershey, PA coming up fast, Will sat down with Heather Leach to chat about the show. Heather is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA), the organization that hosts and organizes the show, which w…
  continue reading
 
Building a New Life On The Road With Beth And Court On today’s podcast, Will met up with Beth and Court, a millennial couple traveling the US in their RV and making content about it in the process. They discuss how they embraced a nomadic lifestyle, and why they share the good, the bad, and the ugly of learning how to RV full-time. They also cover …
  continue reading
 
We Found The Best RV Dealership In Georgia In Northern Georgia, Open Roads RV has become a powerhouse dealership and service center with two locations serving a dozen communities. Today, we’re interviewing Drew Tutton, CEO and Owner of Open Roads, to hear how and why he built his business. As an RV enthusiast himself, when he and his wife began cam…
  continue reading
 
Book The Delightful New Campground In The Heart Of The U.P. Maris Brennan of MARVAC has traveled up to Newberry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan today to chat with Brice and Vicki MacRoberts, owners of the new Kritters Campground. This is the first year they’ve been open after taking the campground over from its previous owners, rebranding it, an…
  continue reading
 
39% Of RV Owners In 2023 Want This One Popular Amenity Monika Geraci, Director of PR and Communications for the RV Industry Association (RVIA) sat down with us to share the most recent trends they’re seeing in the RV industry. As an organization that promotes and regulates RV safety, the RVIA also surveys real campers to learn about their reasons f…
  continue reading
 
This New Camping Media Site Is Changing Outdoor Hospitality We sat down with the Founder and CEO of Modern Campground, Brian Searl, to discuss why he launched an outdoor hospitality news source in 2021. Modern Campground is geared toward owners and operators of campgrounds, camping-related travel companies, and the RV industry in general, but provi…
  continue reading
 
This Campground Is Central To The U.P.'s Greatest Attractions Maris Brennan of MARVAC joins us once again today as we chat with Colleen Hoholink, who helps run the Manistique Lakeshore Campground. It’s located in Manistique, Michigan, right in the middle of the upper peninsula coastline along Lake Michigan. The campground is owned and operated by t…
  continue reading
 
How Campspot Became One of the Best Camping Resources Will Miller sat down with Erin Stender, Chief Marketing Officer for Campspot, to discuss how their site and app make camping easier for everyone. Campspot serves campers and campgrounds alike, offering booking software for campgrounds that connects directly with their camper-facing platforms. Th…
  continue reading
 
Private Lake Michigan access? Only one campground has it. Maris Brennan from MARVAC joins us yet again to talk about an amazing campsite on the shores of Lake Michigan. Woodland Shores Campground is in Mears, Michigan, just south of Ludington and Pentwater, and was formerly the members-only Timberlake Resort Campground. Now open to the public, they…
  continue reading
 
One Simple Solution For All Your Black Tank Problems Maris Brennan from MARVAC is back to help us interview Wendy Bruce from Kleen Tanks of Michigan, a company that’s “Number 1 in the Number 2 industry.” They provide servicing for all your RV tank problems, from black to gray to fresh water – and they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty! As a mo…
  continue reading
 
A 100 Year Old Michigan Campground With Unparalleled Lake Access We’re joined once again by Maris Brennan from MARVAC to chat with Pat and Julia Sniff, the owners of Pat’s RV Park in Mesick, Michigan. Nestled against a gorgeous tree-lined lake in the northern lower peninsula, Pat’s RV Park has been operating in that location for nearly 100 years. P…
  continue reading
 
RVers LOVE This One-Stop Campground In 700 Locations We sat down with Jim Wheeler, Director of Hospitality & RV Operations at Love’s Travel Stops to talk about the different ways Love’s supports RVers. With nearly 700 locations across 42 states, Love’s is the nation’s leading travel stop network. And now they’ve begun building their own RV sites fo…
  continue reading
 
This Great Lakes RV Park is Booked Solid Every Year Partnering once more with Maris Brennan of the Michigan Association of RVs and Campgrounds (MARVAC), today we’re featuring a wonderful campground on the Leelanau Peninsula. We chatted with Gary Becker, Owner of Indigo Bluffs RV Park and Resort in Empire, Michigan about the incredible campground he…
  continue reading
 
The Best Tips for National Park RVing with Jeremy and Stephanie Puglisi We’re talking with RV Atlas podcast creators and best-selling authors Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi today about their new book, expert-level tips for planning a national park camping trip, and what people get wrong about using solar power in their RVs. Stephanie and Jeremy Pugli…
  continue reading
 
This RV Resort Has The Best Meals. Today in our MARVAC Campground Series with Maris Brennan, we’re talking to Patty Cornwell from Cornwell’s Turkeyville U.S.A. in Marshall, Michigan. Since 1968, Turkeyville U.S.A. has drawn visitors from miles around as a family-friendly attraction. You can eat at the Turkeyville restaurant, buy tickets to one of t…
  continue reading
 
The Family Friendly Mid-Michigan RV Resort with Rock Cred Maris Brennan of MARVAC joins us again today as we chat with Mark Koss, the Sales and Marketing Director at Heartland Woods Family RV Resort in Stockbridge, Michigan. Located just northeast of Jackson, Heartland Woods is conveniently located to access NASCAR races, multiple county fairs, foo…
  continue reading
 
Off-Road Like a Pro With SXS Addicts We sat down with Damien Bralley, owner of SXS Addicts, to talk about all things related to ATVs, UTVs and side-by-sides. SXS Addicts is a Phoenix, AZ-based business specializing in customizing off-road vehicles with specialist accessories, wheels, tires, cages, powder-coating and stereos for an amazing trail rid…
  continue reading
 
As we continue our MARVAC Campground Series, today we visit Harbortown RV Resorts with Heather Brooks the park manager. Michigan's #1 Family Campground, conveniently located on Lake Erie in Southeast Michigan just off the I-75 Expressway in Monroe, MI between Detroit, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio and near many of the area attractions and recreational…
  continue reading
 
Our next stop in Launching Life's Journeys is with the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds. In this episode we are talking with Darren Ing, Show and Industry Director at the Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds. (MARVAC). He discusses the upcoming 36th Annual Battle Creek RV & Camping Show happening …
  continue reading
 
We sat down with Walt Burns, the National Brand Manager for EasyCare, to discuss the RV coverage they offer to consumers and dealers alike. While you can’t put a price tag on peace of mind, EasyCare offers plans that get you pretty close. In this informational interview, we chat about the benefits of RV coverage plans, how they differ from warranti…
  continue reading
 
Will Miller is visiting the Patrick Industries studio today to chat with Steve Janowski, the Business Unit Director of Collins & Company. Collins & Company provides many other RV-tailored elements to the industry, including more than 2 million RV-optimized microwaves, range hoods, appliance packages, trims and moldings, and RV-safe antifreeze. We p…
  continue reading
 
Also known as MARVAC, is a division of the Michigan Manufactured Housing, RV and Campground Association (MMH & RVCA), which is a full-service, non-profit, state trade association, representing the manufactured housing, recreation vehicle and private campground industries in the state of Michigan. The MMH & RVCA offers a wide variety of services to …
  continue reading
 
Jamie May was living the American Dream when a devastating hit-and-run car accident took away life as she knew it. After finding the courage to get back on the road, she followed her internal compass and set out on what turned out to be the wildest ride of her life -- a 12-month solo road trip across America. She never realized how much life had br…
  continue reading
 
LIVE from the MORryde Showroom with Jack Enfield, the Sales & Marketing Manager for MORryde International. Whether we’re fabricating custom solutions, modifying a commercial chassis or engineering innovative products, MORryde provides solutions for variety of needs. Jack and Will recap 2022, talk RV innovation and where to find Jack and his team th…
  continue reading
 
Visit with Will Miller and Heather Leach, Executive Director from the PRVCA. The Pennsylvania Recreational Vehicle & Camping Association is a nonprofit corporation representing nearly 400 RV dealers, manufacturers, campgrounds, part suppliers, lenders, insurance & service companies. PRVCA’s mission is to enhance the recreation vehicle and camping i…
  continue reading
 
Will chats with the head of Uncharted Society, Tony Poll- to talk about BRP Innovations and the adventures they are creating throughout North America. Alive Awaits - Feel the exhilaration on land, road, water and snow in these incredible guided and self-guided powersport adventures to some of the most beautiful places on Earth. Ride with dolphins, …
  continue reading
 
Many of us have big dreams, but only a small percentage of people get to live them. Jenn and Kendall, also known as the Dashboard Drifters, are a young couple who are living their dream life, having travelled from Canada to Mexico while living in an RV and working as digital nomads. On today’s episode, you’ll hear what life is like living on the ro…
  continue reading
 
If you’re traveling through Nashville, Tennessee, you may find an all black trolley with gold font lettering, giving folks over the age of 21 a memorable experience that transports them back in time: boutique cigars, a shoe shine, and a conversation with a true gentlemen, today’s guest, Daniel Dark. Hear about his history as an electrical engineer,…
  continue reading
 
No matter how many miles we’ve traveled, we all have a story to tell. On today’s episode of the Where’s Willie podcast, we speak to Jason and Abby Epperson, who we’ve dubbed the Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters of National Parks and RV industry news with very good reason! Jason and Abby kick off with the story of how they started the full time R…
  continue reading
 
Meet Kelly Beasely, the founder of Camp Addict and a woman who has explored the country thanks to her RV and adventurous spirit. In this episode, Kelly talks about everything from how she began this journey, to becoming a full-time solo RV’er and boondocking. She also talks about how although this lifestyle can seem intimidating to some, it’s not m…
  continue reading
 
Packing up your family and pursuing the dream of life on the road sounds close to impossible, but today's guests, Luke and Mel Lahrs have been full-time RVing for five years with four kids, a dog, and a cat. You may recognize them from Instagram, Facebook, or their own website Lahr With Latitude. As a family who has always been honest about the rea…
  continue reading
 
Loading …

Quick Reference Guide