Inspiring Families to Enjoy The Freedom of Road Travel at Overland Expo 2010

Publisher's note: Overland travel, despite being largely dependent on big masculine trucks and spending much time outside, is perfect for the mildly adventurous family - from being budget friendly and easy to accomplish, to exposing the kids to unique education opportunities. The Overland Expo helps reveal the rewards of domestic and international vehicle-based travel, and this Spring this event will be more family oriented than ever.

Thinking of attending? It's not held in a convention center or hotel ballroom, but a quaint B&B ranch in southern Arizona, the Amado Territory Ranch.

-- Mark Stephens, AdventureParents.com

Modern Overlanding, auto camping, as performed in a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series
Hitchhiking to Alaska.

Flying to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun.

The breadth of travel is virtually infinite.

And the game totally changes when you get to drive your own vehicle. Consider this for a moment: can you name a travel narrative that's as defining of a sub-culture as Jack Kerouac's On The Road?

The automobile, you see, is both a symbol and an extension of your freedom. In a vehicle, on a road trip, you're more independent than any other type of traveler. You have the means to cover big miles quickly. You're on the schedule that you decide (save for potty breaks); you can change course any time you feel like it; there's no danger in following a new road (well . . .) because all roads go somewhere.  It's not like Columbus saying, "Ah, screw this Atlantic Ocean.  Let's turn right. NINA!  PINTA! SANTA MARIA!  A la derecha!"

Let's go back few years: It was the 1920s when the rather unpopular National Park system began to leverage automobile ownership as a means for promoting the parks.  It worked. The public took to the road to visit places like Glacier, Grand Canyon, Yosemite.  People, families, loaded up their Buicks and figured out ways to stretch tarps out from the sides of their vehicles so they'd have a protected place to sleep at night.

These well-to-do families spent months on the road, sleeping on the sides of dirt roads on their way to and from any number of National Parks. And they thought it was fun. Overlanding is the modern version of 1920s-era auto camping, but the spirit is the same.  It's the exercise of autonomy and environmentally responsible backcountry travel.

As far as traveling as a family, there's nothing better than doing so in your own vehicle. And we even believe that traveling the back roads and backcountry as a family is more than just fun - it's educational, budget-friendly, and all around good for everybody.

AdventureParents.com Will be An Exhibitor at Overland Expo 2010

This Spring, the Overland Expo will be inspiring the public, once again, to use thier vehicles to explore the world, whether it's 100 miles or 10,000 miles from home. And we've been invited - my family and I, adventureparents.com - to exhibit our travels and tips.

Perhaps you should plan on checking it out: www.ovexpo.com