Finding the Open Road: A Guide to Self-Construction Rather than Mass Production (Roadtrip Nation)

A few years ago, buddies Mike, Brian, and Nathan faced the end of college with the realization that, like many a college student, they had absolutely no idea what to do with their lives. Their solution: take a roadtrip and interview people from all walks of life to learn how they got where they are. Their mode of transportation: a clunky, 31-foot green motor home. Three months and 17,000 miles later, they'¬?d met the CEO of National Geographic, the scientist who decoded the human genome, and the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. They'¬?d talked to bookstore owners, filmmakers, artists, and more than 70 others who had found their callings--their "open roads."Mike, Brian, and Nathan had found their mission: to help others define their own paths based on passion, individuality, and nonconformity. They titled their project Roadtrip Nation, made a documentary, created a TV show, started a magazine, wrote a book, and now send teams of students on roadtrips each summer. FINDING THE OPEN ROAD shares the history of Roadtrip Nation, along with a dozen life-as-road themes, a how-to-roadtrip guide, a personal roadtrip journal, and more than 50 interviews conducted in green RVs. It'¬?s many lives'¬? worth of wisdom for anyone trying to find their way off the beaten path. A collection of Roadtrip Nation'¬?s career-pathfinding wisdom, gleaned from informational job interviews and experiences from their cross-country roadtrips, along with a roadtrip guide and journal. An ideal gift for graduating college students or anyone looking for a new career direction. The new 12-week PBS series starts airing in May 2005. Roadtrip Nation RVs will be touring 100 college campuses in April 2005. Roadtrip Nation will be promoted in 3,100 Starbucks caf?©s in summer 2005. J. Crew will be featuring a Roadtrip Nation T-shirt throughout summer 2005. Information interviews include an astrophysicist with NASA, the founder of Samuel Adams Brewery, a yoga teacher, Jane Smiley, and executive director of Rock the Vote.

College friends MIKE MARRINER, BRIAN McALLISTER, and NATHAN GEBHARD are the founders and directors of Roadtrip Nation. Mike heads up all publishing projects, including the book and the magazine. Brian oversees all educational programs and manages Roadtrip Nation’s partnerships with 100 college career centers across the country. Nathan does the creative work, including the production of the annual TV series on PBS. When they’re not on the road, they operate out of an old house in Laguna Beach, California.