Finding the Open Road

Synopsis

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.