Because life should be a long long honeymoon…

This page contains some frequently asked questions. Just for fun, we also offer some video content here. We have a video list of products we find useful when camping. We also have a TV interview that’s divided into three bite size pieces. When you think about it, these TV hosts ask a few “frequently asked questions” themselves.

Q: What is this website about?
A:For those of you with short attention spans (you know who you are), we offer this 60-second introduction:

What? You want more? To learn more about how this whole crazy show got started, watch this 7-minute video:

Sean and Kristy Michael are world travelers of sorts, having collected passport stamps in faraway places like Moldova, Poland, Guatemala, Argentina, and Japan. But none of that globetrotting prepared the couple for their ultimate adventure together: owning an RV!

A simple wedding.

After getting married in the Florida Keys, they spent their wedding night in their newly purchased recreational vehicle — a 25-foot Airstream travel trailer. Instead of jaunting off to honeymoon on a posh Pacific island, the newlyweds hitched up their trusty Ford diesel truck (nicknamed “SEEMORE”) and started exploring America.

Their “long long honeymoon” journey has stretched over 30,000 miles, ranging from Key West (the southernmost point in the United States) all the way up to Banff, Alberta (that’s in Canada, eh?). They have camped in every conceivable environment, from scenic national parks to less-than-exotic asphalt parking lots.

A writer and filmmaker, Sean totes his video camera everywhere, relentlessly documenting the experience. And in addition to Sean’s filmmaking equipment, the couple always pack their sense of humor. Their blog explores the lighter side of RV life; or as Kristy says, “the fun stuff!”

Why do they do it? “Because life should be a long long honeymoon…”

You can catch Sean and Kristy’s latest RV adventures (including all of their videos in glorious high-definition) right here on their website: LongLongHoneymoon.com. When not aboard their Airstream, the newlyweds divide their time between homes in Alabama and Florida. But you can always reach them via email at HoneymoonShow@aol.com.

Sean & Kristy Michael

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Q: Tell me more about these guys!
A:What? You want even MORE?

You’re not getting a resume. However, we will offer this bio of “the dude behind the blog.” It’ll have to do.

Sean Michael has appeared in a Business Week cover story, been photographed by National Geographic dancing in Czechoslovakia, directed short films on the backlot of Universal Studios, attended a top-20 American law school, drank cognac in the former Soviet republic of Transdniestria, sipped wine in Moldova, sampled herring in Sweden, been named “Small Business Innovator of the Year,” hosted a party at the Playboy Mansion, lived in Greenwich Village, sat behind Dave Letterman’s desk, driven a Porsche on a race track, created among the first fictional characters on the Internet, publicly recited Russian poetry, watched ancient religious parades in Guatemala, developed some of AOL’s most popular online communities, told jokes onstage at LA’s Comedy Store, watched wild grizzly bears fight in Montana, climbed volcanoes in El Salvador, played videogames in Japan, and most recently hauled an Airstream travel trailer over 30,000 miles around North America.

Q: When did you get married?
A: We were married May 20, 2007. Kristy left her job a couple of weeks later, and we departed on our Long Long Honeymoon.

Q: So you honeymooned on your RV?
A: Yep! Since Kristy was between jobs, and Sean could work from the RV, we decided to take a crazy long roadtrip. We started blogging our travels with articles and video. And the rest is history.

Q: Why do you call it Long Long Honeymoon?
A: Easy! Because life should be a long long honeymoon. When you think about it, honeymoons are usually “once in a lifetime” trips filled with excitement, romance, and magic. Why limit that spirit to a week, when you can live it every day? We’re happily stuck in “the honeymoon phase.”

Q: We love watching your videos. How can we support the Long Long Honeymoon?
A: Why, thank you for asking! One easy way to to BUY A DVD! The upside of this approach is that you score a cool DVD in the process.

Q: What are some products do you find useful when RV camping?

A: Watch this video…

Q: How many states have you visited on your Long Long Honeymoon?
A: So far we have visited (in no particular order) Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. We’ve also visited four Canadian provinces, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. We don’t have some master checklist of states and places to visit; we tend to travel whenever to wherever strikes our fancy. With that said, we do plan to ultimately visit all lower 48 states with our Airstream. Then we’ll figure out a strategy for Hawaii and Alaska.

Q: Did you RV or camp before your Long Long Honeymoon?
A: Not really. We had tent camped together once before. We had also spent one weekend aboard a friend’s travel trailer, just to see if the RV thing might possibly work for us. We do recommend that if at all possible you try an RV before buying.

TV INTERVIEW: PART ONE

Q: Do you live full time on your RV? Are you fulltimers?
A: Not exactly. It’s true that many RV’ers live full time aboard their rig. We are not technically true “fulltimers” because we also maintain a brick-and-mortar home other than the RV. But when we do travel, we do so with gusto and are typically gone for weeks or months at a time. In that respect, we are “part-time fulltimers.”

Q: What in the world do you people actually do?
A: In her former job, Kristy worked for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She was the Campaign Coordinator for the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the “Pennies for Patients” program. Sean has always been an entrepreneur, and was working doing independent video production (writing and directing commercials and so forth). Now we work together on video and digital filmmaking projects.

TV INTERVIEW: PART TWO

Q: Who does what on the videos?
A: The videos and blog are Sean’s baby. He totes a camera everywhere. He usually writes, shoots, and edits the videos as a solo project with no crew. He started posting the videos on YouTube just for fun. Kristy has been very understanding and supportive. Now she even handles the Facebook group.

Q: Do I need to watch the videos in order?
A: Nah. The numbering system just helps Sean keep his editing files better organized. But you can really watch them any way you want.

Q: What kind of video camera do you use?
A: Sean has battled a severe camera addiction. He already owns several high-definition video cameras, so sometimes Kristy has to hide the electronics catalogs. All video on The Long Long Honeymoon has been shot in HD. Most of the material has been shot with Canon and Sony HDV cameras (Canon HV20 and Sony HC3) but we now also have a 1080p Sony EX1, a Panasonic TM700, and a GoPro HD. Sean has several other filmmaking tools like tripods, car mounts, wireless microphones, etc.

Q: What kind of audio gear do you use?

A: Not unlike James Bond, Sean carries around a little briefcase full of microphones. We use different ones depending on the situation. But the workhorse is a $1000 Sennheiser MKH416 shotgun mic. The MKH416 is an industry standard shotgun mic. We also use Countryman EMW lavalier mics, a Sennheiser wireless kit, an Audio Technic AT897 shotgun mic, a Shure SM58 handheld mic, and an Oktava MK012 condenser mic. If you are wanting a good cheap mic to go with your video camera, consider a Rode Videomic ($150) or a Sennheiser MKE400 ($200).

Q: What software do you use to edit video?
A: Sean uses Sony Vegas Pro 8 to edit video on theLong Long Honeymoon. Note that Sony also offers a consumer version of Vegas called Vegas Movie Studio; while we haven’t used it, we suspect it includes everything you need to get started. All of these video editing programs work in a similar fashion. The key is to find one with which you are comfortable. Sean likes the interface and professional features of Sony Vegas. Sony Vegas Pro is expensive, but you can buy the consumer oriented Vegas Movie Studio for about $100.

Q: I want to start a website. How do I get sponsors?
A: The formula for getting sponsors is easy. It goes like this: (1) create compelling content (2) build an audience who enjoy said content (3) sell access to said audience to sponsors. See? The formula is easy. It’s executing the formula that’s the challenge. As the saying goes: if you build it, they will come. But you gotta build it. That’s the hard part.

I’m not being facetious. If you look around at successful blogs and bloggers, they typically start out by blogging about their PASSION. They do it because they LOVE it. They do it daily. They are so passionate about their topic, they attract an audience of like-minded people.

A little more info about #3: you can sell sponsorships by corresponding with corporate marketing departments. But you’ve gotta have something to sell, something more than an idea. You need truly compelling content that stands out from the pack. You probably need an audience, too — or at least a demonstrable likelihood of an audience.

On LongLongHoneymoon.com, many of our sponsorships have come to us. We are frequently approached by would-be sponsors because they appreciate our library of quality content. But note that we were blogging for a YEAR before inking any sponsorship deals!

One final comment about sponsorships: it’s a tough road. Don’t expect instant results and you won’t be disappointed. Do what you do because you love doing it. Nurture your website like a garden, and in time it may bear fruit. But don’t give up the day job, either.

Q: Why did you buy a travel trailer instead of a motorhome?
A: This is just a matter of personal preference. Some people choose motorhomes to avoid the task of towing, but end up towing a car (often affectionately called a “toad”) behind the motorhome. Instead, we chose to tow our RV. There are advantages and disadvantages to all different types of RVs; that’s why they make ‘em! You get to pick what works for you.

Q: Why did you choose an Airstream?
A: We like all different kinds of RVs, but we fell in love with Airstreams. We not only like the timeless style and design, we also like the camaraderie of Airstream owners. The trailers have a cult following, sort of like Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Plus, Sean liked the fact he got to buy a pickup truck to tow it.

Q: What’s your tow vehicle?
A: We tow our Airstream with a Ford F250 diesel pickup truck. We nicknamed our truck “SEEMORE” in tribute to the Airstream slogan, “See More, Do More, Live More.” The truck has done a fine job. If you want to tow a heavy camper like a Classic Airstream, you should consider a diesel tow vehicle for the torque and fuel economy. Plus, Sean likes the noisy racket the thing makes.

Q: Isn’t this stuff expensive? How can you afford it?
A: Well, it isn’t free. But there are ways to cut costs, and it helps if you can work from the road. RVing is like everything else, there’s a wide range of options in all price ranges. We’ve seen everything from $2500 pop-up campers to $2 million buses. As far as our situation goes, we carry our work on the road with us. The Internet is a wonderful thing.

TV INTERVIEW: PART THREE

Q: What are some favorite places you’ve visited on your Long Long Honeymoon?
A: It’s really tough to pick favorites, but here are a few: Key West (Florida), Glacier National Park (Montana), Whiteswan Lake (British Columbia), and the redwood forests of California. We enjoyed visiting Quebec and attempting to speak French. We also love Yellowstone National Park. But it’s a truly vast continent, and there is no “best” place to camp. Heck, we’ve had fun just parking overnight in Wal-Mart parking lots.

Q: Have you really spent the night in Walmart parking lots?
A: Yes. This is not unusual among hardcore RV’ers. We’ve also stayed at Cracker Barrel, Flying J, Love’s, and other not-so-scenic commercial locales. It’s okay to do so once in a while.

Q: Do you ever get bored?
A: It’s been said that “if you’re bored, then you are a boring person.” In other words, wherever we find ourselves, there’s always something to do. The challenge is being self-motivated enough to do it.

Q: An RV is close quarters. Do you ever argue?
A: We have pretty amiable personalities, and our nature is to get along. Do we sometimes have disagreements? Who doesn’t? But it’s actually pretty rare that someone’s feathers get ruffled. If anything, RV travel seems to promote camaraderie and compromise. Of course, on any trip (RV or otherwise) it helps to pack a sense of humor.

Q: Is the honeymoon over?
A: Not on your life!