Bates International RV Blog

While there continues to be debate in the U.S. on the impact of global climate change it is a closed subject in the U.S. Congress and in much of the world, especially in the top markets for U.S. inbound travel.

Tia is moving forward on climate change issues because it is apparent that if global trends hold true, the travel industry’s impact on the environment will be front and center in the upcoming debate in the U.S. Congress.

For example, at a recent TIA Policy Council meeting, Michal Goo the legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council said, “Global warming legislation is coming.  It’s happening and you need to be on the bus, you need to be at the table.”  Goo urged, “And if you’re not at the table, as my old boss John Dingell used to say, you may well find yourself on the menu.”

TIA’s vice president, Public Policy, Rick Webster told a group in North Carolina earlier this year that the debate on Capitol Hill regarding the science of climate change is over whether we agree or not.

“Congress is now convinced climate change is real and legislation to set mandatory caps on emissions will likely pass next year and be signed by the President, regardless of who is President since all three remaining candidates support emissions caps,” Webster explained. “The travel community needs to be prepared in 2009 o take real stands on these issues and be prepared to play a significant role to help shape this debate and legislative outcome.”

TIA Primer

With that in mind, TIA started the process of addressing the impacts of the global climate change debate through creation of a Primer on Climate Change published earlier this year and available in the Public Affairs section of www.TIA.org.  It outlines the political landscape for climate change legislation in the U.S., the travel industry’s general understanding of climate change and legislation that would address it, and the industry’s strengths and vulnerabilities in this are including actions taken proactively by a number of U.S. travel industry segments.  The next step is the Travel and Tourism Sustainability Initiative, a partnership with American Express, that will provide details on what the industry is doing now to help direct future action.

Webster added in his recent speech that consumer expectations are also changing and we need to understand where their minds and hears are on this important issue. 

The views of American and European travelers, for example, have marked differences.  A travel horizons TM survey conducted last year by YParnership and TIA showed that almost eight in 10 American leisure travelers consider themselves to be environmentally conscious.  Yet only one in 10 American travelers was familiar with the term carbon footprint.

By contrast European consumers have moved far beyond the concept of a carbon footprint and tend to be activists seeking ways to reduce it.  The impacts of this European activism, according to another speaker at the TIA Policy Council meeting, are potentially ominous for travel to the U.S.

“The core of international global tourism now is Western Europeans going to warmer climates,” explained Peter Foxpenner, from the think tank, The Brattle Group.  “And that will stop.  They will basically stay home.”

Many U.S. travel industry sectors, such as the hotel companies, have been reducing their environmental impacts for several years without prompting from Washington.

“It is important that the industry realize that in many cases we have a good story to tell in terms of the activity already underway within the travel community to create a ‘greener’ or more eco-friendly experience for leisure and business travelers,” Webster explained.  “Even absent federal regulations, many travel organizations are already working to implement new policies.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched Checkpoint Evolution, an initiative designed to create a more invites atmosphere at airport security checkpoints.  The DHS program began at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) on April 28.

Checkpoint Evolution measures include soothing music and pastel lighting at checkpoints, easier-to-read signs and Plexiglas encased scanners so passengers can see their luggage at all time.

DHS said that a more soothing environment enables screeners to do their job better.  New technology is expected to help, too.  DHS said a new security imaging system will use millimeter-wave technology to detect weapons hidden under clothing.  The technology is designed to detect plastic and liquid explosives, and metal objects.

Also, DHS is providing airlines more flexibility to allow passengers to check in remotely who have been unable to do so because they have a name similar to someone on a watch list.  Each airline will now be able to create a system to verify and securely store a passengers’ date of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications.

Additionally, DHS is accepting more types of identification at checkpoints in the U.S. Effective May 26, federal or state-issued photo ID are now accepted if they contains name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper resistant feature.

-Reprinted from Travel Weekly

It’s all about positioning herself for the next opportunity.  As a certified life coach, business consultant, and CEO of Fran Harris Enterprises, a multimedia development company based in Dallas, Harris is constantly developing her career and building upon her brand.  Her book, Will the Real you please Stand Up?  7 Spiritual Strategies to Help You Discover Your Purpose and Live it with Passion.  Details key ways to walk your intended path – something Harris admits she needed to do.  “It’s not just about talent,” says the 42-year-old former WNBA player.  “It’s about vision.”

Before retiring from basketball in 1998, the Texas native had already started drawing up her next game plan.  “The key is to never be satisfied, never be comfortable,” says Harris.

 Harris’ top five tips for entrepreneurial success as well as the pitfalls to avoid: 

 By Chana Garcia

As baby boomers slowly give way to the Internet generation, surely it’s only a matter of time before print fades away with them. The new breed works and plays online. They read newspapers or magazines on the Web. They exchange text messages and e-mail, not postal letters, and the direct mail they get, they trash without opening.

But actually, research shows that for many purposes, print is the preferred medium of consumers and business executives alike. It continues to be a top performer in advertis­ing and marketing campaigns. What’s more, the vast majority of people do in fact read or skim their direct mail, especially when it speaks directly to them.

Print industry experts and scholars have sought to understand and document print’s effectiveness as new media gain ever-broader acceptance. The Print Council, an alliance of print industry leaders, and seven universities, is working on a clearinghouse of research that collects and summarizes credible studies on all types of media on its site, PrintInTheMix.com. Here are some recent findings.

Most people (80%) read or scan their direct mail, according to a USPS 2006 study. Cata­logs and direct mail generate the second and third highest response rates, respectively, after telemarketing, according to a DMA2007 Response Rate Report, but personalized color print may have them all beat.

Print prompts purchases. In a 2007 USPS study, online consumers who received a printed catalog from a retailer were twice as likely to buy online from that retailer as consumers who didn’t receive the catalog.

Integrated media outperform and generate better results than any one medium alone. According to a 2007 Ipsos US survey, 67% of the online population is driven by offline messages to perform online searches for more information on a company, service or prod­uct. Thirty-nine percent of those respondents then make a purchase.

For in-depth analysis, financial profes­sionals and senior executives prefer print. Among senior executives, 59% trust printed magazines, journals and newspapers over online sources for information, and 60% turn to print when they want in-depth analysis, according to a 2007 survey by Doremus and the Financial Times.

Clearly, print remains a powerful, dynamic medium, even in the Internet age.

With fuel taking a bigger bite out of family budgets, drivers are turning to technology to find the best possible gasoline price before filling up.

Free Web sites that compare gas prices at different stations have been around for years, but the offerings are becoming more sophisticated. 

There are now ways to get gas prices delivered without the need for an online search.  There are also new tools that use local gas prices to help you make decisions such as whether to drive a few extra miles to get cheaper gas. 

Mr. Dwyer, Senior Vice President of MapQuest Gas Prices used a calculator to compare the cost to either fly or drive from the website.  Mr. Dwyer is thinking of adding a tool that will help travelers build a gas-station itinerary for road trips. 

Meanwhile, to check for gasoline prices while you’re on the road, you can download software from Mobio networks to your cell phone.  Users punch in a postal code and get nearby prices.  The program even provides a map to make finding the station easier. 

Those who want to monitor prices constantly from their computers can use a widget a continually updated tool that displays prices on your desktop without requiring a visit to a separate Web page. 

For Apple computers, a widget at interdimensionmedia.com compares the pride at a particular gas station with the average in the area, to help drivers decide whether it’s worth driving a few extra miles for the savings. 

By Ana Campoy

NAPPANEE, Ind. – Newmar Corporation has designed the ultimate Class A gas toy hauler floor plan for the adventurous RVer.

The 2009 Canyon Star 3920 is the perfect fit for the person who loves to travel in style and take their toys on the road. This new floor plan gives owners comfortable, roomy living space with a garage to store large off-road vehicles.

“The 3920 is the first Class A Gas toy hauler on the market to offer an actual full-size bedroom,” said John Sammut, Newmar’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Although bunk beds with an electric bed lift are an option in the garage of this new Canyon Star model, this unique layout allows the owner to sleep comfortably somewhere in the motor home other than in the garage or on the sofa in the living room.”

This dedicated bedroom space comes standard with a queen-size bed, wardrobes, a chest of drawers, and a 19-inch LCD TV.

The 3920 features a rear-ramp design and is built on the Ford F-53 26,000 chassis powered by a 362 horsepower Triton V-10 engine. With over 6,000 lbs. of Net Carrying Capacity, Canyon Star owners are able to take their small vehicles with them and enjoy the RV lifestyle.

Garage features include diamond tread rubber flooring, tie-down tracks, and a stainless steel overhead cabinet with a recessed flip-down countertop. Wheel chocks, a screen for the rear cargo door, and a second air conditioner with heat strips are optional.

The Canyon Star front living area features a full-size kitchen with a built-in booth dinette (or optional round dinette or freestanding dinette), a 74-inch sofa, and a 26-inch LCD TV in the front overhead cabinet. A dry bar with a 32-inch LCD TV can be optioned. The Canyon Star features three interior decors to choose from and three full-paint Masterpiece Finish exterior graphics packages.

The 2009 3920 starts at a retail base price of $136,626. For more information, call 800.860.0086 or visit www.newmarcorp.com

By Greg Gerber

WASHINGTON –Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today unveiled the 110 national park improvement projects and programs that will get underway this spring, funded by an equal combination of public and private funds, under President Bush’s National Park Centennial Initiative.

The Initiative, announced in 2006, proposed an innovative federal Centennial Challenge matching fund that would be used to match philanthropic contributions for the benefit of our national parks between now and the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.

The more than $50 million in projects announced today on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, overlooking the National Mall, result from the combination of $24.6 million in federal funds that match nearly $27 million in philanthropic contributions.

“I am pleased to announce the first round of National Park Centennial Projects that will be undertaken with the first round of funding appropriated by Congress in the 2008 budget,” Kempthorne said at the event supported by the National Park Foundation. “Ground will be broken and work underway very soon. This first round of projects will improve parks nationwide – large and small, urban and rural, natural and historical.

“And that’s just for this year,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “Congress continues its work on legislation to create the President’s National Park Centennial Challenge Matching Fund, an annual fund to match up to $100 million a year of donations through our centennial in 2016.”

The first round of Centennial Challenge projects range from expansion of a popular outdoor stewardship education outreach program for teen-agers in the Washington, D.C. area to saving endangered sea turtles along the Texas coast at Padre Island to renovation of Yosemite National Park’s iconic Tunnel View Overlook to citizen scientist and citizen naturalist projects at national parks across the country.

“For example, park rangers at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon, will adopt the Class of 2016 and bring the students to the park for special programs and events until they graduate from high school,” Kempthorne said. “I can see that as a program that is undertaken by every national park in America and a great way to engage young people and share with them the legacy and heritage of national parks.”

“There is even a project that will unfold right behind you on the National Mall,” Kempthorne said as he looked from the U.S. Capitol steps westward toward the Washington Monument. “We’ll soon install new, modern interpretive signs near important monuments and memorials on the Mall, as well as new way-finder signs to help guide visitors to other downtown locations near the Mall. Both will improve the visitor experience so that our visitors take away a more lasting and enjoyable memory of their visit to our nation’s capital.”
National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar said, “Today we celebrate getting the first Centennial Challenge projects off the drawing board and into the parks. We also look forward to the day Congress passes Centennial Challenge legislation so that through 2016 there will be federal money available to match up to $100 million a year of donations. There are many more worthy projects partners are ready to support for the Centennial.

“I want to emphasize today, however, my personal gratitude to the President and the Secretary for the centennial initiative,” Bomar said. “I also offer my thanks and congratulations to our many partners who have provided overwhelming support for these projects so that we are able to reach so far just this first year of Centennial Challenge projects and programs.”

Bomar said park superintendents will begin these projects almost immediately. “We really have to get cracking,” she said. “Many of our parks have a short construction season for the brick and mortar and trail projects and our park rangers will need to quickly learn and add new programs for the big rush of visitors that return to the parks in a few short months.”

Other highlighted Centennial Challenge projects and programs:

~  Restoration of disturbed lands in Everglades National Park. 

~  A national effort to discover and record all living things in national parks with BioBlitzes and all taxed biodiversity inventories in nine parks across the country.

~  Upgraded and new interpretive trails at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore and other parks.

~  Restoration of ancient redwood forest and watershed in Redwood National Park.

~  Water quality enhancement, restoration of endangered mussels, reintroduction of Trumpeter Swans and wetland habitat learning experiences for visitors at Buffalo National River.

~  Creation of The Institute at the Golden Gate to advance preservation and global sustainability at golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.

~  Development and expansion of Junior Ranger programs at several national parks.

Expansion of ranger interpretation at C&O Canal National Historical Park and the George Washington Memorial Parkway with new technology including pod casts and video casts.

For a complete list of the 2008 National Park Service Centennial Challenge projects and programs, visit www.nps.gov/2016.

by Greg Gerber

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. — When Coachmen RV formed its Advance Design Team in 2007, it gave the group a simple, but clear, mission: design the products of tomorrow through proactive development and implementation of industry changing new product designs and solutions.

The Advanced Design Team is made up of six degreed industrial, mechanical and design engineers from outside the RV industry. They specialize in interior design, interior space utilization and progressive styling characteristics.

The team’s first major project was to redesign the interior of the Mirada™ Avant-garde motorhome, starting with a clean sheet of paper and a forward-looking design direction.

“The objective was to ‘change the game’ through a coach with unprecedented styling, practical innovations, thoughtful living amenities, friendly and appealing style lines, unique lighting packages and customer conveniences — all at a competitive entry level motorhome price,” said Michael R. Terlep, Coachmen RV Group president. “The team succeeded in developing not only a WOW impression, but a fully integrated design from front to back and top to bottom that is forward-looking and has a new upscale Park Hyatt-type flair.”

The Mirada Avant-garde’s interior is dominated by sensuous curves rather than the traditional straight lines often seen in the RV industry. It is rich with innovations, starting with the multi-functional curio/storage cabinet located directly to the right of the entrance door on select models. This cabinet provides a hanging closet for your jackets with room for gloves and hats, along with shoe storage. There are also several display shelves for miscellaneous items.

Halogen lighting throughout the Mirada Avant-garde replaces the traditional “trailer style” pancake lights. Sit at the dinette or the sofa, and people will notice a smart lighting design that makes this coach shine.

The cabinets throughout the coach are a unique design that incorporates above-cabinet storage slots, stainless steel shelf rails, European-styled doors with hidden hinges and user-friendly cabinet hardware.

The living area features a large 26-inch LCD television (HD ready) that has a viewing angle of nearly 160 degrees. Viewers can easily see the screen from most locations in the coach. The yacht-inspired radius booth dinette also features special clips at the table top that make it easy to take the table up and down. And, rather than a windshield privacy drape like the competition, the Mirada Avant-garde has a full-height privacy curtain located behind the pilot seats so that the curtain can be closed while the coach is in motion.

Stainless steel appliances in the galley give the coach modern appeal and space saving designs also make this galley very functional. The kitchen faucet folds down, allowing for a totally flush sink cover. This, plus the flush cover on the range, nearly doubles your usable counter space. A convection microwave oven and extensive interior storage complete the galley.

The bathroom has a place for everything, including a robe hook, a hand towel hook, a cup holder and a toilet bowl scrubber and holder. The radius shower provides plenty of elbow room, and the integrated laundry hampers on the Mirada Avant-garde 310 DS keeps dirty clothes out of the way.

The master bedroom has a queen bed with pillow top mattress. Convenient three-shelf nightstands on both sides of the bed (most models), provide plenty of room for alarm clocks, books, tissues and a place to put eyeglasses. The bedroom even has a conveniently located LCD television (HD ready).

On the outside, Mirada Avant-garde has a very exciting look with its custom front and rear caps and the full-body paint options. And, the stamped aluminum bus-style baggage doors give access to huge pass-through storage. Coachmen employ an innovative sidewall design in which a slick fiberglass skin is laminated to Azdel Superlite composite substrate rather than wood panels. Azdel Superlite is moisture and rot resistant, and is made from environmentally responsible materials.

Coachmen’s Advanced Design Team has packed quite a bit into Mirada Avant-garde, but has managed to keep the price at an affordable manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at $102,893.

By Greg Gerber