About / BIO

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Welcome Teardrop Travel Lovers, Roadtrippers and Empty-Nesters……and Thanks for checking out my blog!  My name is Janelle Brian, and my husband Eddie and I are travel addicts from Colorado. We now find ourselves in the phase of life called ’empty-nesters’ and we plan to make the most of it!  We are traveling in our tiny trailer, writing books, learning more about art & history, and trying our hands at a little photography.

Here’s My Personal BIO:

I feel like I started out life in a camper.  My father, (who was a school teacher & principal and had summers off) and his best friend built 2 identical homemade (and home-designed!) pop-up trailers when I was 3.  My sister and I kind-of grew up in that trailer, thinking it was the coolest thing EVER!  After dad sold it, I found it, bought it back and raised my own kids in that attention-grabbing-at-the-campground little trailer.  Since then, Eddie and I have gone from a large 5th wheel to tents, to sleeping in the car, and finally into the Tiny Trailer world.  We started with the Little Guy 5-Wide, upgraded to the T@B Q-Max (so we could stand up and eat inside), and are now considering one more up-grade to include a bathroom.  Whew!  I have planned & executed roadtrips thru every state in the union as well as a bunch of overseas excursions beyond that.  I’ve interviewed countless fellow ‘tiny-travelers’, and researched every fiberglass trailer out there under 20′ (plus a whole lot of other trailers), so I suppose it’s safe to say that I am a Road-Trip-in-a-Tiny-Trailer Aficionado!  Obviously I love to camp, & travel.  There is no end to what there is to discover and experience in this Big, Beautiful, Country of ours.  So come with me & let’s HIT THE ROAD!!

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I started this website as a planning resource for help anyone who would love a good roadtrip – but doesn’t know where to start – to not only get started with planning a trip, but also with making the most of that trip!  Here you will find lots of practical advice, as well as information about the different regions of the the U.S.  There are also some fun stories along the way!

In addition to planning roadtrips, I am the owner of Images Custom Framing. Images is a full service frame shop located in Littleton, Colorado. I have been framing art since 1990.  You can visit the Images website at: www.imagescustomframing.com

Recently, Eddie replaced my trusty Lumix point-and-shoot camera with my first Sony full-frame mirrorless, and we have both been zapped with the ‘Shutter Bug’. Three new camera bodies, five lenses, and lots of fun & frustration later, we’re still pretending to be getting the hang of photography. But as we all know, photography is an art that we never really stop trying to perfect!  You can see our photos at: www.theperfecttrifecta.com

HERE’S OUR STORY:

Like many Teardrop Travel Lovers & Roadtrippers, we took our time trying to decide which mode of travel would be best for our budget and circumstances.  After seeing 5 kids fly the coop , Eddie and became ‘empty-nesters’ and had let go of the 5^th wheel RV.  We also sadly dismantled my dad’s homemade pop-up trailer.  It was time to be on our own!

We started with our experimental adventure to the rainforests of Washington State.  We packed up all the tent camping gear we had, and headed out in a rented Ford Fusion.  I do carry some guilt for getting a used car salesman all excited when we went looking for a Fusion.  I can only imagine what he feared he had on his hands when we folded down the back seats and crawled into the trunk!  We had to explain that we wanted to see how sleeping in the car would work. We were considering some sort of a ‘bed-on-wheels’ to camp in.

Our time in the rainforest was perfect (and dry!). Sleeping in our rental car convinced us that we could get by with something really minimal.  We thought about converting a van, building something ourselves or maybe just putting a bed in our truck……and then we saw it.  A teardrop trailer by Little Guy.  It had a queen sized bed and ample storage. There was also the ability to stand outside at a little ‘open-up’ kitchen in the rear.  It was truly ‘Love at First Sight’!  After some time and some serious searching to find a good used one (we decided against a new one), we finally found our first ‘Little Guy’ teardrop trailer.  It came complete with the “I Go Where I’m Towed To” sticker on the back.  I knew I’d never want another trailer.

We put over 25,000 miles on that first little trailer. It saw as much of the U.S. and Canada as our time and money would allow.  We got our ‘Set Up / Tear Down’ routine down to a science and I slept like a baby in our little nest.  At least, that is, until we found ourselves in Salem, MA.

We were staying at the Winter Island RV Park in Salem.  After a full day in town we were strolling around camp enjoying the sights, and seeing who we could meet.  Eddie loves to meet new people and he  could visit with a stump.  So while I plan the next day’s events, he strolls.  On this occasion however, we were strolling together.  As I droned on about the Salem Witch Trials, Eddie stopped dead in his tracks, flung out his arm against my chest as if to protect me from sailing through some imaginary windshield and exclaimed, “WHAT IS THAT?!!!”

We found ourselves trespassing on another camper’s spot checking out his lovely T@B trailer. Although it was only 3’ longer than ours, one could stand up in it.  For the next 2 days Eddie literally stalked this camp sight waiting for the owner – who eventually did show up.  Not only did he not get out his shotgun, but Eddie’s new friend was excited to meet another teardrop owner! He came over to our site for a visit and to check out our rig.  After the grand tour of this gentleman’s T@B trailer, Eddie decided that we must indeed have one.  I was not so sure.

After we got home, Eddie began the search for our next teardrop trailer.  After several months of dedicated searching, LOTS of conversation (ok…probably nagging) and several thousand photos from a sales rep at the T@B factory in Ohio, Donny (the most patient rep ever) shipped us our gently-used-but-deeply-discounted T@B right to our door! (Read more about different types of trailers HERE).

Unloading was indeed a neighborhood event, and Eddie and I lived in our new trailer for the next 2 days.  I cried when the new owner of our first Little Guy drove off with our baby in tow, but then I stepped back into our new home-away-from-home and I once again knew I’d never want another trailer!

Although this blog is primarily geared toward those on Road Trips with a tiny trailer, there will be tidbits for all travel enthusiasts.  We’ll tackle everything from choosing a trailer, to how to pack, how to plan a trip, what to eat, where to stay, how to preserve your memories, etc…etc… and just how to make the most of your travel.

I’ll also share info as we cruise and backpack across the World.

Stay with us as we share our tips, tricks, and experiences!

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HAPPY TRAVELS!!