Richard & I are now quite excited about our forthcoming trip to the US. Our British podcast (www.vobes.com) has been very popular with American listeners and of course they have invited us over for a visit. We always knew this would not be possible, Richard an entertainer by trade with little work trying to be a full time podcaster and myself Jimmy, recently unemployed after 18 years, but unbelivably the friends of the show have come to the rescue and are funding the trip, yes, really. The flights are booked for the 3rd of May where we land in Chicago. Phil Clark is looking after us there and then off to Appleton Wisconsin to meet more friends of the show, then St Louis, Amity, Dallas and San Antonio Texas. We will of course be recording so much audio and uploading daily snippets of our travels and this one trip will give us months of great listerning as two Brits discover America.

Ok we haven't left yet - but we are on the countdown! Its Wednesday, a wekk before we are due to leave for the USA. There is a number if stuff to do and organise, but its reallyhard finding the time.

We record a podcast everyday and there is a lot of stuff to do for that and then there are a couple of paying jobs I have to do too so its all very frustrating.

The aim is to travel light, but i have to take a load of sound recording equipment with me and take them on the plane as a carry on - I certainly do not trust the baggage handlers to becareful with anything!

The big question is - will jimmy and I get on each others nerves travelling together for so long and in such close proximity? I have had experience of this before and it can be hard - any one got any suggestions - the last thing I want is for Jimmy and I to fall out! :)

Richard

Well, a week to go and we'll be in Chicago, a few last minute emails flying around as our hosts get ready for our micro-invasion. What will a couple of plain speaking Brits first impressions of the US be. The excitment mounts as we gen up on things, what to expect on arrival at Customs as we leave the plane. Will we be able to get to grips with driving to San Antonio later in the second week. How much weight will we put on?

We did it last year and now I am planing a second journey to the USA. To podcast with my microphone, to meet listeners and make new friends as I journey across from east to west.

We hope to raise the funds to help make the journey possible over the next few months from donations from the listeners to the Vobes show. This time it looks at the moment I am going to be traveling alone, unless I can find a sexy young lady to accompany me or be my Travbuddy.Jimmy refuses to wear a dress!

Maybe there is another travel out there that I can join up and travel across the USA with as I interview the people and capture the sounds through my podcast?

Anything is possible!

Vobes.

We have the power!

Today I purchased a power converter - so i can plug my marantz and other equipment into the US electric board!

Phew! Another job done!

It is now ten days until we leave jolly old Worthing and head for the USA. We have the travel insurance in place and now need to start the preparation of all things we aim to take.

As we are Podcasting across America, I will be taking my recording equipment, leads and microphones. Jimmy is taking a video camera and stills camera. I will have the laptop and we shall be updating the website and the TravBuddy blog to make everything simple for all the followers of the trip.

I need to organise the Google Earth co-ordinates so people can track our journey as we go.

Richard

Many thanks to Pete Cogle for his kind donation of the Air Miles for the forthcoming trip to the States. We have finally got our schedule planned and we kind of know where we are going. If you take a trip to the Vobes.com web site and click the USA page you will exactly where we are headed.

Again we aim to meet as many listeners as possible in May as we can and any one else that is travelling. If there are any Travbuddies out there that want to hook up as we journey around that would be fabulous.

I have a bad eye at the moment, which is going to make driving tricky, but i hope to get over that by the time we get to the states otherwise poor old Paul Stoneman, who is coming with me, shall have to do most of the driving and that will annoy him I am sure.

I have bought a small pocket camera so i can take snaps for the web site, although paul is offically the teams photographer. I will also be buying a small portable video camera to film with as well as taking audio for the podcasting. The aim of the trip is to record as many interviews with people we meet along the way and get a real flavour of the American people. These will be made available on the Vobes.com web site.

We are still asking people to help pay for the trip by pre-ordering the DVD we aim to release when we come back which shall contain special footage of our trip and interviews and reports of all we do and people we meet.

Richard

Paul and I are preparing to walk the Sussex Downs on the South Downs Way, from the ancient city of Winchester in Hampshire to the Georgian seaside resort of Eastbourne in East Sussex. It is a 100 mile trek across the top of the most glorious countryside in England. The Way has been the footpaths for thousands of generations from neolithic man to modern day.

This project starts on the 15th March with the first leg of the journey. From Winchester, which we aim to arrive early in the morning via train to the village of Exton in Hamphire. There we stay over at a pub for the night and then continue the next day to Buriton where we leave the trail to walk the three miles to Petersfield and back to our collective homes in Sussex via train.

Then another date in the future to be set and the next leg of the journal will commence, from Petersfield to Amberley.

WE shall keep you posted with photos and entries to how the trip goes and the various podcasts and audio files will be available to download at Vobes.com

Richard