By Jenny Schnettler | International President | BRN 151
One of the things we all share in common in this Club is the passion for travel. Years ago, we had a foreign-exchange student from Belgium come to live with us for an entire year. It was an immensely rewarding experience for our whole family, and we have been able to remain close for the past decade. His perspective of North America was so interesting — we drive four hours to visit our eldest son down in Cincinnati; he drives four hours and he’s in another country! Sometimes we overlook how vast this continent is, yet how easily we traverse from one end to the other with any myriads of terrain imaginable. And we do it while towing our own personal deluxe hotel room! But the extraordinary thing is that we hippity-hop from place to place and have actual friend-connections all along the way. This has become increasingly more evident, as John and I look to our 2026 epic travel plans.
Although I have been to all 50 states, four continents, and 24 foreign countries, I still have just scraped the surface of exciting things to see and experience. Here’s where you all come in: Club membership is currently at a 30-year high, and each person has one or two “must-see” places they can suggest.
How about helping to create the Top 100 Airstream Adventure Essentials that members absolutely should not miss! I want your photos and a few sentences about what made that place so amazing, and we can begin to compile the Best of the Best for Airstream Adventures. Please use this link when submitting your memories. Send in whatever you want … and you don’t need to limit it to this continent, but you have to have been there yourself. Meaning, the moon is disqualified. To start it off, one of mine is the Pictured Rocks Sunset Cruise in Munising, Michigan.
Don’t bother taking the daytime cruise, only do it at sunset. It is so beautiful, yet somewhat unreal, and should definitely make the top 100!
Some of our Caravans and National Event Rallies definitely inspire must-see places. As a Club, we provide so many opportunities for you to have breathtaking moments immersing yourself in the wonder of nature while delighting in the creature comforts offered by your rig. Did you know that our Club offers over 800 events, rallies, and caravans every single year? Lots of the logistical work is planned out for you … so just sign up and go. It is so much easier to appreciate a majestic view when you have had a good night’s sleep and a refreshing shower!
Camping as a kid, I remember my father unwittingly setting up our huge canvas sleeps-eight tent right on top of a giant tick hill. That was fun in the middle of the night as we were screaming “get it off me!” and yanking out ticks. Ahh, the Airstream! Cool sheets, doors that lock, and actual bathrooms. Now that’s fine living. Add in mountains, lakes, rivers, seashores, deserts, forests, monuments, national parks, urban rallies, and the sheer, raw beauty of North America and you have the makings of life-changing adventures. But … I’m leaving out one pivotal component.
Friends. Who knew that this all came with the chance for some of the most meaningful friendships of our lives! By joining this Club, you basically said, “move over, make room for me … I’m coming to join you.” And we are so glad you did! There is ALWAYS room for friends at our campfires. As we get older, most folks see their friend-circle getting smaller. Not us! Members of the ACI see that friend-circle expanding exponentially! The network of friends made through this Club supports the spirit of adventure we set our compass to and encourages us to stay curious. Whether you take advantage of Harvest Hosts and Courtesy Parking or if you just connect once a year at the International Rally, you have the choice at any time to look up a BRN, give someone a call, send out a message on Facebook, and tag along on this ride of a lifetime we call Airstreaming.
For some of us in the northern portion of American and Canada, camping season is winding down. Now is a great time to pull up those photos and reminisce about your travels this past year. Send in a picture or two and tell us about the coolest stuff you saw and did! Because if you thought it was amazing, I bet we’ll all think so too. Thanks in advance and I can’t wait to see what touched your soul!
Stay curious!
Jenny
