RTN roadtrips are the trips that are featured on PBS each Fall. A team of three students must apply by March 1st in order to be considered for an RTN roadtrip, which takes place during the summer and involves driving one of the big green.

Fill out an online application! Check out our apply section for more info.

We accept applications no more than three months and no fewer than two weeks prior to the start of roadtrip.

Not necessarily. Sometimes not all of your planned interviews will come through. But don't get shy, and definitely don't give up if you face a few rejections. Try your best to book each interview, and don't hesitate to go for those spontaneous interviews with random people should the opportunity arise during your indie trip.

When trying to book interviews, you'll undoubtedly have to deal with a lot of rejections. Don't sweat! Keep researching and contacting people. Make sure you're conveying your desire to seek advice and the authenticity of Roadtrip Nation's cause.

We'll try our best to get back to you ASAP. Please give us at least a week to go through your application.

Nope. Unlike the RTN roadtrips, the indie trips can take place whenever you want, for however long you want. Go in the dead of winter, or in the heat of summer!

Not at all! But props to you if you decide to do that. Since you're in charge of your indie roadtrip route, you can decide what cities/states you'd like to visit, and whom you'd like to interview in those locations. You can stay local, or even go abroad (as long as the interviews are conducted in English).

Not at all! Traveling and talking to people around your home state can be an incredibly eye-opening experience. Explore towns you've never stopped in before and talk with people that spark your interest. Try to book an interview with a neighbor who's got a cool job, the owner of your favorite cafŽ, or the mayor of your city!

It depends, but we usually have 1-2 indie teams out on the road at any given time.

We look for energy, drive, authenticity...we want to send people out on the road who are excited to push themselves out of their comfort zone and talk with total strangers about their lives. We want to get behind indie roadtrippers that will do everything they can to capture every aspect of their road experienceÑfrom the interviews, to their thoughts and feelings, and even just those fun little moments on the road.

Explore our indie roadtrips page for more info! We have a forum where you can connect with other indie and RTN roadtrippers, learning about them and their travels.

Not all of it. It all depends on the quality of the footage and the interviews.

Not at all! Interview anyone who you think will have a good story to tell. Some of the most interesting interviews we've had have been with people we'd never heard of before, like a Louisiana truck driver, a Maine lobsterman, and a Wyoming rodeo clown!

Any way you can. Film it, photograph it, record it, transcribe it... do everything you can to capture the experience so that we can share it with our online community of people looking to explore different career paths and ways of life.

Check out our "how-to" guide for filming tips!

It would take some incredibly engaging interviews, insightful thoughts, incredible footage...basically, your stuff would need to impress our production team beyond belief. So aim for it!


For $300 - $1000, you can buy yourself a camcorder (which we definitely believe is a good investment!). But if purchasing one is out of your budget, try borrowing one from a friend or from the film department at your school.

If none of those options work for you, we may be able to loan you some filmmaking equipment. Contact us for more info.

At the moment, we only accept footage in mini-DV format.

Your handheld camcorder will definitely work. Don't worry about making the next Oscar-winning documentary! We like gritty, grassroots filmmaking-as long as the audio is good!

Don't stress! We've got a filmmaking guide just for you! We'll teach you how to film on the road, how to frame shots during an interview, how to mic someone, etc... We'll show you everything you need to know to capture the experience well.

Before you take off on your indie trip, you'll be required to have a phone chat with a member of our production team. We'll guide you step-by-step through the filming process, and you'll get the chance to ask us anything you want about going on an indie trip!

For our purposes here at Roadtrip Nation, sound is absolutely the #1 most important element for filmmaking. If we can't hear the audio from your interviews, we can't use the footage! So, we strongly suggest you use an external mic when filming your interviews. Check out our filming guide for more info.

You don't need one, but it's definitely a big help. If you can't get a hold of one for your interviews, try setting a camera on a chair or table so that you can get a steady shot of the leader.

We need you to film at least 3 interviews. The more, the better!

We've got a production team full of indie trip experts standing by ready to help you! We'll give you a contact number to call if you need help with anything during your trip.

Not really. Some indie trips have lasted 2 days, some have lasted 2 months! But we'll ask that you give us your return date before you leave.

Go see for yourself: [explore] past indie trips and see where they went, what they did, and who they interviewed!

Try to interview people who haven't been interviewed by us before...unless that person is stoked on getting interviewed again!

Absolutely! In fact, we strongly encourage it.


Leave your shyness at the door, and get on the phone and speak!

Ask friends, look in the phone book, research on the internetÑdo everything you can to get these people's contact info. A good tip is to find the generic line for their place of work, and then talk to whoever you can to try to get a hold of the person you want to interview.

If you can't find a phone number anywhere, try looking for an e-mail address on the internet. If you can't find their direct e-mail, look for a contact e-mail for their place of business. Check out our "how to" coldcall guide for more information on contacting potential interviewees.

Don't be discouraged! Try another day, or another way. Nathan didn't book that interview with Sandra Day O'Connor by getting scared and giving up when they first rejected him. If at first you fail, try again!

Try to aim for about an hour. If it's short than that, don't worryÑsome of the best interviews were only a short, sweet half-hour long. But, if you can, keep the conversation going for a full hour.

Plan everything ahead! Create a detailed schedule for your trip before you hit the road. And don't overbook yourself! Traveling and interviewing are both time and energy-consuming activities. Aim for one to two interviews per day, and try to allot your team a 2 hr block of time for each interview (for set-up, interview, break-down, broll, etc).

Try to pick a location that is convenient and comfortable for the person being interviewed. If possible, try to select a setting that reflects their career/lifestyle (i.e. their office, their home). In terms of filming, it's best to conduct the interview in a well-lit (but not backlit) area.

It's totally up to you! Keep in mind that interviewing someone definitely takes some energy, so try not to tire yourself and schedule too many interviews back to back in one day. Remember: one to two interviews per day is plenty.

When interviewing a leader, you're trying to capture the story of their personal road towards where they are today. Ask questions that bring out their feelings and struggles along the way: Where was she when she was your age? What kind of aspirations did he have as a child? Did she feel pressure from parents to follow a certain career path? What advice would he give to young people today who are trying to pursue their dreams?

Nah, don't worry about it. Taking notes during may make the interview seem too formal or journalistic. We just want you to sit back, ask some great questions, and enjoy a good story.

Definitely! Many of our RTN and indie roadtrippers have "team traditions" on the road. For instance, the RTN teams have everyone they interview sign the ceiling of the RV with some last words of advice. Some indie roadtrippers bring along an RTN poster for their interviewees to sign. Feel free to create your own "team tradition"!

For the indie roadtrips, you'll be required to provide your own transportation. If you've got your own RV, that's cool! If you've got a car, awesome! If you want to travel around via public transport, go for it! Get around however you can, just make sure to document it all.

As many as you want. You can go by yourself, or you can pack 5 friends into your grandma's camper wagon.

Nope.

Certainly.

No...but we prefer that everyone is present.

Absolutely. We have different levels of grants available for indie teams, depending on the level of involvement you'd like to have in documenting the experience (i.e. you'll get more cash if you choose to film your trip). Check out our indie roadtrip apply page for more info.


Send them to us! We need your original tapes, por favor.

Unfortunately, we are unable to make copies of your tapes for you. So, if you'd like copies of your footage, you'll have to make them yourself. When you're done with that, you need to send us the originals.

Sure! Check out our indie roadtrip "apply" page for more information on the different levels of grants available depending on the amount of work you'd like to do on your film.

We own the originals, but you are free to make copies of them and keep the copies for yourself.

You don't need to transcribe each interview, but you're required to keep a journal for the duration of your trip, where you'll record your thoughts and feelings on the interviews your road experiences.

No. Sorry, but at this time, they're just one-shot deals.

All of the above! explore all of our past roadtrips.

International roadtrips are awesome! Our only requirement is that the interviews must be conducted in English.

That depends on your school. Contact your academic counselor for more information regarding college credit. If they agree to it, we can provide your college with certification that you successfully completed and documented it an indie roadtrip (if and when you do it).