Advertisements
Salt Lake Tribune — 1995-11-26
Our first ad!
Salt Lake Tribune — 1995-11-28
Our first press release printed!
Salt Lake Tribune — 1995-12-06
Our second ad, in the Christmas Gift Section.
Salt Lake Tribune — 1995-12-06
Another ad in the same issue. The Christmas marketing budget was shot!
Salt Lake Tribune — 1996-03-20
Our second press release announcing an internet award. We won lots of awards as there were very few internet businesses.
Salt Lake Community College Newspaper — 1996-04-23
Aiming for the college market!
Times Independent — 1996-05-30
A classified in the Moab, Utah paper. This is interesting because we would relocate the business there shortly after.
Times Independent — 1996-05-30 (crop)
Salt Lake Tribune — 1996-08-11
Tom McCarthey, the Tribune Travel Editor, finally mentions us after much harassment.
Shoestring Traveler — 1996-12-01
Our first non-Utah ad. Because we were operating on a tiny budget, we used the slogan "We're not glossy but neither is the way we travel."
Let's Go — 1997-01-01
We received massive free publicity, so we advertised little after 1996. One exception was an expensive half page ad in Let's Go Europe.
Outpost — February 1998
And a few classified ads. They were inexpensive.
Outpost — May 1998
Classified.
Student World Traveler — May/June 1997
Classified.
Times Independent — 1998-04-01
Almost all our future advertising was in our newly adopted hometown of Moab, Utah.
Times Independent — 1998-04-30
Fearing the internet was a fad, we opened a retail outlet.
Times Independent — 1998-04-30 (crop)
The internet turned out not to be a fad.
Times Independent — 1998-06-18
Business was slow.
Times Independent — 1998-06-18 (crop)
The store was at 88 East Center Street.
Times Independent — 1998-07-16
We learned the cliché "location, location, location" was not a cliché.
Times Independent — 1998-07-16
Moab's newspaper was across the street from our store.
Times Independent — 1998-07-23
Advertising rates were inexpensive.
Times Independent — 1998-07-23
We offered online ordering with free delivery. People didn't even understand what online ordering was back then.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1998-11-01
There was a second, alternative newspaper.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1998-12-01
It was published by Jim Stiles, who became a friend.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1998-12-01
Jim was a friend of Ed Abbey and continued Abbey's quest for preservation of the American Southwest.
Times Independent — 1998-12-10
The Times was happy to print press releases.
Times Independent — 1998-12-10
A local company being in Fortune Magazine was big news in a small town.
Times Independent — 1998-12-10
Double ad for Christmas Season!
Times Independent — 1998-12-10
Locals asked me what the internet was.
Times Independent — 1998-12-10
A friend, Faerthen Felix, also lived in Moab and ran the Avalanche Center.
Shoestring Traveler — 1998-12-01
A rare national ad.
Travel Host — 1999-01-01
We also advertised in a tourist brochure.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1999-02-01
Jim Stiles was a writer and an artist.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1999-02-01
He drew the cover for Abbey's The Journey Home.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1999-04-01
He was well known for his characters of local advertisers.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1999-06-01
We sold didjeridus (didgeridoos) made by Steve Cuthbert.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 1999-08-01
We continued to advertise in the Zephyr even after we closed the store.
Times Independent — 1999-06-03
Clearance sale!
Times Independent — 1999-06-03
The sale's goal was to liquidate items we did not sell online.
Times Independent — 1999-06-03
The website was booming even as the store was closing. We were the largest international shipper in the county.
Travel Host — 1999-07-01
This ad came out after the store closed.
Europe 4 Less — 2000-03-01
This ad was a trade for selling the coupon booklet.
Times Independent — 2002-10-10
Donating inventory to the Rotary Club Auction.
Times Independent — 2003-07-31
Seven years after we moved our internet business to Moab, the paper ran an article on internet businesses.
Times Independent — 2003-07-31
We actually moved to Moab in 1996.
Times Independent — 2003-07-31
The modem speed was 14.4 and you were lucky to get that.
Canyon Country Zephyr — 2009-02-01
Final mention in the Zephyr.
Magazines and Books
Asian Trail
I contributed "Navigating Taiwan" in exchange for an ad.
Book Marketing
We sold travel books in the early years.
Lycos
A review on the now forgotten search engine Lycos.
Bottom Line
A high circulation publication that drew lots of business when a product was mentioned. This issue: our travel door lock.
Computer Shopper Pocket Guide
An insert in Computer Shopper Magazine, we were prominently featured for our telephone modem adapters.
Before Wi-Fi, you needed an adapter not only for the electricity outlet but for the phone jack. This fact was berry, berry good to us.
Cooking Light
Packmate storage bags mentioned in a high circulation magazine. Never hurts to be next to Rick Steves.
Family Travel Shop
An online store, perhaps this should be under advertising as I think this was an affiliate?
FastCompany
An insert in Fast Company Magazine. An urban myth had developed we ran the business full-time out of our motorhome.
We did so for up to two weeks at a time, but not full-time.
Fortune Magazine
Website mention in Fortune Magazine. Press like this really accelerated our sales.
Fortune Small Business
Mentioned with my friend's start-up BigWords.com. The urban legend continues.
Maiden Voyages
Coverage of Door Lock and Cable Lock. We sourced and branded those products later.
Mens Health
OptiCase indestructible glasses case.
MyBusiness
Major article with photo. The magazine hired award-winning Moab photographer Tom Till. The "Business in an RV" urban myth grows.
Onvia.com
This article by Linda Keene was the best and most accurate written on Walkabout Travel Gear.
Showcase
Press release in industry's trade magazine.
Student Travels
Nice early (1997) website mention.
Travel Holiday
Using a foreign lamp in the United States. We sold a lot of "reverse transformers" so
foreign products could be used in the USA. This article led us to supplying MaxMara outfit their Christmas displays in North American stores. A huge sale.
Trip Magazine
Advertisement in exchange for contributions on Malta and Santa's home town of Patara, Turkey.
Working Woman
Mention of several products.
The Grown Up's Guide to Running Away From Home
Book on expat living. Super recommendation of our electric conversion products.
The Bookdoor Guide to Short Term Job Adventures
The Best of Online Shopping
An index of early websites.
The Packing Book
Foder's How to Pack
Fodor's listed us as a source for electric information throughout their series.
Small Business Management
Being referenced in a business school textbook is quite an honor to entrepreneurs. Finding that business textbooks list incorrect
urban legends and incorrectly credit sources -- after contacting me personally -- makes me wonder what I learned in MBA school.
Strategic Management
Once again, budding business students are fed incorrect information. I guess it is an honor to be an urban legend, even if a small one.
Gallery of Web Design
The most recent mention of Walkabout Travel Gear. A gallery of early website design.
Complete Book References List
10 Minute Guide to Travel Planning on the Net — Thomas Pack. Que, 1997.
Adventure Sports Photography: Creating Dramatic Images in Wild Places — Tom Bol. Peachpit Press, 2011.
Capron’s Pocket Internet: 4001 Sites — H.L. Capron. Prentice Hall, 1999.
City Guide USA Web Directory — Bryan Hiquet, Katharine English. Lycos Press, 1996.
Dictionary of International Trade (8th ed.) — Librix.eu.
Easy Computing for Seniors — Frank W. Cawood and Associates. FC & A, 2004.
Frommer’s Fly Safe, Fly Smart — Sascha Segan. Wiley, 2002.
Global Connect!: Telecommunications, Cell Communications, Internet Connectivity — Myron Manley. World Trade Press, 2002.
Michael Shapiro’s Internet Travel Planner — Michael Shapiro. Globe Pequot Press, 2000.
Safe at All Times: Protecting Yourself and Your Family in a Dangerous World — Janet Rodgers. Reader’s Digest, 2002.
Small Business Management: An Entrepreneurial Emphasis (12th ed.) — Justin Gooderl, Carlos W. Moore, J. William Petty. Thomson South-Western, 2003.
Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages — Gregory G. Dess, Theodore Peridis, G.T. Lumpkin. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2005.
Take Your Kids to Europe — Cynthia Harriman. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.
The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures — Michael Landes. Ten Speed Press.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Planning a Trip Online — Julia A. Cardis, Kendall Smith. Que, 1999.
The Grown-Up’s Guide to Running Away from Home — Rosanne Knorr. Ten Speed Press, 2004.
The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-On Traveler — Judith Gilford. Ten Speed Press, 1998.
The People’s Guide to Mexico — Carl Franz, Lorena Havens. Avalon Publishing, 2012.
Travel Planning on the Internet: The Click and Easy Guide — Ronald L. & Caryl Rae Krannich. Impact Publications, 2000.
Fodor’s Travel Guides:
Australia (2009, 2010); Beijing (2007, 2011, 2015); Bermuda (2007); Brazil (2008); Costa Rica (2008, 2012, 2016, Essential Costa Rica 2019); Croatia and Slovenia (2008); England (2008); Fodor’s 2007 England (2007); Fodor’s 2008 New Zealand (2009); Fodor’s 2008 Puerto Vallarta: Plus Guadalajara, San Blas, and Inland Mountain Towns (2008); Fodor’s 2009 U.S. and British Virgin Islands (2009); Amsterdam & the Netherlands (2008); Amsterdam & the Netherlands: With Side Trips Through Belgium (2011); Australia (2010); Austria (2007, 2009); Barcelona: With Highlights of Catalonia & Bilbao (2012); Barcelona: With Highlights of Catalonia (2014); Belgium (2009); Berlin (2014); Budapest (2007); China (2009); Dordogne & the Best of Southwest France: With Paris (2011); Eastern & Central Europe (2008); England 2011: With the Best of Wales (2011); Essential France (2011); Essential Greek Islands: With Great Cruises & the Best of Athens (2018); Essential Italy (2008); France (2012); Greece: With Great Cruises & the Best Islands (2015); Great Britain (2007); Hong Kong: With Macau and the South China Cities (2009); Hong Kong: With a Side Trip to Macau (2013, 2015); How to Pack: Experts Share Their Secrets (1997); In Focus Jamaica (2008); Ireland (2007, 2009); Italy (2010, 2011, 2016); London (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019); Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula (2008); Montreal and Quebec City (2008); Morocco (2012); Munich & Bavaria (2008); New Zealand (2009); Portugal (2007); Prague & the Best of the Czech Republic (2011); Prague: With Highlights of the Czech Republic (2007); Prague: With the Best of the Czech Republic (2014); Provence & the French Riviera: With Paris (2011); Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo (2008); Rome (2008); Rome: With the Best City Walks and Scenic Day Trips (2012); Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque (2007); Scotland (2008); Shanghai (2007); South Africa: With the Best Safari Destinations in Namibia & Botswana (2010); Southern Italy (2011); Switzerland (2007); Thailand: With Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia & Laos (2016); The Amalfi Coast, Capri & Naples (2010, 2017); The Best of Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice & the Top Spots in Between (2017); Turkey (2007, 2009); Vienna to Salzburg (2007, 2009); France (2008); Germany (2008); India (2008); Japan (2009); Paris (2008); Patagonia (2008); St. Maarten, St. Barths & Anguilla (2008); Tokyo (2007); Virgin Islands (2008).
Newspapers
Daily News — 1996-02-04
Our first unsolicited newspaper mention. Interestingly, it is for our mail order catalog, not the website.
Deseret News — 1996-02-25
The article that launched us off the ground. Reporter Max Knudson visited our “headquarters”
(we were squatting in my sister’s basement) and wrote a front-page article that caused the phones to ring off the hook.
DeseretNews.com — 1996-02-25
The online version of that article.
Herald Statesman — 1996-11-24
Article on travel backpacks with our 800 number listed. Website mentions were still not the norm, as the internet was so new few people used it.
News Press — 1996-12-15
"Latest Travel Gadgets Make Good Gifts." Still no website mention. We had a print catalog as well as a website.
Newsday Nassau — 1996-12-15
Website mention! Laura Bly mentioned us many times over the years.
Springfield News — 1996-12-15
Mention of our waterproof travel journal. The idea for that product came after I spilled a bottle of
Jack Daniel's in 1985 on my travel journal, destroying several pages.
Courier News — 1997-01-19
Waterproof Travel Journal again.
Rockland Journal — 1997-01-19
And again. This page was supplied to Gannett Newspapers.
Deseret.com — 1997-01-24
Deseret News website. "Several Firms Start up Internet Sites."
Sydney Morning Herald — 1997-05-18
"Going Around the World in 20 Ways."
Boston Globe — 1997-12-14
"Gifts to Delight a Traveler." Mentions our online walkabout to Santa's Home Town in Turkey. Around Christmas that travelogue brought lots of publicity.
Orlando Sentinel — 1998-06-06
"With Catalogs you Can Shop from the Sofa."
Tampa Tribune — 1998-09-06
"Need to Find Travel Gear?"
Calgary Herald — 1998-10-31
Article on hostels in China. Mentions our Travel Tips page.
Cincinnati Enquirer — 1998-11-29
Super coverage of our website by Laura Bly.
News Press — 1998-05-01
Mention of our travel insurance page.
Atlanta Constitution — 1998-12-06
Nice review of our website.
Wall Street Journal — 1999-02-05
Mention in WSJ!
Deseret.com — 1999-03-26
Walkabout Travel Gear wins a pair of online awards! I wonder how they knew.
LATimes.com — 1999-04-18
10 Favorite Things to Pack by Susan Spano.
Wausau Daily Herald — 1999-06-06
Mention of Pack-Mate Travel Storage Bag. We were one of the first to sell rollup compression bags and sold tens of thousands.
LATimes.com — 2000-04-16
Travel Gear Online
The Monitor — 2000-06-11
Mention of our Inflatable Neck Pillow
WashingtonPost.com — 2000-10-15
Walkabout Door Lock
Livingston County Daily — 2000-11-19
Neck Pillow Again (same syndicated page)
ChicagoTribune.com — 2001-11-04
Mention of our Chinese Survival Tool. I made that name up, along with a story
about how important the implement was on the Long March, and somehow it became real.
ChicagoTribune.com — 2002-02-10
Deluxe Travel Pillow Mention
Thestar.com — 2002-09-12
Grundig Mini Shortwave Radio. Internet access was rare while traveling back then, and a shortwave radio was genuinely useful.
NYTimes.com — 2002-08-22
"Adapting a Laptop for Travel Abroad." As connecting to the internet while traveling became a necessity, our adapter business grew exponentially.
Statesman Journal — 2003-02-09
"Speciality stores carry needed travel items"
MSNBC — 2003-05-23
"Great gifts for millennium grads."
Chilliwack Progress — 2003-10-24
Mention of several items: Travel Smoke Detector, Walkabout Door Locks, and others.
Marshall Messenger — 2006-09-01
Recharging camera batteries in the United Kingdom.
Newsday Suffolk Edition — 2006-12-10
"How to Pack." A large article which recommends our Travel Tips section.
The Gazette — 2007-01-20
Another mention of our Travel Tips section. It was a popular page at walkabouttravelgear.com.
St Cloud Times — 2007-01-08
Yet another mention of the Travel Tips page.
Palm Beach Post Sun — 2007-04-01
Mention of our dual voltage travel hair dryer.
Rutland Daily Herald — 2014-11-20
Marriott CEO Arne M. Sorenson recommends our Walkabout Solution Universal Adapter as his favorite travel product!
The Gleaner — 2014-11-30
"From bags to gadgets, travel gifts abound."
Times Colonist — 2014-12-13
Marriott CEO Arne M. Sorenson recommends our Walkabout Solution again in a syndicated reprint.
Bismarck Tribune — 2014-12-21
And there's Arne one more time.
Newspaper.com
More appearances of Walkabout Travel Gear in newspapers. Someday I'll collect them all.
Newsletters and Press Releases
Travel Leisure Hot Deals 1998-09-00
In 1998-99 Travel and Leisure's online newsletter "Hot Deals" often included our travel tips and discounts on products. Only a
couple have been saved, I am unsure how often we appeared.
Travel Leisure Hot Deals 1999-06-00
Free travel pillow! This brought a lot of orders. Since we imported the pillows by the thousands they were pretty inexpensive.
With our $5.00 shipping fee, we actually made a couple dollars on a free pillow.
Press Release 1996-06-11
Announcement of the walkabouttravelgear.com domain name! In our early days were were xmission.com/~walkgear/walk.htm. Super easy to remember!
Press Release 1999-04-02
Alert the media! We shipped to our 50th country! I have little doubt some of our shipments from Moab were the first to some countries. The press
release also mentions our tie-in with the internet's largest website, Travelocity. Unfortunately none of those email newsletters survive.
Press Release 2021-07-01
Announcing the closure of the company, at least for a while. Pandemics, liver transplants, the zombification of the internet... lots of reasons.
Online Newsletter 1997-07-01
We were one of the first companies with an email newsletter. It's difficult to imagine, but people used to look forward to getting email.
Online Newsletter 1997-10-01
Our newsletter featured new products, travel tips, sales, and walkabouts to strange lands.
Online Newsletter 1997-11-01
My favorite section to write was "Information Pretending to be Useful but Actually Propaganda."
Online Newsletter 1997-12-01
The newsletter could be extremely effective, sometimes driving huge responses.
Online Newsletter 1998-02-01
But they grew very tiring to produce, and I often regurgitated information.
Online Newsletter 1998-03-01
They became more sporadic, but I pumped them out for over a decade.
Online Newsletter 1998-04-01
New retail outlet!
Online Newsletter 1998-05-01
Online Newsletter 1998-10-01
The newsletter entered the "blah, blah, blah" stage about here.
Online Newsletter 1998-12-01
Online Newsletter 1999-03-01
March was our anniversary month so there was usually an email.
Online Newsletter 1999-04-01
Online Newsletter 1999-05-01
Online Newsletter 1999-10-01
Online Newsletter 1999-11-01
Online Newsletter 1999-12-01
Online Newsletter 2000-03-01
Online Newsletter 2001-02-01
Newsletters were text until this issue. I used a company in Bandon, Oregon called NewsGoodies.com to produce issues with graphics.
Online Newsletter 2001-03-01
This of course meant a business trip to the Oregon Coast was necessary. We loaded up the RV with inventory but also
shipped some to a holding facility in Bandon. While there, I discovered the only online access was an internet cafe south of town.
Online Newsletter 2002-08-01
We loved the Oregon Coast and a few years later moved the business there.
Online Newsletter 2002-07-01
Online Newsletter 2002-12-01
Online Newsletter 2003-10-01
Online Newsletter 2003-12-01
December issues were a guaranteed rehash of Christmas crap. The Santa Claus Trail. Christmas Island.
Online Newsletter 2004-01-01
Online Newsletter 2004-03-01
A lot of newsletters are missing.
Online Newsletter 2006-08-01
We got so busy we hired a fulfillment center in Healdsburg, California. This had the unfortunate side effect of having to stay in
Napa Valley a month every fall.
Online Newsletter 2007-08-01
Infrequent newsletters continued for years but were not saved. I had lost interest in preserving company history.
Electricity Newsletter 2000-11-01
We put out a specialized international electricity newsletter for a while, a separate mailing list of mostly corporate customers.
Electricity Newsletter 2002-05-09
New invention! Power your laptop on an airplane! Incredible!
