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Miriam C. D.
Montgomery, AL
My husband and I bought Matt and Cheryl’s itinerary—the Schoss Guide—for our recent trip to Yellowstone, and it would have been worthwhile at twice the price. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to plan our trip nearly as effectively as we did. The itinerary let us know what we could reasonably see in the four days we had in the park and helped us organize our time efficiently. Because of the Schoss Guide, we got to see Old Faithful go off twice!
We followed their four-day schedule (with maps), which was made up of “Geyser-Gazing Day,” “The Heart of Yellowstone Day,” “Welcome to Wonderland Day,” and “American Serengeti Day.” Each day is divided into a series of sightseeing stops, the choices you’ll have to make about what to see that day, and makes suggestions about how to use your time most efficiently. They tell you how far away each stop is, how much time it’ll probably take, what you need to get to early to find parking, and other such helpful information. But the “Schoss Schlep” (as we came to call it) is not a rigid schedule; it’s flexible enough that you can adapt it to fit your own interests.
One of the things I’m most grateful for is that the itinerary warned us against staying the whole time in West Yellowstone, which is exactly what we’d planned to do. Matt and Cheryl said that would make it difficult to drive through Lamar Valley and back in a day. They were right. Spending a couple of nights in Gardiner made our day trip to Lamar Valley much more doable. And I’m so glad we didn’t miss out on that because we saw grizzlies and cubs, wolves and pups, coyotes, elk, and a black bear that practically came up to the road. It was a glorious day.
The itinerary also tells you what to listen to on Matt’s audio guide as you visit each section of the park. The audio guide is both informative and entertaining. Some of his talks we listened to twice. My husband is a history professor and when we listened to Matt’s first talk, he commented, “Yes, this guy is a good lecturer.” Which from him is the ultimate compliment! The audio guide contains stories about the history of Yellowstone—including the earthquake of 1959—and information about geysers, the re-introduction of wolves into the park, saving the bison, and why it’s a bad idea to feed the bears.
I should point out that neither Matt nor Cheryl asked me to write this testimonial. I offered to write it off my own bat when we returned home because their itinerary was such a great help to us. I’m one of those people who always buys three guidebooks for every trip and I’d easily have traded any two of them for the Schoss itinerary. It helped us get the most out of what will be for us a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Do yourself a favor. Make the most of your time. Get the Schoss Guide. And have a great trip.
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I usually won’t purchase a travel guide if I can borrow one from the public library. However, after watching Matt and Cheryl’s YouTube videos and reading their blog posts over the past few months, I purchased their guides for destinations we plan to visit this summer—Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Matt and Cheryl’s guides far surpass the typical travel guide. They offer practical advice, such as how to avoid getting stuck in traffic or long waiting lines, the best time of day to find parking at crowded sites, their favorite museums, and where to find the best eats.
Matt and Cheryl keep all age groups in mind. They offer tips for travelers on a limited budget (good picnic spots, cheap ways to enjoy the view from a lodge where the price of a meal may be off the charts, a favorite ice cream shop) as well as those who can afford more expensive options. They also offer lots of fun ideas for families with children.
I love their practical tips, their personal stories, and lessons they’ve learned from visits at different times of the year. For example, if you’re planning to visit the Black Hills, be prepared for a lot of patriotism. If you want to watch the sun rising on the Tetons, they suggest the best spots plus how to plan ahead so you’ll reach your viewing spot on time. These kinds of tips make all the difference between an unforgettable experience and one that ends up in disappointment.
I usually won’t purchase a travel guide if I can borrow one from the public library. However, after watching Matt and Cheryl’s YouTube videos and reading their blog posts over the past few months, I purchased their guides for destinations we plan to visit this summer—the Grand Tetons and the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Matt and Cheryl’s guides far surpass the typical travel guide. They offer practical advice, such as how to avoid getting stuck in traffic or long waiting lines, the best time of day to find parking at crowded sites, their favorite museums, and where to find the best eats.
Matt and Cheryl keep all age groups in mind. They offer tips for travelers on a limited budget (good picnic spots, cheap ways to enjoy the view from a lodge where the price of a meal may be off the charts, a favorite ice cream shop) as well as those who can afford more expensive options. They also offer lots of fun ideas for families with children.
I love their practical tips, their personal stories, and lessons they’ve learned from visits at different times of the year. For example, if you’re planning to visit the Black Hills, be prepared for a lot of patriotism. If you want to watch the sun rising on the Tetons, they suggest the best spots plus how to plan ahead so you’ll reach your viewing spot on time. These kinds of tips make all the difference between an unforgettable experience and one that ends up in disappointment.
So interesting and helpful.
My husband and I took a much needed vacation to the Tetons last August. We stayed in the park and everything for 5 glorious days, and your guide helped us in planning! When there were times that we had to decide which things we could/couldn’t include for this particular trip (because we’re totally going to return!) or on a particular day, or which hikes to prioritize this time around, the detailed descriptions of your guide were fantastic in aiding our decisions. And the dining suggestions were great! We stuck to eating out just once a day as well, which is a great suggestion for being budget friendly.
I used the Rocky Mountain guide for a trip last summer and used the guide EXTENSIVELY. It was incredibly helpful. I printed everything out and referred to it often. I did a lot of research on my own but still found myself needing a lot of info in the guide and found all of the recommendations to be spot on. Use these guides to save yourself a lot of planning time and a lot of headaches. It will also keep you from having regrets about spending time on things that really are not worth it, or skipping things that should have been on your must-see list. I found the guides so helpful that I purchased several more guides, including some bundles, for future trips to other locations that we plan to take later on. And don’t miss out on all of their videos, you will find them very helpful!