Midwest Family Creatively Financing their Vacation through eBay

June 2, 2005 -- A family of three has put their month-long summer vacation up for auction on eBay. The package includes major destinations that span 16 states, and major events which include Major League Baseball and Soccer venues, large amusement parks, Las Vegas during The World Series of Poker, and a myriad of family-friendly activities and places of interest. But don’t pack your bags yet. Their intention is to provide a company with the opportunity to use them and their RV for advertising during their road trip across the Midwest and West. The 7000-mile trip begins on July 1st, 2005 in Columbus, Ohio with the Midwest’s largest fireworks celebration, Red, White and Boom and will conclude at the Ohio State Fair, with nearly 1 million visitors.

The Turklay family of Columbus, Ohio like many American families has been unable to take a family vacation in well over five years due to economic downturn in their respective professions. Don Turklay, a computer programmer, wanted to find a way to give his family the ultimate vacation experience this summer. He decided to turn an RV into a rolling billboard and offer businesses the opportunity to utilize the entire family to market their materials at 16 major events.

He says, “When my wife, Janice, was talking one day about how incredible it was for someone to pay over $20,000 for a grilled cheese sandwich on eBay, I told her that it was all about advertising and public relations”. Don added, “That is when it occurred to me that we could turn the vacation we have been dreaming of into a reality by offering ourselves and the RV to a company for a unique advertising opportunity”.

The auction may be viewed by clicking on the following link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5586423718