Ever since he was a child, Brian Fulmer has been exploring the sights, listening to the sounds, and meeting the people of the United States.
“Growing up as a kid, my family made it a priority to take us on trips,” he says. “It was very important to learn about the United States by doing the United States.”
Now Fulmer, who is a Bath resident and educator for the Parkland School District, is sharing that perspective with a national audience on his Discovery Channel Show “Road Trip Masters.”
Currently in its third season, “Road Trip Masters” stars Fulmer and fellow Parkland teacher Nick Kessler as they explore all America has to offer, from the unique foods to the hidden gems on every American Main Street.
“The music, the food, the culture…it is refreshing,” says Fulmer.
It was a Northampton County Community College student who approached Kessler, his former teacher, with the idea for the show’s pilot. The show started as part of a class assignment and ended up with 20 episodes on Service Electric. Soon, with some perseverance from Kessler, the show went national.
“He did not take ‘no’ for an answer,” says Fulmer. “My buddy is a go-getter.”
Since then, Fulmer and Kessler have used summers and school breaks to travel the country with their production crew…and Kessler’s 1968 convertible Cadillac. They’ve explored Rome, Georgia; Lake Lure, North Carolina; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Morgantown, West Virginia; Annapolis, Maryland; and even Bethlehem, Pennsylvania! Coming up this season is Marietta, Ohio; La Grange, Kentucky; Frenchtown, New Jersey; New Hope, Pennsylvania; and many more quintessential American towns.
What you won’t see on the show? Bustling cities like New York or Baltimore or Washington, DC.
“Those have been done hundreds of times,” says Fulmer.
Instead, he and Kessler look for towns that are a lot like Fulmer’s hometown of Bath: small towns with a lot of history and big personalities. These places are often overlooked for the more glitzy tourist destinations. But there is just as much, if not more, to gain from visiting them.
Says Fulmer, “We love exploring old school Main Streets…the pride of the people who maintain them…that is an incredible thing.”
It is the reason he has chosen to raise his children in the borough.
“We could not imagine raising our two boys anywhere else.”
It is the people of these small towns, he says, that make them memorable. He has become friends with many of the people he has met on his journeys. They were even texting him during this season’s recent premier, he says.
But he has gained more than friends from his travels.
“When you experience something different, you become a different person,” he says. “We take something with us [when we leave these towns], like a new food or a new experience.”
The lessons Fulmer learns from traveling are not much different from the lessons he encourages his students to learn in the classroom: embracing new perspectives, building motivation, and stepping outside of their comfort zone.
He hopes more people will make the world their classroom. He and Kessler are always looking forward to hearing the travel stories of the show’s viewers, or getting inspiration and suggestions for future travels. Building a community of “road trip masters” who can share and learn from each other is the ultimate goal.
“Use our foundation, but leave your own footprint,” he says. “Travel is a wonderful thing.”
“Road Trip Masters” airs on Discovery Channel every Saturday at 7 a.m. More information can also be found here.
