This page is devoted to answering all the burning questions you have about TravelwithBessie.com. If you don't see your question here, click on the bottom of the page to email us.
THE WEBSITE
How long has this website been around?
Where did the idea come from?
Is any money made off this website?
Who is in charge around here?
What happened to the old site - VoyeurCow?
When I try to send a postcard I am asked to sign up for a bunch of products. Why is that?
Why do I have to give my email address to send a postcard?
When I complete my postcard, I get a message that says: "You will receive a confirmation from SiteGadgets.com -- you must reply to this to have your postcard sent!" Is this true?
Can I include a link to TravelwithBessie.com on my website?
Are all the pictures real, or are they faked?
THE COW
Where did Bessie come from?
Bessie isn't a very original name for a cow, is it?
How many places has Bessie visited by now?
What was Bessie's favorite trip?
Does Bessie have any secrets?
Does Bessie take requests?
Can I buy my own Bessie in the store?
How big is Bessie in real life?
Is Bessie easy to photograph?
Does bessie prefer to drive or fly?
THE LOCATIONS
How come some pictures are taken out a car window and some are not?
How do you take all these pictures in public without people giving you weird looks?
How do you choose where Bessie is going to visit next?
Why does Bessie go to so many amusement parks?
In Hollywood, how come there is no picture of Bessie and the famous Hollywood sign?
What really happened in Tampa?
THE WEBSITE
How long has this website been around?
The concept for this website was originally created in April of 2000. It was then renamed VoyeurCow.com in July of 2000. Bessie had been first photographed in August of 1999, but it took us awhile to decide what to do with the pictures. In July of 2002 the name was again changed, this time to TravelwithBessie.com
Where did the idea come from?
The webmaster (me) was looking for a unique idea for a webpage. He remembered all the useless cow pictures he had been taking and the idea became so obvious that it almost knocked him over. The rest is history.
Is any money made off this website?
Until someone emails us requesting Bessie or TravelwithBessie merchandise, this website will remain just a hobby. We would love to make our millions on it though, so if you want Bessie's mug on a T-shirt, we would be happy to oblige!
Who is in charge around here?
That would be myself, the much elusive webmaster. If you really want to see me though, you will have to check out the Behind the Scenes section.
What happened to the old site - VoyeurCow?
When we were looking for a domain name, it was decided that a parody of the famous adult site - Voyeur Dorm - would be pretty funny. In fact, our original art work on the main page showed Bessie surrounded by the Voyeur Dorm girls. This picture was composed using three separate photos: the Voyeur Dorm girls, my bedroom (shot from inside the closet), and Bessie - who you will notice is not in porportion. Over time we decided that name didn't reflect the actual content of the site very well and the search began to find a new name for the website. We feel that since you are traveling with Bessie a little bit each time you view the pictures in her photo album that the new name fit very well!
When I try to send a postcard I am asked to sign up for a bunch of products. Why is that?
We use an outside service to host our postcard pages. In exchange for being a free service (to me) I agree to let them ask you if you are interested in signing up to learn about many new and exciting products. If you do not wish to do so, you can leave that section blank and continue on through the postcard process. It only takes a few minutes to send a postcard and is well worth your time!
Why do I have to give my email address to send a postcard?
You need to leave your email address so they can send you a confirmation once your postcard is sent.
When I complete my postcard, I get a message that says: "You will receive a confirmation from SiteGadgets.com -- you must reply to this to have your postcard sent!" Is this true?
So far, we have found this to not be true. Your postcard will go through without replying to this email. So pretty much disregard this message.
Can I include a link to TravelwithBessie.com on my website?
Of course you can! And we would be happy to return the favor if you just let us know.
Are all the pictures real, or are they faked?
Trust me, if we were creating these images in Adobe, there would be a lot more locations posted in the Photo Album by now. Every location that Bessie has visited is a 100% original photograph, taken in the precise location described in the caption. And since we are but poor, humble folk - it will take Bessie awhile to visit everywhere she would like to!
THE COW
Where did Bessie come from?
From the great cow stork. Ok really, Bessie was a remnant from my wife's childhood. One day, prior to our wedding, she was going through old boxes of stuff chosing what to save and what to put in a garage sale. Much to her surprise, I was against sending this cute little cow to the sale - and Bessie was saved! Because of this near-death experience, she was given a pretty important status and was even allowed to travel with us on occasion. She was considered our good luck cow on many road trips. It was then realized that it would be funny to photograph her all over the country. Of course, now we are trying to find the people who will think this is funny. I think it's funny, and maybe that's enough.
Bessie isn't a very original name for a cow, is it?
No, not really. Do you care?
How many places has Bessie visited by now?
As we enter the summer of 2002, Bessie has been to 32 total locations. Of those, 17 were cities, 6 were amusement parks, and 9 were various other locations including the Hoover Dam and Niagara Falls. Also, she has been back to 2 previous locations for new pictures. You can see updates highlighted in red in the Table of Contents, as well as see every destination listed in chronological order.
What was Bessie's favorite trip?
Bessie enjoyed her road trip to Florida in March of 2001 the most. She got to see many exciting things such as the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, the CNN center in Atlanta, Disney's Epcot Center, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee on the way home. If you want to fully enjoy this road trip, it's best to start on the Photo Album page for the Mammoth Caves and work your way through them in order.
Does Bessie have any secrets?
Before the idea came to actually photograph Bessie on her journeys, she scored the grandaddy of all vacations: a week in Hawaii! It was our honeymoon in May of 1997 and Bessie somehow snuck into the suitcase. Maybe someday she'll get a retun visit.
Does Bessie take requests?
Bessie would be happy to listen to any requests. However, unless there is money accompanying the request, there is no guarantee that Bessie will visit your desired location any time soon.
Can I buy my own Bessie in the store?
Bessie's exact origins are unknown. The tag on her underbelly says she was made by a company called Fun Farm with a copyright date of 1983. Good luck!
How big is Bessie in real life?
From tail to nose, Bessie measures about 7 1/2 inches long. From the top of her head to the bottom of her hoof, she measures about 5 1/2 inches tall.
Is Bessie easy to photograph?
Bessie isn't shy and she very much likes to be in front of the camera. However, she is a little top heavy, with the weight of her head and all. So, she tips over very easily and sometimes it's difficult to get a good picture when she keeps falling over. It can take some patience, especially on a windy day.
Does bessie prefer to drive or fly?
Bessie by far prefers to drive over flying. It's not that she is afraid of flying, it's just that she enjoys the journey just as much as the destination. With flying there isn't much journey involved except for the flying itself. On a road trip there is much more opportunity for adventure, especially when unexpected side trips come up along the way!
THE LOCATIONS
How come some pictures are taken out a car window and some are not?
The original idea was to take pictures of Bessie on the dash of the car, with the city in the background. It didn't take long to realize that we could get much more interesting pictures if we brought Bessie into the city with us.
How do you take all these pictures in public without people giving you weird looks?
Well yea, it's a little weird photographing a stuffed cow out in public. I would prefer not to have a lot of people around, but often there is no choice. In the end it's well worth it for the great pictures!
How do you choose where Bessie is going to visit next?
Sometimes Bessie tags along on our vacations and sometimes we pick a destination so Bessie can see it. (Or, more accurately, so Bessie can be photographed there.)
Why does Bessie go to so many amusement parks?
Bessie likes amusement parks, and so do we!
In Hollywood, how come there is no picture of Bessie and the famous Hollywood sign?
Have you ever been to Hollywood? Do you know how difficult it is to get a good picture of the Hollywood sign? It's not easy...
What really happened in Tampa?
We got lost, simple as that! We had spent the whole day at Busch Garden's and the plan was to head to downtown Tampa when we were done. Well we got turned around and had a difficult time finding the right road to get downtown. The problem was that it was also the first week of March and it still gets dark pretty early. We weren't going to make it downtown with enough time to get any good pictures in the daylight. So what we ended up with was a beautiful picture out the car window of the "Welcome to Tampa" sign.
Page design Copyright 2002 EAR Productions. All rights reserved.
This site was last updated on July 12, 2002
For more information contact: webmaster@travelwithbessie.com
