Custom-built motorcoaches allow you to explore the country in the same personalized luxury you enjoy on a private jet or yacht.

The words “luxury lifestyle” can’t help but evoke images of international travel aboard private jets or gracious yachts as well as living in cosmopolitan penthouses filled with extraordinary art or perhaps a second (or third) home in a tropical setting with sweeping coastal vistas. It is now time to introduce another luxury lifestyle, one that combines travel and living: It’s coaching—the ultimate way for Baby Boomers to reconnect with memories and for Gen-Xers to discover America for the first time . . . while keeping their feet close to the ground.

On the Road Again “Many of our clients also own planes or boats and homes around the country,” reports Frank Konigseder, vice president of Liberty Coach. Paul Newman, Willie Nelson, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Gordon, Charlie Sheen, President George W. Bush (when he’s campaigning), and other celebrities have found that they can relax in five-star comfort even when staying in places like Nowhere Creek, Nevada. Lots of American families are also purchasing or leasing custom motorcoaches for a variety of other good reasons: They can see the Ozark Mountains from their living room window, swim in the ocean beside their home-away-from-home in Baja, or golf just outside their front door—plus they can sleep in their own bed and never have to pack a suitcase.

Without the necessity of getting a special operator’s license, you can purchase and drive a custom-built motorcoach. You can mortgage and insure it like a second home . . . and deduct the interest on your income taxes, a real benefit since the price tag for the ultimate coach with all the accoutrements can total $2 million. That equates to about $4,800 per square foot for each of the 420 square feet of extended cabin space. Your luxury-on-wheels will be well worth the cost though since it feels more like a yacht than a bus, and, unlike boat or air travel, coachers can take all (or at least most) of their toys with them.

First-Class Accommodations Motorcoaches reach up to lengths of 45 feet, are designed with multiple closets as well as storage bays underneath, and can tow approximately 30 additional feet. The complete design-build process usually takes seven to nine months.

Country Coach, Liberty Coach, and Marathon Coach offer elaborate, custom Prevost (Pray-vo) coach conversions, while Newell Coach builds them from the ground up. These “land yachts” sport Detroit diesels and boast hand-finished and fitted cabinetry, full-size Sub-Zero® refrigerators, washer/dryers, marble surfaces, and onboard navigation and satellite systems, plus retractable large-screen televisions, push-button slide-out living and sleeping areas, and computerized leveling and alert systems. They also come replete with exterior entertainment centers—a must for popular rallies and tailgate parties.

The customization process doesn’t stop with interior space design though. While Liberty Coach’s standard amenities include electric sofa-sleepers, Konigseder reports that for one customer the company designed hydraulic couches on each side of the cabin that elevated to create bunk-bed areas with flip-down televisions.

“We created a teenager’s bedroom in the coach underbelly for one family,” recalls Mary Barton of Marathon Coach. “It was designed with interior access between the ‘downstairs’ and main cabin. For another couple we incorporated a drop-down dining table to create a dance floor.”

Road Trip Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, make up the greatest market segment of coachers. Dave and Nancy Pedersen of Fort Lauderdale retired in 2005, sold their boat, and bought a 40-foot Country Coach. “We love getting up in the morning not knowing where we’re going, like we used to do when we were boaters. Coaching is easier though—I just dial a toll-free number if I have a mechanical problem, or the coach’s voice alert tells me if I’ve done something wrong,” notes Dave.

“We’ve found that coaching is even more social than boating,” he adds. “If I docked my Sea Ray next to a Feadship, the owner would never have invited me over. It’s not like that with coaching. Lots of Prevost owners have Harleys, and on one trip we met other coaching bikers and joined them. If you like boating or biking, you’ll love coaching.” Many of the Pedersens’ friends own motorcoaches, and they share warehouse—“toy box”—space. The Pedersen’s toy box also holds a 1949 Willys Jeepster and a 1950 Series 62 Cadillac convertible. Their warehouse-next-door neighbor has wood flooring with diamond-plate treads for his 2006 Marathon coach. “We’re going to sell the house and travel,” says Pedersen, “but I’ll never sell the toy box.”

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