The Chase Day
First and foremost - expect to chase storms! What does that mean? Simply put, our Tour Director's "never say die" attitude means that we'll do whatever is required to get to the action. This might mean that we'll skip a few meals, or we might have to drive longer than expected times in order to pre-position ourselves closer to the target area for the next day, but whatever the cost - our goal is to find storms and so you should be prepared for the unexpected and each day will likely be very different than the previous day.

When considering storm chasing, think about our "playing field," we cover just about everything between the Texas Gulf Coast all the way into the Canadian Priaries and as far west as the Rocky Mountains to as far east as...well, lets just say that we've traveled all the way to Alabama during a tour in order to chase a storm. In most cases however we'll rarely travel that far east. In any event, this is a massive amount of land to cover and that means we will be driving - a lot!

We usually try to get a quick meal in the afternoon, and if it's an active chase day (not all will be) then its highly likely that we won't be stopping to eat after that. If the day doesn't look as if it will present us with a storm to chase, then we'll have more time and we will enjoy a nice dinner (by "nice" we mean its served on a plate and doesn't come in a wrapper), something that we can sit down to as a group and enjoy. On active chase days it is recommended that everyone carefully monitors their fluid intake. Once we get into our target area, its very likely there won't be a lot of places to stop for "nature calls" when nature calls.

Each day will be a different adventure with Violent Skies Tours. This is because every day brings new forecasting challenges and usually takes us down a different road to a new destination. Whether we start our day in the Texas Panhandle and drive to Eastern Colorado, or from Iowa to Oklahoma each day will be a new adventure with lots of exciting and fun moments.

What to bring

• Six days worth of clothes, include at least one pair of pants. Shorts with zip on legs are ideal.
• One light rain-proof jacket.
• Sweatshirt.
• Comfortable shoes with adequate soles.
• Essential toiletry items only.
• One non-hard duffel style bag for your belongings. No Hard Suit Cases.
• One smaller bag for in the van.
• Camera, Photo/Video Equipment.
• Insect repellent and sun screen.
• Any motion-sickness suppression devices (medication, wristbands, etc).
• You're welcome to bring DVDs.
• Feel free to bring along your laptop.

The Road Trip
Storm chasing involves driving - and lots of it. We wish everyone could come on a Violent Skies Tour, however if you have a medical condition that prevents you from sitting for extended periods of time or if you cannot get in and out of a van unassisted, or if you don't like the thought of sitting in a confined space with other people for extended periods, then storm chasing is probably not for you.

Comfort & Quality
When you travel an average of 500 miles per day, comfort is important. The touring vans at Violent Skies are the most comfortable vans owned by any storm chasing company. Violent Skies vans feature captain seats with lumbar support for all passengers, custom-built consoles with magazine pockets and cup holders, overhead lighting and custom stereo speaker installation throughout. Vans are also equipped with the latest in mobile meteorology technology and are nothing short of a weather forecasting center on wheels.

Rest Stops
Some days will have more active weather days than others. On days when we will require a lot of driving, we will not make frequent stops. In fact, we'll most likely only stop for fuel. These days require a quick lunch and we are off and running. You'll of course want to limit your fluid intake on such days!

Chase Mode
Chase mode is what we call the time period when we are actively trying to intercept a storm that is forming. This is a very exciting time that requires total concentration between our tour guides and drivers. When we are in chase mode, satellite television will be turned off and a live radar image will be projected on the van's television monitors for our tour guest's viewing pleasure.

Risk and Hazards
There are risks involved in any pursuit of severe weather. We do our best to provide a safe storm chasing experience, however it is possible to incur injuries even on our tours. Such risks include debris flying through the air, inhaling dust that is blown from the ground, lightning strikes and being hit by other storm chasing vehicles when we are parked just off the road. We take safety very seriously, and we ask each of our tour guests to listen closely to our tour guides when they make safety announcements, such as "Get in the vans," or "Please stay off the road." With a little common sense and paying attention to your tour guide, we will all have a lot of fun and stay accident-free.

Hotels
Our tours often stay in a different hotel each night of the night, when possible we'll try our best to stay in the same hotel from time to time. Our tour guides have extensive knowledge of the various towns and cities located across Tornado Alley. Our tours will stay in select comfortable hotels, such as the hotels from the list below or a comparable establishment. Ocassionally, we may end up in a remote area of Tornado Alley with a very limited choice of hotels. In such a case, we'll do our best to ensure that your overnight stay is safe and comfortable. We prefer to stay in hotels with high-speed internet access, and tour guest are encouraged to bring their laptop computers.

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