FAQ

Yes. As a 501(c)(7) social club, we are required to charge a membership fee. MTVT membership allows you to attend the annual event, register for rallies, RSVP for activities, and purchase dinner tickets for the Welcome Reception and Farewell Dinner. The membership fee helps cover our operating costs including the website, state and federal filing fees, room block holds at the resort, welcome packets, and group activities.

The first step is to become an MTVT member. You can do this by clicking on the Membership page and paying the $25 annual membership fee. After you've paid your annual membership fee, you will be automatically registered for the annual event. (If you do not plan to attend the annual event, please let us know: info@mtvt.club). Once rally and event registration opens, you will have access to register for those as well. Some rallies have additional costs (ex: toll roads, tour costs, etc.) but it is not mandatory to participate. We do not charge any additional fees to participate in rallies. There is a per person fee to participate in the following activities, which are completely optional: - Thursday night Welcome Reception - Saturday night Farewell Dinner

The event itself and the rallies are free, however you must be an active MTVT member to register for the event, rallies, and activities. The annual membership fee is $25 per MINI. Some some rallies may ask for or require a small fee to participate in a particular portion of the rally. Examples include toll roads and tours.

We'd love it if you did! These dinners are not mandatory but they are open to anyone who would like to attend. Please note that you must sign up and buy your ticket(s) ahead of time. This is non-negotiable. We have to give final numbers to our caterers before the event so they can plan accordingly. No additional guests will be allowed if tickets are not purchased by deadline.

Absolutely! We understand that not everyone can attend each day due to scheduling conflicts or distance. You're welcome to join us for any portion of the event that you're able to make, even if it's just for the day on Friday or Saturday. Welcome Packets can be picked up during the following times: - Thursday night at the Welcome Reception (you do NOT need to purchase a ticket for the Welcome Reception if you're just picking up your packet) - Friday morning from 7:30AM - 8:30AM while we lineup for rallies - Saturday morning from 7:30AM - 8:30AM while we lineup for rallies

Yourself and your MINI, of course! There are a few additional items we would recommend: - Warm clothes. Vermont in mid-October can get cold, especially in the higher elevations. Make sure you pack layers! It may be chilly in the morning but it could warm up throughout the day. We also recommend packing a jacket, just in case. - Two-way radios. While these aren't required, we strongly recommend them. We use radios on every rally to communicate. It will make your journey that much easier if you're able to stay informed as we go. Everyone has their own preferences, but Motorola and Midland are two brands that are popular. Just make sure your radio has the option for multiple channels! - Snacks and water. While we factor in stops for bathroom breaks or meals (when applicable) there are times when a rally could be passing through fairly remote locations. Staying fueled and hydrated throughout the day is important! - A pre-downloaded (or physical) map of Vermont. There are a lot of areas in Vermont, including bigger towns, that have spotty cell service. We strongly recommend downloading the map of Vermont via Google Maps prior to the trip. This will ensure you have directions even if you don't have service where we are. We will post instructions on how to do this on the Facebook group closer to the event. - A playlist. Similar to the above, not all areas are satellite-friendly. If you need your tunes on the road, prepare a playlist in advance! - Basic maintenance/detail items. Maybe this doesn't need to be said, but come prepared anyway! Bring extra oil, windshield washer fluid (or glass cleaner - there are lots of bugs), etc. to make sure you're prepared for any issues. Better safe than sorry! - A sense of fun and adventure! Be ready to share some great laughs and routes with other enthusiasts.

Mostly. We love our furry friends and they are more than welcome to join us for the long weekend however we can't guarantee all parts of the event will be pet friendly. For example, some lunch stops may not allow pets.

We have a Welcome Reception on Thursday evening that you are welcome to register for but attendance is not required! The Welcome Reception is a chance to meet fellow attendees, pick up your Welcome Packet, and have some dinner with us. You can purchase ticket(s) for the Welcome Reception on the Rallies & Events page once you've paid your annual membership fee. If you can't make it on Thursday, no worries! Rallies begin on Friday morning (we'll have your Welcome Packet at rally line-up.) We host a campfire and beer swap group activity on Friday night. Saturday also has rallies. (We'll still have your Welcome Packet if you're only joining us on Saturday.) We host a Farewell Dinner with charity raffle (tickets required) on Saturday night.

We spend a lot of time designing rallies for you. We try to pre-run all routes to ensure there are no issues along the way. Only MTVT members who have paid their annual membership fee will be able to register for rallies. The Rallies & Events page shows the schedule of events along with rally information including: - where you'll go or what you'll see - any stops along the way We do our best to provide a variety of options but ultimately, the choice is yours! Registration is required and there is a limit to the number of MINIs allowed on each rally. ​ Please only register for rallies on days that you plan to attend. For example, if you can't make it until Saturday, please don't register for a Friday rally. ​ If you've never been on a rally before, don't worry! We have drivers meeting before rallies launch that will important safety information and reminders for all attendees. If you still feel nervous, don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Rallies will launch from Smuggs' Parking Lots 2 & 3 (5684 VT-108, Jeffersonville, VT 05464, USA) Line up starts at 7:30am. There is a mandatory drivers' meeting at 8:45am. Rallies begin launching at 9:00am. Look for the checkered flag at the entrance to the parking lot. Admins will direct you to line up behind the colored flag of your rally. Your rally color is included on the Rally Sheets in your Welcome Packet. An admin will also tie a ribbon to your MINI's antenna to help other admins place you into the correct rally line.

A rally leader is a volunteer member of our club that leads a group of MINIs on a rally. They are responsible for sharing directions on their two-way radio, letting their group know if there are objects/potholes on the road, if there are walkers/cars/runners on the side of the road, if there is oncoming traffic on narrow roads, or other information that's helpful for the group to know. Rally leaders may also share (via the two-way radio) objects of interest along the rally route such as historical sites, covered bridges, or fun facts about the area. A rally sweeper is a volunteer member of our club that takes the last spot in the convoy of MINIs. They are responsible for letting the leader know when all MINIs have made it safely through an intersection and they confirm directions and information by "passing it back up" through the group in case others missed the directions or information from the leader.

- Drive with your headlights on for greater visibility - If the group pulls over to the side of the road, turn your hazards on - Use the two-way radio to pass information from the leader to the sweeper and vice versa - Don't follow too closely but ensure the gap is small enough in busy areas to keep the group together - Do not drive at a speed that you are uncomfortable with - communicate with your rally leader

We recommend bringing the following items with you in the car: - A two-way radio to communicate with your rally leader, sweeper, and to pass information along to others - GPS enabled device with offline loaded maps in case you get separated from your group - Phone charger - Snacks and water

We have a 15 MINI limit on most of our rallies. This helps ensure the leaders and sweepers can manage their group as effectively as possible. Some rallies may have more or less than 15 MINIs and the event details will indicate these limits. Registration for a rally will close when the rally is at capacity.

MTVT has become bigger and better than we ever thought possible, but that means there's more overhead and out-of-pocket expenses the admin team has to pay for. In order to eliminate the tax burden and financial responsibility from the admins, we incorporated as a 501(c)(7) social club in Vermont, a non-profit IRS status. The admins do not take any income. Annual membership fees, activity registration fees, and merchandise proceeds help cover our operating costs including the website, state and federal filing fees, room block holds at the resort, welcome packets, and group activities.

Your accommodation choices are completely up to you. We negotiate room blocks with our host location, but these tend to fill up quickly. We urge people to check sites like AirBnB or HomeAway, to name just a few, to see what your other options are. We can help connect you with other people looking to split the cost of these rentals, or you can post on the Facebook group. More information about the room block can be found on the Lodging page.

Each year we provide you with a Welcome Packet at MTVT. You can pick up your packet at the Welcome Reception on Thursday, or during rally line up on Friday and Saturday morning. Your Welcome Packet contains: - A Welcome to MTVT document - Schedule of events - Maps and rally lineup information - A local dining directory - Details about this year's charity - Rally safety information - This year's static cling decal - Rally Sheets. These Rally Sheets contain details about the rallies you registered for, a QR code of the turn-by-turn directions, who your rally leader is, which radio channel to use, your rally color (used for rally lineup), details of where you will be rallying to and your stops, and any additional notes.