Exhibit 31.1

                            CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
                             RULE 13a-14(a)/15-14(a)
               OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED

I, Michael L. Bowlin, certify that:

     1.   I have  reviewed this  quarterly  report on Form 10-Q of Bowlin Travel
          Centers, Inc.;

     2.   Based on my  knowledge,  this  quarterly  report  does not contain any
          untrue  statement of a material  fact or omit to state a material fact
          necessary to make the statements  made, in light of the  circumstances
          under which such  statements were made, not misleading with respect to
          the period covered by this quarterly report;

     3.   Based on my knowledge,  the financial statements,  and other financial
          information  included in this quarterly report,  fairly present in all
          material respects the financial  condition,  results of operations and
          cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods  presented in
          this quarterly report;

     4.   The Registrant's  other certifying  officers and I are responsible for
          establishing  and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as
          defined  in  Exchange  Act  Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e)  for  the
          Registrant and we have:

               (a) designed such  disclosure  controls and  procedures or caused
               such disclosure  controls and procedures to be designed under our
               supervision,  to ensure that material information relating to the
               Registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made
               known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during
               the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

               (b) evaluated the  effectiveness of the  Registrant's  disclosure
               controls  and   procedures  and  presented  in  this  report  our
               conclusions  about the  effectiveness of the disclosure  controls
               and  procedures,  as of the  end of the  period  covered  by this
               report based on such evaluation; and

               (c)  disclosed  in this  report  any  change in the  Registrant's
               internal  control over financial  reporting that occurred  during
               the  registrant's  most recent fiscal  quarter (the  Registrant's
               fourth fiscal  quarter in the case of an annual  report) that has
               materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially
               affect,   the   Registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
               reporting.

     5.   The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based
          on our most recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
          reporting,  to the  Registrant's  auditors and the audit  committee of
          Registrant's  Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent
          function):

               (a) all significant  deficiencies and material  weaknesses in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial  reporting
               which are reasonable  likely to adversely affect the Registrant's
               ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
               information; and

               (b) any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management
               or  other   employees  who  have  a   significant   role  in  the
               Registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date:  September 11, 2003              /s/ Michael L. Bowlin
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       Michael L. Bowlin, Chairman of the Board,
                                       President and Chief Executive Officer
                                       Bowlin Travel Centers, Inc.