After we sold our diversity consulting firm last June, I thought my husband, Lee, and I should take a celebratory trip. My business partner, Myrna, went on an Alaskan Cruise. Being the less intelligent partner, I decided that my husband and I should take a month long driving trip in my new hybrid Toyota. We went south as far as St. Louis, west as far as Boulder, spent time in the Black Hills and Badlands and ended the trip just making it to a friend's surprise 60th birthday party in Sioux Falls. Next time, I want to go for three months, but we'll be wiser about what we bring and how we do it. Here are six things we'd advise all who are planning extensive road trips:
1. Give People You Are Visiting Only a Ballpark ETA
Next time we'd tell friends who say, "You have to stay with us on your trip", that we will try to visit them but we'll be playing it loose. We will promise to call them at least 24 hours before we are going to descend on them. That way, we are free to decide to spend more time in a strange little town we discover- which is part of the fun.
2. Travel Light
Even though you have an entire back seat and roomy trunk, control yourself. The problem 'overpacking' creates is that every night you have to lug two big suitcases and a cooler and your favorite pillow and...into a hotel. It gets old! If you carry a lot in the car, divide it up so each traveleer needs to carry a small bag into our hotel each night. Note: if you are over 60, ask for a senior rate and you'll almost always get one. At any Marriott, you"ll not only get the rate but you'll also get free parking (even valet) in many metropolitan locations.
3. Have a Cooler in Your Backseat
Keep ice, water, sodas, healthy snacks, etc. in a cooler so that while you travel you aren't trempted to get unhealthy and fattening snacks every time you make a pit stop. Stop at a supermarket every few days to get the things that are good for you and a few treats. If you plan ahead, you can have healthy or gourmet (are those mutually exclusive?) picnics at scenic sites along the way.
4. Take the Side Roads and Back Roads
Get off the freeway. Follow the two land roads and agree to stop in any town or roadside attraction that anyone in the car finds interesting. We spent an unforgettable evening in a diner talking to three Harley riding boomers on an adventure across the country. I recommend reading the book, Blue HIghways, by William Leas Head Moon before you take off.
5. Ask Locals
Everywhere we went we would ask the waitress, the hotel clerk, local friends or fellow travelers for ideas of places we should go or things we should see. Those questions led us to incredible meals like the $8 gourmet steak dinner we had in Salina, Kansas. The experience was enhanced by the $2.50 Manhattans which were the best I've ever tasted. We also spend two fun nights listening to incredible music and dancing at the Electric Piano in Hilton Head.
6. Keep Alert
For the long, boring parts of the trip, carry crosswords and mind puzzles or trivia cards to ask each other questions. We had my iPod (the iPhone would do the same) loaded up with quiz shows, MPR stories, stories and comedy acts to name a few. We hooked it into the speakers and stay entertained and awake.
What to Carry in Your Wise Pack Travel Purse
Bring antiseptic wipes, cleaner for your glasses and a diary to record where you go and what you do each day. Keep the diary current because on a long trip it all blends together after a week or so. Carry your camera or iPhone and take a picture of you and your fellow travelers in front of everywhere you stay each morning and night in addition to the attractions you visit. Take pictures of the people you meet in their environments because those pictures will trigger memorable events.
Extra note: Have comfortable walking shoes in the car and make a commitment to walk or bike (at an aerobic pace) outside at least an hour a day to keep in shape.
