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[ SECRET POST #2440 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2440 ⌋

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my SO and i just agreed on taking a break from each other. so i'm going out on a cross-country trip (from California to Washington DC) to clear my head. but the thing is that i will be by myself (i'm a 25 year old female) and i'm kinda nervous. what kind of stuff should I be prepared for? got any tips? and even better, do you know any cool place to check out?

Never sleep in your car; it's worth your life to pay for a hotel room.

Stop everywhere and anywhere that looks interesting. Try to use US and State numbered routes instead of the interstate because otherwise you won't see much at all.

I've driven from Nevada to NY and the western states are very lax about speed limits compared to the east coast. And the east coast has really low speed limits.

Also, having California plates (or any out of state plates) on your car makes you a target for state troopers. Most will pull over someone from out of state before a resident because the money collected from the ticket doesn't draw from within the state's economy.

Also, having California plates (or any out of state plates) on your car makes you a target for state troopers. Most will pull over someone from out of state before a resident because the money collected from the ticket doesn't draw from within the state's economy.

Oh, god, this.

Research, research, research. Google is going to be your best friend. Know what roads you are going to be on and google what's around there. You can never be too prepared. Choose the restaurants ahead of time that you would like to check out. Call ahead to see their hours and what forms of payment they take. You would hate to walk in a place with card in hand only to find out they are cash only.

Call home, family and friends often. Tell them where you are going and when you are going to be there. This time twitter is a God send. Tweet until you get annoying. So, should anything ever happen to you, heaven forbid, people will know where you were last and when you were there. Take pics and upload them for good measure.

But for the most part, have fun. I love road trips.

Oh, and one last tip, make sure you have plenty of music to keep you occupied. The lone CD or mix track that you brought along that was originally your favorite set will become your most hated set after listening to it for the twentieth time.

I travel a lot for work, including long car trips by myself. I wouldn't worry too much. Just use common sense. I'd advise putting effort into being prepared for things like car trouble and severe weather.

A direct route to D.C. probably passes to the south of me, so I don't have a lot of advice about where to go. Devil's Tower in Wyoming is neat. So is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico (although it's a long way from the nearest town/gas station on a rough road). Also in New Mexico: downtown Santa Fe, Pecos National Park, and in the south: White Sands National Monument. East of the Mississippi, right across from St. Louis, is Cahokia Mounds. Um... Chicago has some great museums. That's all I've got, I'm afraid. I tend to cling to the northernmost states, like a spider crawling across the ceiling of the 49th parallel/western Great Lakes.

https://roadtrippers.com/welcome?mode=explore

Someone recommended this website, it might help you.

Do you have any friends/family along the way? I definitely recommend trying to stay with friends and family as will help keep the costs down.

Do you have a tentative route planned? I enjoyed Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville. You could either do a northern route or a Southern route, it's up to you.

Have a twitter account (new or your usual one) public and post geotagged tweets every time you travel more than 100 miles. I did this and got into an accident and it was how my family was able to find me since the police never tried to track them down and I was unconscious so couldn't tell anyone at the hospital who to call. I had a card in my wallet behind my driver's license but no one paid attention to it. But since I geotagged tweets and no one had to sign in to see them, they were able to narrow down the radius for hospitals to check for me.

That's clever and great advice. I'm glad you were doing it when you did.

I drove from Los Angeles to New York when I was 20, so I feel like I should have some advice to give, but all I can think is "Don't watch the Twilight Zone episode 'The Hitch-hiker' the night before you leave."

How many days are you planning on taking?

Researching restaurants ahead of time is a good idea, also, getting paper maps in case you have problems with your phone or whatever you use for directions.

I took the 10 until New Mexico, then went up to the 40 because Texas is just too big.

-Make sure the vehicle you take is in great condition beforehand. Change the oil, check the tire pressure, make sure the radiator has enough fluid, etc etc. Have the car serviced somewhere if you don't feel up to doing these things yourself.
-Have a map, GPS, a charged phone, a quart of oil, distilled water, several days worth of food, a spare tire in good condition, tools for fixing basic stuff, and numbers to call in case you break down and need help. Lack of supplies can turn an irritating delay into a terrible emergency.
-Obey all traffic laws! Tickets are expensive yo.
-You'll probably want an iPod or something full of music, podcasts, and/or or audiobooks to keep you company.
-Stop in at any place that looks interesting. You can find the coolest things sometimes by basically blundering across them and slowing down to take a better look. This is usually how I make the best memories. Researching beforehand doesn't hurt either though!

As for specific cool places, the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Moab, Utah. It's on US Route 191, on the eastern edge of the state, and it is SO PRETTY.And right next to three national parks! I recommend national parks in general, they are good for sightseeing.

This blog has some cool stuff that might give you ideas of things you want to see/do. http://americanroads.tumblr.com/

Jealous. I could use a road trip... and also a break from my SO, but yeah.

One thing that has been invaluable during lengthy trips, or trips that were not supposed to be lengthy but became so along the way due to road or car conditions, is that some of the cheap motel chains have directories that fit in the glove box. Super 8, Motel 6, Red Roof are the ones I know for sure. All tend to be pretty inexpensive but clean, some even have really nice amenities (free breakfast at Super 8, for instance, and at least some now have flat-screen HDTVs in their rooms as well as the fridge and microwave that's standard). And the directories are organized by state, so when you start getting tired for the night, pull over somewhere and have a look at the map for the state you're in (or just about to enter or whatever) and see what's along your route.

They're free and updated yearly with directions, addresses, phone numbers, and pricing, so we pick up a new one once a year if we need to stop at one of those places for the night and just stick them with the road maps.

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[ SECRET POST #2440 ]

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