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Nov. 2nd, 2015 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolariJenn's Fifteen Rules for Roadtripping
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." --Charles Kuralt
1 - Unless it's an issue of time, an emergency, or there's no other way to get where you're going - stay off the freeways. All the good stuff is off the freeways,
2 - Eat where the locals eat Also WHAT they eat..
3 - Do what the locals do.
4 - If you don't know what the locals eat and do, don't be afraid to ask.
5 - Wave at everyone. Even if they don't wave back. Even at other cars on the road.
6 - If you see something interesting...check it out. At best, you'll find something amazing. At worst, you lose a few minutes of time.
7 - Don't overplan. I have a general time frame I'm going to get to my destination, but don't plan down to the minute.
8 - Don't underplan. Check the weather, at least, and make sure you can actually get where you're planning to go.
9A - If you're in the Central Texas area, Richard Zelade's touring books are a MUST HAVE. Would love to see a Western Washington book just as in depth.
9B - For everywhere else in the United States, roadsideamerica.com is your friend.
9C - For everywhere else in the world, you can't go wrong with Rick Steves' guidebooks.
11 - Use GPS. GPS is your friend for marking places you found, places you want to see again, and a great way to backtrack if you get very very very lost.
12 - Google Maps' estimated travel times LIE.
13 - Google Maps' "avoid freeways" and even "walking directions" lead you to neat places
14 - Have a paper map. Better yet, have a county-by-county atlas. Not everywhere in the world has a 4G signal..
15 - Have FUN. If it's not fun, its not worth doing.
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." --Charles Kuralt
1 - Unless it's an issue of time, an emergency, or there's no other way to get where you're going - stay off the freeways. All the good stuff is off the freeways,
2 - Eat where the locals eat Also WHAT they eat..
3 - Do what the locals do.
4 - If you don't know what the locals eat and do, don't be afraid to ask.
5 - Wave at everyone. Even if they don't wave back. Even at other cars on the road.
6 - If you see something interesting...check it out. At best, you'll find something amazing. At worst, you lose a few minutes of time.
7 - Don't overplan. I have a general time frame I'm going to get to my destination, but don't plan down to the minute.
8 - Don't underplan. Check the weather, at least, and make sure you can actually get where you're planning to go.
9A - If you're in the Central Texas area, Richard Zelade's touring books are a MUST HAVE. Would love to see a Western Washington book just as in depth.
9B - For everywhere else in the United States, roadsideamerica.com is your friend.
9C - For everywhere else in the world, you can't go wrong with Rick Steves' guidebooks.
11 - Use GPS. GPS is your friend for marking places you found, places you want to see again, and a great way to backtrack if you get very very very lost.
12 - Google Maps' estimated travel times LIE.
13 - Google Maps' "avoid freeways" and even "walking directions" lead you to neat places
14 - Have a paper map. Better yet, have a county-by-county atlas. Not everywhere in the world has a 4G signal..
15 - Have FUN. If it's not fun, its not worth doing.
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Date: 2015-11-15 02:54 am (UTC)Fast roads are boring, universally. That's why they're fast - great to get somewhere, but that's it.
Local food goes without saying. It's helpful if you can pronounce it, but that's not a necessity. (Money, however, is =:)
Planning? Egad, no. Absolutely, be aware, but I'm definitely not one for laying out any kind of schedule, unless there's some specific need, like the focal point being arriving at some con. Weather, though, goes without saying, especially if you're anywhere prone to extremes of climatic conditions.
I've enjoyed Lonely Planet's books in the past, but these days, I'd more likely just go with the likes of TripAdvisor and Yelp, depending on where - but every locale has their own particular favorite fora (TA's much more useful than Yelp in the UK, f'rex). For any kind of RTW trip, it'd be clearly useful to scope out local SIMs along the way, to avoid insane roaming fees.