Tips for Traveling by Car

Summer is upon us, and with that vacation time.  People will be hoping in their cars and taking off to explore the country.  I wrote this last year and it has some good travel tips for those making car trips.  I thought I would re-post it.

“Thanks to the Interstate Hwy System, it is now possible to travel across the country, from coast to coast, without seeing anything.” Charles Kuralt

 

Driving near Sedona, Arizona

Since I retired from my job as a travel agent, we have had the time to take more road trips. As much as I love seeing other countries, I realize that our country also has a lot to see. And I don't want to miss all the wonderful things there are to see here. Traveling by car does allow you to see things that you miss while on a plane or a train. But it can also be tiring. Long hours of sitting in a car can take a toll on you as much as a long plane trip can. But if you take your time, it can be very rewarding.

Driving near Stowe, Vermont

I remember a group of Japanese tourists that came to see me when I was working at AAA. They asked me to map out a trip for them and to book hotels. They wanted to see some of our national parks and some of our more famous sights. They had 2 weeks, and they planned to go over to the Grand Canyon, then to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, then across to Yellowstone, and then back to California and down through Yosemite and Sequoia. 

A stream in Sequoia NP

I told them that the trip was impossible in that short of a time. They didn't understand how big our country is, and how much distance would be between those locations, they would be in the car all day, every day. They said that they knew, and it wasn't a problem. They just wanted to see those things, and take pictures, they didn't need to spend any time there. I guess, if that is how they wanted to travel, who was I to talk them out of it. But that is not my idea of a good trip.

We all want to cram too much into vacations some times. You think, “when will I ever get back here, I need to see it while I'm here.” But no matter what the urge, we need to plan road trips out so that we have time to see what we are going to see. And as the quote at the beginning points out, that means getting off the interstate and seeing the actual county.

Yosemite National Park

TIP: If going to see several National Parks, consider purchasing the Annual pass at the entrance to the first park. The cost of the annual pass is $80 and will give you and the passengers of your car, entrance to any National Park in the USA, for one year. Since most National Parks charge an entrance fee of $20 per car to enter, if you are traveling to several parks on one trip, it would pay for itself at the 4^th park, and you would still have the pass for the rest of the year, to use for future adventures.

The Senior Pass is an even better bargain. Once you turn 62 you can purchase a Senior Pass for $10. This will get you and any passengers in your car into all the National Parks, and the pass is for the lifetime of the person who purchases it. You must be a citizen of the USA to purchase this pass.

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Consider becoming a member of AAA. They will plan your trip out for you on a TripTix. You tell them where you want to go, what stops you would like to make, and they will map it out for you, and give you books on the areas where you are going. I know that with todays GPS systems and the internet, you may not feel this is necessary, but for a long trip, the TripTix is a great tool. And if you have children traveling with you, it gives them something to follow along on. They can flip the pages as you go, and they can see how close they are getting to their destination.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Here are some other travel tips that we have come up with during our years of traveling by car:

• Don't wait until your gas gauge says empty, especially when traveling in rural areas. Fill up when you see a gas station available, you may get into an area where there are no open stations.
•  
• Take snacks with you from home, or stop at grocery stores for snacks. Gas stations and convenience stores are more expensive, and have less healthy choices.
• Know the driving laws for the states you are going through. Laws vary from state to state. For example - not every state allows for a free right hand turn.

• 

  New Hampshire

  Do not drive while talking on a cell phone. It is against the law in most states, unless using a hands-free device.
• Consider joining AAA, they will provide towing and emergency road service in all 50 states and Canada.
• Keep your suitcases and camera equipment, and any valuables locked in the trunk and out of sight when you are parked. 
• Take your own music with you for entertainment. You will not have to keep finding new radio stations every few miles. We travel with our IPOD and CD's.
• If you have kids or dogs traveling with you, make sure you stop often for potty breaks and to stretch their legs.
• Take turns driving if there are several drivers on the trip.
• Make sure you have a good co-pilot to follow a map and get you to your destination, but don't be afraid to wander off the path and see something that wasn't in your schedule.

Near Sedona, Arizona

And the most important rule is to enjoy the scenery, stop and smell the roses, see the sights, and have fun!

Does anyone remember the old Burma Shave signs along the highway? They used to be everywhere, for those of you old enough to remember. They were amusing, and gave us something to look for while traveling. Recently, while driving in Arizona, we came across a couple. They brought back some nostalgia. Here are the 2 we saw:

You can drive -  A mile a minute - But there is no -  Future in it -  Burma Shave

Big mistake -  Many make -  Rely on horn - Instead of brake - Burma Shave

Have Dogs, Will Travel

This is an article I wrote last year, with summer coming I though I would re-post it.

 



"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old familiar pillow." Lin Yutang

On a trip to Joshua Tree NP

Much of the travel my husband and I do is by plane. We have two dogs, Baxter and Sadie, and when we travel by plane, they stay home with a house/dog sitter. But now that we are retired and have more free time, we are able to get away more often. So, while we still take the trips by plane, we have also been doing more car trips. When we travel by car, our dogs quite often come with us. And they love to go – anywhere. Just say the word "GO" and they are ready.

Baxter & Sadie in the car

We purchased them a car seat. It is a raised bed that is big enough for 2 of them to lay in and they have a harness that fastens them in. It still gives them room to sit up and move around some, but if we stop quick or are in an accident, it will give them some protection, at least they won't go flying. On short trips the one bed works fine, but we found that on longer trips they needed 2 separate beds, so we ended up buying another bed. That is so that we don't get that growl from the backseat which translates to “Mom, she's touching me!' They really are like traveling with kids.

Dogs and Me at Lake Louise, Canada

In today's world, more and more hotels are realizing that pets are part of the family, and there are many hotels that accept pets. From the inexpensive to the expensive. If we are just trying to get somewhere and not stopping there as a destination, we will quite often look for a Motel 6. If it's late and we just want a place to sleep, Motel 6 will ALWAYS take our pets. Most of them are basic but clean. However, there are some I look at and decide to pass up. My next options are Best Western, Comfort Inn, Days Inn or La Quinta, because about 70- 80% of those chains will take pets. If you are in the Pacific Northwest there is a chain called Shilo, and they are pet-friendly. If you are into high-end hotels, then Lowe's Resorts, Residence Inn and I believe some Four Season hotels will take your pet. Some of the hotels do charge extra for pets, and some require a deposit in case of accidents.

Baxter at the Farmers Market in Banff

If you are going to a National Park, check their pet policy. Most allow them, but they have rules. For example, we took our dogs to Yellowstone. Driving around was no problem, but all of the trails were “no dogs allowed”. If we wanted to go see the geyser on the trail we had to take turns staying with them, while the other person hiked the trail. It took twice as long to see everything, and we couldn't do it together. We had a cabin in the park, but you aren't allowed to leave your dogs alone there, and I wouldn't anyway. And never leave them unatteneded in a car, If it is hot, the heat that can kill them in minutes, but even if it's cold, if you are in a park then there is the possibility of wild animals. A bear can get into a car, and a dog might look tempting.

Getting to your destination takes a little longer with pets. You will have to stop every couple of hours to let them stretch their legs and pee. I think this is a good thing. Without the pets we tend to just keep going and then we are stiff and sore, the pets give us an excuse to stop. Also, meals are a little more difficult. We stop at fast food places with outdoor eating areas, so that the dogs can get out of the car. Or we pick up sandwiches and find a park or roadside rest area to eat in.

Going up the mountain in a gondola

We recently took our 2 dogs on a 6 week trip. We drove from San Diego to Washington state. That was a 2 day trip. We have a cabin in Washington, and when we got there they were happy, it's there second home and they are familiar with it. They can walk around without leashes. They even get in the inner-tube with me and float in the river. Then we spent a week on the Washington coast, and they loved that. We walked down to the beach every day and they got to run up and down the beach, smelling all the neat smells, and playing in the waves. They do love the beach. From there we headed north into Canada. We spent a week in a pet-friendly condo in Banff National Park, with day trips to Lake Louise and the glaciers. They seemed to enjoy that, they even saw 4 bears – from the safety of their car seat, and quite a few deer, and mountain goats. Baxter's favorite thing was chasing the ground squirrels outside the condo. He even got to ride a gondola to the top of the mountain in Banff – it is a pet-friendly gondola.

Stretching their legs on the trip home

A word about crossing the border into Canada and back to the U.S. I did call ahead of time to confirm what would be needed at the border crossing. We needed our passports, of course, and the dogs needed up-to-date shot records and I was told that they would need to look healthy.

At the end of our 6 week adventure, I will have to say that the dogs looked relieved to be home. The trip home took us 4 days, as we detoured through Glacier National Park. I really think they enjoyed the trip, and they always prefer to be with their people and not left behind, but when they saw that they were home they were beside themselves with joy. For several days when we would ask them if they wanted to go – the answer was obviously NO, as they would run upstairs and sit down and look at us.

Dogs on the deck overlooking the river

So, if you have pets, my advice is – take them with you, but be aware of their needs, keep them restrained in the car, never leave them in the car alone, take all their food and water supplies and some toys. And make sure you check restrictions on where you are going.


Dogs with me in the inner-tube on the river

 

Traveling the USA & Canada by car

“Thanks to the Interstate Hwy System, it is now possible to travel across the country, from coast to coast, without seeing anything.” Charles Kuralt

 

 

Driving near Sedona, Arizona

Since I retired from my job as a travel agent, we have had the time to take more road trips. As much as I love seeing other countries, I realize that our country also has a lot to see. And I don't want to miss all the wonderful things there are to see here. Traveling by car does allow you to see things that you miss while on a plane or a train. But it can also be tiring. Long hours of sitting in a car can take a toll on you as much as a long plane trip can. But if you take your time, it can be very rewarding.

Driving near Stowe, Vermont

I remember a group of Japanese tourists that came to see me when I was working at AAA. They asked me to map out a trip for them and to book hotels. They wanted to see some of our national parks and some of our more famous sights. They had 2 weeks, and they planned to go over to the Grand Canyon, then to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore, then across to Yellowstone, and then back to California and down through Yosemite and Sequoia. 

A stream in Sequoia NP

I told them that the trip was impossible in that short of a time. They didn't understand how big our country is, and how much distance would be between those locations, they would be in the car all day, every day. They said that they knew, and it wasn't a problem. They just wanted to see those things, and take pictures, they didn't need to spend any time there. I guess, if that is how they wanted to travel, who was I to talk them out of it. But that is not my idea of a good trip.

We all want to cram too much into vacations some times. You think, “when will I ever get back here, I need to see it while I'm here.” But no matter what the urge, we need to plan road trips out so that we have time to see what we are going to see. And as the quote at the beginning points out, that means getting off the interstate and seeing the actual county.

Yosemite National Park

TIP: If going to see several National Parks, consider purchasing the Annual pass at the entrance to the first park. The cost of the annual pass is $80 and will give you and the passengers of your car, entrance to any National Park in the USA, for one year. Since most National Parks charge an entrance fee of $20 per car to enter, if you are traveling to several parks on one trip, it would pay for itself at the 4^th park, and you would still have the pass for the rest of the year, to use for future adventures.

The Senior Pass is an even better bargain. Once you turn 62 you can purchase a Senior Pass for $10. This will get you and any passengers in your car into all the National Parks, and the pass is for the lifetime of the person who purchases it. You must be a citizen of the USA to purchase this pass.

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Consider becoming a member of AAA. They will plan your trip out for you on a TripTix. You tell them where you want to go, what stops you would like to make, and they will map it out for you, and give you books on the areas where you are going. I know that with todays GPS systems and the internet, you may not feel this is necessary, but for a long trip, the TripTix is a great tool. And if you have children traveling with you, it gives them something to follow along on. They can flip the pages as you go, and they can see how close they are getting to their destination.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Here are some other travel tips that we have come up with during our years of traveling by car:

• Don't wait until your gas gauge says empty, especially when traveling in rural areas. Fill up when you see a gas station available, you may get into an area where there are no open stations.
• Take snacks with you from home, or stop at grocery stores for snacks. Gas stations and convenience stores are more expensive, and have less healthy choices.
• Know the driving laws for the states you are going through. Laws vary from state to state. For example - not every state allows for a free right hand turn.

• 

  New Hampshire

  Do not drive while talking on a cell phone. It is against the law in most states, unless using a hands-free device.
• Consider joining AAA, they will provide towing and emergency road service in all 50 states and Canada.
• Keep your suitcases and camera equipment, and any valuables locked in the trunk and out of sight when you are parked. 
• Take your own music with you for entertainment. You will not have to keep finding new radio stations every few miles. We travel with our IPOD and CD's.
• If you have kids or dogs traveling with you, make sure you stop often for potty breaks and to stretch their legs.
• Take turns driving if there are several drivers on the trip.
• Make sure you have a good co-pilot to follow a map and get you to your destination, but don't be afraid to wander off the path and see something that wasn't in your schedule.

Near Sedona, Arizona

And the most important rule is to enjoy the scenery, stop and smell the roses, see the sights, and have fun!

Does anyone remember the old Burma Shave signs along the highway?  They used to be everywhere, for those of you old enough to remember.   They were amusing, and gave us something to look for while traveling.  Recently, while driving in Arizona, we came across a couple.  They brought back some nostalgia.  Here are the 2 we saw:

You can drive    A mile a minute      But there is no     Future in it        Burma Shave

Big mistake      Many make            Rely on horn        Instead of brake    Burma Shave