1. The kind of trip where you casually go from Point A to Point B with no real agenda or schedule just enjoying whatever the road brings your way. I don't do this type.
2. The kind of trip where you have things planned at Point A, Point B, Point C and Point D and you try to keep the travel time to a minimum, don't dilly-dally and maximize your use of that time on the road to do other things besides just drive (and try not to get distracted by shiny things, crash or get pulled over.... very often). These are the kind of trips that I think I have gotten very good at over the years.
When I was very young, even before starting school, my family would make an annual pilgrimage from New Jersey to visit my Mom's family in Michigan. Once my brother came along, that was almost always a road trip. A one day affair starting with the full length of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, across Ohio, briefly into Indiana and then we'd make a right. In fact, some of my earliest memories are from those trips.
In the late 80's, I was finishing High School while living with my Dad in Georgia and my Mom still lived in New Jersey, where I had gone to school until halfway through 11th grade. Obviously, I still had friends and most of my family up north, so I would try to get back there as often as I could. This meant getting really familiar with the portion of the I-95 Corridor through The Carolina's, Virginia and the DC/Baltimore area. It also provided an opportunity to get pulled over in excess of 100mph in a car that whose speedometer only displayed up to 85... (not a proper defense, apparently). These road trips during my teenage years, trying to squeeze a 12 hour (each way) road trip and a couple days at home into long school holiday weekends set me up for the way I like to road travel over 20 years later:
1. Late at night whenever possible, when there is less traffic.
2. Long Straight Shots from one point of activity to another.
3. With lots of caffeine, music, books on tape, talk radio or other distractions to keep me awake.
4. Alone*.
Some Recommended Principles:
Traffic is the TimeKiller.
Avoid at all costs, including a little sleep deprivation. In the old days, Looking at a map and figuring the distance, averaging 60mph (80mph - gas/food stops for a long or longer type trip) and coming up with an estimated time of arrival became a science. Hitting traffic, a major accident or unexpected construction meant needing to increase average speed in the clear areas. I have tried a lot of different strategies over the years: alternate route, hit a restaurant and wait, hop in and out of the shoulder. When it comes to long distance interstate travel, none of them work. Unless you know the alternate route, this can be more trouble than it is worth. If I go to a restaurant or other diversion, I just can't help thinking that the traffic disappeared 43 seconds after I got off the interstate. The shoulder hopping method actually does work for a short sprint to get to an exit or something but it is fraught with legal and road rage dangers, so I really don't do that... The Exception is going way off the shoulder (or even off-road) to get around the self imposed Road Ranger Truck Driver that takes it upon himself to block a lane miles before a merge in order to establish what he believes to be the right pace. They might be right, but it bothers me in principal, so I'll hop around those guys in a flash... often with a friendly wave as if to say "hey man, no problem, I don't mind that you were blocking the lane."
I haven't found GPS to be particularly helpful in navigating around traffic, either.
I will say that over the past few months, I have grown really fond of using the Maps App on my iPad to navigate. It is really the best of both worlds. I get to look at a map, with a highlighted route, know exactly where I am on it AND actually see things other than the specific road I'm on (unlike robotically following the directions issued from the pulpit of a GPS unit only knowing when the next turn is coming up). I even used this knowledge once to successfully get around a big wreck in northern Delaware when I saw a major highway that paralleled the interstate and was literally at a standstill.
Eat to Live.
Only. Stopping for an extended time for fine dining is a huge time waster. The road trip gets you to real food eventually (hopefully with good company!)... fruit, vegetables, nuts, bottled water, meal bars, snickers, Combos, Doritos, Red Bull and/or drive-thrus (if you must) should be your staples if you are really trying to get somewhere... and don't ever stop for food if you're not getting gas.
Gas Stations have bathrooms.
Seriously (and I've only had one gas station actually shut off my pump for leaving it unattended while I used their bathroom). Unless you are bordering on exploding, don't make a special bathroom stop. If you aren't going to stop for gas before you reach your destination, you should be able to hold it. PS- Hotel Room keys wedged properly can keep the gas pump running if some tool has removed the little stay-open-plate from the handle.
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| My FJ Cruiser Office, circa Jan 2010... since then, I've upgraded to a BB Torch and added an iPad... but the Mac and Aircard are still there for the heavy lifting. For the last couple of years, the Toyota has been my primary vehicle for road trips. A dozen trips up and down the east coast, countless trips into the south and out to the midwest and back and a couple of true cross-country runs. Highly Recommended... and you can't beat the built in AC! |
But, be safe. Unless you are incredibly challenged as a driver, do something besides keep your hands at 2 and 10 and constantly scan mirrors & blind spots. you can be completely safe and listen to a book on tape. People have (mostly) managed to change radio stations for a long time while driving... search out some talk radio. Certain places prohibit the use of a cell phone, but at least you can still (usually) use a hands free set-up to catch up with family & friends or do some business.
So, there's some opinions from a guy who literally lives on the road and has been regularly thanking Eisenhower for our Interstate System for over two decades. True, over the last year or two, about 50% of my travel has been by air, but I still prefer the Road Trip.
-RJP
* As far as the traveling alone thing, I can't say that I haven't had some really fun road trips with friends, my daughter or other family members... but they are the exception. If you look at the way I like to travel and consider the principles I espoused, the best "travel partners" (ie-passengers) for me to travel with would have no agenda of their own, be sleeping in the back seat and fasting.
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