How to drive across the USA

Rte 52

"A remarkably freeing experience!"

How it made me feel: Contented

How I did it: I spent a few months planning my trip, and in the end just ended up doing what I felt like at any given moment.  I wrote lists and lists (I'm a list-maker) of places I wanted to see, routes I would take, people I would visit, cheap hotels...and in the end, the people won out over places and routes. 

I brought along my camping gear, stayed a few nights in state parks, stayed with family and friends, and even a few nights in highway rest areas.  Only two nights did I spend money on hotel rooms. 

I was on my own, so I had a great playlist put together, and if I didn't feel like doing a planned activity or sight, then I didn't go.  If a billboard on the highway moved me to some weird corner of the backwoods, so be it. 

All in all, it was a great way to see the bit of country I saw, catch up with friends and family, visit some old haunts, and have some quiet time for self-reflection.

Lessons & tips: Make sure your car is in good, working order.  Nothing worse than having to call AAA in The Middle of Nowhere, South Carolina. 

On that note, make sure you have AAA, or a similar roadside service.  If you're that far away from home, no one will be able to come to you when you lock your keys in the car at a rest area in Michigan.

If you choose to stay at a rest area to catch some zzz's, you might consider doing it during the daytime, and drive at night.  If you do sleep at a rest area at night, choose one that is monitored by the police.  I slept next to the cop car both nights.

Don't be afraid to TALK TO PEOPLE.  The people make the trip memorable, and they can offer you lots of info for the places you land in.

Resources: Good maps are absolutely necessary, and there are plenty of guides - especially if you are sticking along a major highway. 

If you have a GPS system, they are a nice tool for finding some of the more "out-of-the-way" places.  Also for finding something to eat other than McDonald's.

AAA.  Period.

Rest areas/Welcome Centres on the highways.  The always have deals and resources for the state you are in.  Because do you really want to miss DinoWorld?  Okay, maybe that's one worth missing, but I caught a beautiful state park I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

(originally posted 12/1/08)