On the road (again)
Now I have Willie Nelson in your head, what to do on your epic road trip?
The choice is pretty much up to you. It might be a trip to a national park or multiple parks, driving city to city and exploring, an iconic drive such as Route 66 or a combination. Whichever, here are some tips to make life a little easier.
Food.
Hopefully you’ll have had a good sleep and you and your car are raring to go. First order of business is breakfast. In the US every taste is catered for. From a huge plate of bacon and eggs, pancakes or just a coffee and a bran muffin. Where you get it is going to be one of the hardest decisions each day.
Do you get something in the hotel, go to McDonalds or find a local diner?
Easiest thing is to mix it up each day. A sausage and egg McMuffin might be great one day one but after week, you’ll probably be sick of them. We often take a bowl and pick up cereal, instant oats or just some fruit for the room. If a long day ahead, we will stop for a proper sit down breakfast somewhere, usually a local diner as it supports a local business. Our other favourite spot is Waffle House. You can see the big yellow sign coming up and pull off the road. It will not will any Michelin stars but if you want a something hearty but simple, you can’t beat them. My go-to is a hash brown bowl and as I don’t drink coffee, a mug of boiling water for tea.
A little side note about tea in USA. I’m sorry, but Lipton’s Yellow Label is not tea. It’s the sweepings off the teahouse floor. For the Brits reading, take your own preferred brew such as PG, Twining’s or like me Yorkshire Tea. You’ll thank me.
Put them in a zip-lock bag and keep a few in the car for emergencies.
Your hotel/motel will probably have a coffee machine of some sort but no kettle. If there is a machine, it’s usually a Keurig where it will dispense hot water. I say hot water, what I mean in warm water with a coffee hint. I carry a travel kettle but not the travel kettles of old. This is a foldable kettle made of silicone and has a voltage switch on the bottom. You can get them at Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/5U0FUbW
Back to food.
For us, lunch tends to be optional as if a driving day and you had a good breakfast you won’t be too hungry, If you’ve been out doing things like exploring or doing a hike, you might need something. A local deli is an option when you just want a sandwich or even just snacks on the go.
If snacks, just stop at Walmart, Albertson’s etc and pick up bits. We usually get chips and dips such as artichoke and spinach, maybe a small sushi and for a little sweet treat, peanut M&Ms.
Dinner. At the end of a long day, it’s nice to sit down and have a substantial dinner and review the day. No shortage of eateries out there although in some smaller towns it might be limited. When we stopped in Holbrook, we found a restaurant that had some pasta dishes, but $40 for tagliatelle is way over priced and we ended up in a Burger King next door. As it was a quiet evening, it took longer but was cooked freshly for us. Probably the best BK I’ve had.
The other thing we did was get some salad items and have a nice salad in our room Just pick up a cheap cutting board, knife and some dressing. It cost us about $10 for lettuce, tomato etc and lasted several days.
In the US it’s very easy to just get fast food everyday. You can but after a few days you’ll start to feel it so try and think about your choices and how it will affect you. It doesn’t have to be wall-to-wall salads but think variety and something healthy. It then allows for that cheeseburger occasionally.
What to see and do?
On a road trip you have so much to see and everywhere is different.
From National Parks that take several days or even weeks, to little roadside attractions that take 5 minutes.
For the latter, 2 website you can use to find places are:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/categories/roadside-attractions
https://www.roadsideamerica.com (Outside of US you need a VPN with a US endpoint or Hola on chrome)
Here you can find such charms as
The world’s largest rocking chair
The world’s largest pecan
A whole list of of Muffler Men
Some will hake you laugh, some will make you shrug your shoulders and go “Huh?”
When in the more remote locations, take a little time to stop, get out of the car and experience the peace and quiet away from people, roads and life.
What you see is only limited to your imagination and how much time you can spend.
At they say, “All good things must come to an end” and your adventure is over. Time to drive home or get to the airport and fly off.
Here are some tips for that last day.
Make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the airport, drop off your car and check in. Missing your flight is not the way to remember your trip.
When you leave the last hotel, pack for the flight. That means everything that needs to be checked is in your checked bag. Everything needed for your carry-on is in your carry-on. This save frantic repacking at the airport or finding your passport is missing.
Before you get to the airport, stop somewhere like a store parking lot and remove everything you don’t need from the car and put in your bag. This includes any cables, chargers, food and souvenirs. Less chance of them getting forgotten as they are under the seat or in a door pocket.
This also includes any trash which you can now dispose of. Don’t leave it for the car rental staff to deal with.
Now is also a good time to review your fuel situation. If you are on a full-to-full plan, do you need to fill up now and just top off near the airport or just top off later. If filling up, as mentioned before, away from the airport will be cheaper.
If you’re on a full-to-empty or pre-paid plan, do you have enough to make it or do you risk arriving on fumes?
When you get to the airport, follow the signs to Rental Return but don’t assume it’s the same place you picked up at. When you get there, your company will have their own area and staff on hand to guide you in. Don’t pull up tight to the car in front of as they may have luggage to get out.
Now the important bit.
A last check of the car for your personal items.
If you have a car with a traditional key, turn off the engine and leave it in the lock.
If you have a remote key, place it on the dashboard where it is visible. DO NOT leave it in your pocket. You will get a bill if you arrive home and still have it.
A member of staff will come over and finalise the rental. Make sure they check the vehicle and note the mileage/fuel. If you had any problems or new damage, let them know. You should get a receipt, either physical or emailed to you. This is the confirmation that it was accepted back and the condition.
If they come back later and bill you for damage, you can use this to dispute it.
