A happy path in Sedona, ArizonaI’ve written four entries over the past couple of weeks that detailed the experience I had planning our Epic Summer Road Trip. During the course of my planning I learned some things that I’d like to pass on to you, gentle readers.

  1. Plan your route. That may seem a bit obvious, but while a favorite saying of my home state of Maine is, “You can’t get there from here,” there are actually a LOT of ways to get EVERYWHERE. So know which way you want to go. And consider taking a different route coming home than you took getting to your destination.
  2. Buy an actual physical map, or a road atlas, so you can see both ends of your route at once. GPS is all well and good, MapQuest and Google Maps will get you there (usually), but it’s always best to have an actual map of the state you’re travelling through. Especially for taking scenic detours.
  3. When on-line reservations fail you, try picking up an actual phone and talking to a real, live person. As was the case for my Old Faithful Inn reservations, even if the on-line system says the place is fully booked, often times you can still reserve rooms directly with the reservations representative.
  4. A rest stop along Rock Creek, on the way to Canon Beach - Oregon.Consider renting a car instead of driving your own. If your vacation budget allows for it, renting a car can save a road-tripper a lot of anxiety. If a rental car breaks down, the rental company obliges with a Brand! New! Vehicle! And you can continue on your merry way, with the merest inconvenience to your plans. If your own car breaks down on you, well, you’re stuck with trying to get a tow, get a repair, and/or get an alternate means of transportation SMACK in the middle of your much-anticipated vacation. Said vacation may be derailed entirely, even. Another thing to consider is gas mileage and gas prices. My personal vehicle requires premium gasoline and gets MAYBE eighteen miles to the gallon (no Green lectures, please!). The one we’re renting for our road trip gets 25 miles to the gallon and takes regular unleaded. I’m thinking the expense will be a wash, in the end.

  5. Lists are your friend. I’m a tried and true, enthusiastic, veteran list maker of epic proportions. And I still manage to forget one or two things on every trip we go on (fortunately, none of them have been vital). Keep your list handy and write things down as you think of them. That’s how I remembered to buy a backup battery for the camera, and call our insurance company to make sure our rental car was covered under our policy. And put a stop on the mail and the newspaper delivery.
  6. Print out e-mailed confirmations, and bring proof of pre-paid arrangements. Once or twice on a trip I’ve run into a hotel that has tried to get me to pay in full, when I’d already pre-paid one or two days in advance to hold the reservation. It’s handy to be able to whip out my credit card statement and say, “See? I already paid.” Debating with a front desk clerk when you’ve been on the road for twelve hours and JUST WANT TO GET TO YOUR ROOM ALREADY is never a fun way to kick off your vacation.
  7. View of one of the Two Lights from the vantage point of The Lobster Shack - Cape Elizabeth, Maine.Consider the gear you own vs. the gear you’ll likely need for your activities. For instance, we’re going to Yellowstone and plan on taking a lot of pictures (A. Lot.). We have a lovely camera with a couple of good lenses, but nothing that great for telephoto or wide-angle shots. Since we know we’ll want to take photos of wildlife without, you know, sitting on the very laps of the said wildlife to get a good shot, we decided to rent a good lens from our local photography shop (a 35-350, $60 a week, if you’re curious). We also picked up a pair of binoculars from B&H for a very reasonable price. And, since our hiking boots are in a sad state, we visited our local Columbia outfitter for new ones.
  8. Fill your prescriptions before you go. My husband and I both take a couple of prescriptions that we wouldn’t want to run out of in the middle of our trip. So I’m making a stop at the pharmacy the day before we go.
  9. Locate the official road conditions telephone numbers for the states you’ll be travelling through. It’s nice to know in advance if there’s detours in the road ahead of you.
  10. Trust the locals. If you’re not sure of the area and want to make the most of your experience, talking to the local residents is a great way to find those “can’t miss” opportunities. While it’s never a good idea to paint a big ol’ “tourist” target on yourself, for the most part people are trustworthy and more than happy to extol the virtues of their particular piece of Paradise.

(Photos are of some sights I’ve enjoyed on recent road trips. Hover over the pictures to read about their locations.)

My Epic Summer Road Trip series:

My fellow UpTake writers have written other excellent posts with advice and details on road trip planning:

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