Hit the Road: Take a Car Trip to See the Country Your Way

Road trips are an American rite of summer and have been for decades, almost since cars became more widely available to a larger proportion of families by the end of the 1920s. But these trips need not be limited to summertime and school vacations. Spring and fall are also great times, and even winter can be, depending on where you’re headed and the type of car you’re driving. So, as summer winds down, make a list of where you’d like to travel but know the months ahead are a good time, too. 

We both love car tips for the ease they offer. You can pack and leave according to your schedule. You can pack as much as the car will hold as long as you can see out the back window. And you can easily take a detour unless you’ve booked stops along the way, such as museums, a national park tour or shows with ticketed times. 

You also will see sights you most likely wouldn’t by plane or train, which Barbara found in driving two times from Chicago out West, once to Wyoming through the state’s red sandstone cliffs with a stop at Wall Drug Store and Mt. Rushmore, each in South Dakota, and once to Montana and the beauty of undeveloped prairies, rolling hills and mountainous regions. This is where you might think, “Is this the middle of nowhere?” Sorta, she found. 

Margaret discovered the same when she and her late husband drove from St. Louis to Albuquerque (to see her brother) and then on to Los Angeles to visit their daughter, and then back. There were many stretches of flat wheat and cornfields, and suddenly a mountain range or beautiful stretch of hilly and verdant scenery would pop up on the horizon. Because they were in the car, they could stop at their leisure—and meander a bit--to check out a small town such as Independence, Missouri, the hometown of Harry Truman and his Presidential library, or Abilene, Kansas, the hometown of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, to tour the Eisenhower Presidential Library or to visit a Navajo Indian reservation as they headed to New Mexico. These off-road unscheduled sightings are among the gems that make a car trip special. It’s also an opportunity to visit college friends and family along the way. 

From our experiences, we share tips for a happier, safer trip. 

Yes, you can pack until you stuff the car full, but it’s easier to try to include only what you need so you don’t have to go through layers of suitcases and bags at each stop. This will allow room if you want to buy anything along the way. Pack a smaller bag of what you’ll need daily, so you don’t have to haul everything out each night. Many companies make great cases to keep toiletries, jewelry, etc. in to be extra organized; they’re a good investment.. 

For safety’s sake, be sure to get your car checked in advance—that the tires have enough air, the brakes work, windows roll down and so on. Getting repairs done along the way isn’t fun and is expensive when it’s with an unknown mechanic. You may also spend hours in a strange small town with nothing to do but wait. However, if you do run into mechanical trouble, have triple AAA or some other source to help bail you out. 

Plan your road trip even if you decide to detour here and there. At our older ages, we find it best to book hotels/motels/VRBOs for each night, so you have a destination and know the approximate driving time. But we have more spontaneous friends. One had destinations planned but didn’t book hotels in advance. “This allowed us to be spontaneous,” she shared. “For example, we spent an additional day at a battle site.” Also, she and her partner turned off their route to visit a city with the same first name she has. Also, some may have some idea of restaurants to stop at, unless you’re totally willing to take your chance and like fast food. Print out your itinerary with distances between. Add Waze or Google apps to your phone for directions, and if your car has a map with Apple Play you’re even in better shape. Try to arrive at destinations before dark. Some hotels and motels also have a happy hour or free Continental breakfast. Use reward points when possible, if you are connected with hotel point systems to save some costs. And if Rover is coming along, know which hotels permit pets; many now do but charge extra and one list is available online at https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/travel/a-guide-to-pet-friendly-hotel-chains-in-the-united-states/.You can also check hotels about their record on bed bugs. You don’t want to meet any uninvited guests, so check out https://bedbugregistry.com/. Also bring along rain gear, you never know when downpours may start, plus a good flashlight with extra batteries if gone for days. 

You can Google almost anything regarding destinations, history, restaurants and more but why not buy some good, printed guidebooks or at least one if you’re going to a specific city, state or area or multiple national parks and read up ahead, then tote them along. 

Bring cash even if you’re used to using a credit or debit card. Include a few checks and let your banks know you are leaving town, so they don’t wonder when you buy something, such as an expensive dinner in Nebraska when you’re from Jersey, the credit card system flags the purchase and your card is declined. How embarrassing! 

Have a checklist of essentials, whether toothbrushes, sleep apnea equipment—and all the hoses, all your medicines, and check each item off before you leave home and after each stop, a pain but worthwhile. And before you leave each hotel room, go through all drawers and closets. It’s so easy to leave something behind, especially in a safe deposit box in a closet. 

Do your research for what’s along the way. If there’s a Presidential library, read up on that President and their accomplishments. Or if you’re headed to a famous historic house such as San Simeon, learn more about its homeowner William Randolph Hearst. And if it’s a battlefield such as Battle of the Little Bighorn, a fight between the U.S. Army and Native American tribes in late June 1876, learn more about Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his 7^th Cavalry Regiment. But know that you can take the attitude we’ll try and see as much as possible but if we don’t, we don’t. This is not school where there will be a grade. On a recent trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater home for the Kauffman family outside Pittsburgh, Barbara added another of his homes at a friend’s recommendation, Kentuck Knob. But when they learned about a third site, Polymat, with four more Wright homes, they decided to skip them. They were tired and “Wright-ed” out. Same goes for gardens, churches, baseball stadiums, famous parks and more. You can pick and choose, no need to think you have to do all. 

Pack some snacks or more substantial foods—fruit, nuts, cookies, sandwiches, etc. so you’re not paying $2.50 for a small bag of M&Ms or $5 for a single mediocre cookie at a rest stop. Bring along a water bottle for each traveler, which you can refill. You may also want your coffee mug, a stack of napkins, small garbage bag for trash you accumulate, camping silver (i.e. plastic flatware and plates) if you picnic along the way. And don’t forget the bug and sunscreen sprays. 

Wear comfortable layered clothing and comfortable shoes. And because of our age, be sure to get out periodically and stretch and walk around. You don’t want to develop clots in your legs. Bring sunglasses to block the glare when the sum comes up and goes down which can make seeing while driving difficult. Change drivers periodically. Try not to be a front-  or back-seat driver and nitpick each other’s styles. Now is not the time! 

Bring an audio book or two, load good podcasts and music on your phones and let each passenger have a say about what they like. You can always bring ear buds if you dislike his music and he hates your favorite news radio show. One of our friends and her partner love music and cleverly played music to reflect the location—Buddy Holly and Natalie Maines for traveling through Lubbock, Texas, or Merle Haggard and Buck Owens for Bakersfield, California. If you can read in a car, bring a favorite tome. What a great time and place to read without the distractions of work or other tasks. Perhaps you have lots to talk about and in the car you have a captive audience. Sometimes you get tired of talking and want to listen or just enjoy quiet time to scan the scenery.  If it’s your first road trip, you’re likely to develop your car travel rules and routine, so cut each other slack. 

Record what you’ve experienced on the road. Consider keeping a journal in writing, putting comments in Notes on your smartphone, take photographs or, if you’re an artist, keep a sketchbook. After the trip, it’s fun to share unexpected finds with friends who may ask for recommendations after you rave about visiting this or that destination. 

Observe speed limits, which will change and the last thing you want is to be pulled over and get an expensive ticket. Also, pay attention to parking rules and avoid a ticket for that as well. You want to spend your money in ways you want rather than help fund local coffers. 

If you have other passengers, be sure they’re comfortable and consider changing seats with the front-seat passenger. Sitting in a car for long periods is something one friend avoids by bringing her bike along on any road trip. She can get out of the car at any point or leave the car at the motel or hotel and take a mini bike trip to see the scenery. 

Diffuse arguments. Pull out your sense of humor if you can find it, especially if you and any of your passengers sense tempers escalating—you are in close company in a car. Stop the car and get out. Walk around and shake off the anger or upset. Take as long as you need—again the only schedule you’re on is your own. Once you’re calm, get back in the car and maybe talk about how you feel and apologize if appropriate. Keep in mind, this is your ride, at least in most situations. Margaret remembers when she and her late husband had an altercation over directions on their way to their son’s apartment in New York City. They had just driven from St. Louis to New York City and were exhausted. Shortly after arriving in the city, a disagreement ensued over directions. (Margaret told Nolan to turn the wrong way. He was pissed and let her know it.) So, at a traffic light, Margaret got out of the car in a huff and took a cab to their son’s place. That cab ride gave her time to cool off. The rest of the car trip was argument-free, and the two laughed about the incident for years after. And Barbara still laments a yellow slicker her former husband left behind on one of their trips. Was that the cause of the demise of the marriage, no, but it wasn’t a happy moment! 

Traveling by car when you’re at the controls allows you the freedom to do and see as you please. You are beholden to nobody but the car’s passengers. Stop and start. See and explore on the spur of the moment if you choose. No rush. No fuss. Let yourself go and enjoy the trip.