Well it is now three weeks since I returned from my Roadtrip across the US and I have been busy getting back into UK life. I am so glad that I took the time to take the trip as it gave me a real insight into what America is about. Although I had lived there for a couple of years, life in Greenwich Connecticut is not really what 'mainstream' US is about. Driving across the US gives a glimpse into small town America.
So what are my observations? As I have said before you don't get a sense of how big, big is until you drive across the Prairies and you start to understand how some of the small towns along the way survive though tourist attractions such as the SPAM museum and the Corn Palace to 'drag' people of the highways. For these towns it provides a source of income as well as putting them on the map.
I was surprised how many people I met along the way had not travelled outside of their state and sometimes not outside of their town! You can see how 'fixed' these people can get in their views and how things like Intelligent Design and Creationism can become 'real' as they haven't had chance to experience other countries or cultures. I am not saying whether they are right or wrong but you can see how their views can be formed.
I was surprised how easy it is to undertake this type of travel in the US - food is plentiful, hotels are relatively cheap and available and gas/petrol is still very cheap compared with Europe. I had pre-booked most of the hotels through Hotels.com but on reflection this was a mistake as you can get better deals by just turning up - particularly if you have a AAA membership card.
The country is very beautiful and we only saw a small section of it although I covered 10,560 miles this was just a small slice and time didn't permit stopping at to see things along the way. I envied some of the travellers I met who seem to spend their life on the road - there is so much to see and some amazing things to see. Maybe next time I will try and take more than the 7 weeks I gave myself this time?
So on reflection what advice would I give someone who was going to undertake a similar journey?
- Plan ahead what you want to see but have enough flexibility to act on impulse.
- Make sure you sign up for AAA which gives you 10 - 15% discount on hotels and admission cost for some of the attractions you will visit along the way.
- Have a car with plenty of space - as this will be where you spend a large amount of your time make sure its comfortable! I chose to rent from Hertz as this gave me unlimited mileage - an important factor when you are doing high mileage. Many of the companies charge a per mile cost over 100 - 200 miles per day and when you are clocking up 400 - 600 miles some days this can mount up.
- Pack a small duffle bag for overnight stops. Rather than lugging your suitcases into the hotel every night and unpacking and packing I chose to have enough clothes etc. for a couple of nights in a small duffel which was my overnight bag.
- Travel light - as with any adventure of this type you will always pack more than you need so pack light and if you need more clothes you can always buy them along the way. I packed far too much and there was probably half the clothes I took didn't get worn!
- Keep water and snacks in the car just in case you break down or get stuck in traffic. The first car we rented broke down in Utah - luckily we were only 10 miles from civilisation but it cold have been a lot worse. Certainly as I travelled across the Prairies if I had had problems I could have been stuck for some time as mobile phone signals are very patchy and rest areas and help can be 50 - 60 miles apart so having sustenance on board is a good idea.
I will update the list as things come to mind in the next few days.
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