...We are planning a trip for August.
I'd like to say it all has a purpose but that isn't the main reason. My best friend is getting married and I am in the wedding. She lives in Texas. While this is important to me my DH is only really excited about the awesome trip that is growing.
We were going to do this last year but put it off on the off chance of getting Pg. Well that doesn't seem to want to happen so we are just living for the now.
My DH refuses to fly so we are leaving August 15th by car and will return around the 20th. For this trip we are going from Pa to Tx and making a stop at the Pro football hall of fame in Oh then back to Pa we hit 11 states.
My question is has anyone done anything like this?
Has anyone found a great site for planning?
Anyone have any cost saving techniques?
My issue is we plan on stopping places and do the tourist thing but there doesn't seem to be any sites designed to help you find places to stop along your route.
Any help is great. Thank you ladies.
Re: NTTCAL related. Planning a trip...
I drove across county when I was 19 with a friend - we didn't plan a bit. Our rule was to never get on a major highway, and follow all signs that looked interesting. We decided on a few key landmark locations to keep is Onbtrack to our destination. We had a map and some camping gear. It was a fun way travel, and super cheap.
Not one word of advise for you if your a planner
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Try Trip Advisor....put in the names of the cities and it will give you restaurants, attractions, hotels, etc. There is even a mobile app! I also use Yelp to help me plan!
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BFP #2 – October 2011, m/c November 2011
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~All AL always welcome~
OMG, I love planning vacations, including road trips! FUN!
The Trip Advisor message boards are amazing. I use that site for all of my travel planning to get hotel reviews, scenic route suggestions, restaurant recommendations, etc. For the message boards, search for the location you want, then on the left, click on Forums. It's almost as addicting as TB (at least for me!)
If you're a member of AAA, I suggest utilizing their services as well. They can provide you with free maps and guide books. You can also get hotel discounts with your membership.
Depending on the hotel chain you stay at, some have free memberships, so that you can earn points, get complimentary breakfast, cheaper wifi (if not free), etc. Also, some times you can get deals booking a hotel through travel sites like Expedia, but I have had the most luck calling the hotel on the phone and booking a room. It also doesn't hurt to say you're traveling or a special occasion (honeymoon, babymoon, big birthday) and you can get free upgrades.
First of all, this sounds like a great trip! I don't have much advice for you when it comes to the travel plans, but I did want to reply to the above statement you made. I'm the same as you in that I used to base TTC around travel plans. I travel quite a lot you see, and I never wanted to be in an airplane or away from home when pg. My DH is from England and his whole family lives there, so we used to TTA a cycle or two before going on that annual trip. BUT, I recently had the same revelation as you in that you should just plan the trip and go anyway! I'm planning to go to NYC in the first week of April to see some very close friends, and DH just asked me if I wanted to TTA this cycle because "what if I'm pregnant when we go". I said HELL NO! The worry of traveling while pg (which less face it, probably won't happen) is not nearly worth wasting a cycle of TTC! DH was thrilled, more BD'ing! Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm proud of both you and I for living in the now. The present is all we have so we might as well enjoy it!
I think this is a great way of thinking and it sounds like a super fun trip! I think it all depends on what type of person you are. Are you a planner? Or are you okay with fly by the seat of your pants? I usually try to find a couple interesting things to do, but I love when you just see a random sign on the side of the road and take a little detour.
A good way to save on costs is to bring as much food as possible. Eating on the road can get very pricy, even fast food these days is outrageous. I would also recommend driving at off hours. Avoiding traffic can avoid wasting gas and save you money!
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All AL Always Welcome
Oh my thank you!! You sound like you really know your way around travel! I will for sure be trying the free upgrade tip. I did go to the state websites for all the states we will hit and ordered travel guides and other info. I am now using mapquest and slowly going throug seeing what pops up along the route.
At this point we can't afford anymore TTA. The chance of being pg is slim and I wanna live our lives not sit on the bench. Maybe eventually I will get DH on a plane and broaden our horizon. You said ot right there in the bold!
I am a planner but we have discussed if we see something along the way we plan on hitting it up just because seriously how many times will you do this?
Those are both great tips on money saving! You guys have given me some great ideas. I am so excited about this trip!
DH and I are planning to do this at some point in the near future. I have a degree in History, so driving out west and seeing all of the early history as well as geology is on my bucket list.
DH just told me about Gogobot. I guess it's like Pinterest but for travel. I haven't checked it out yet, but thought I'd pass the info along in case you'd like to try it out
Since you're practically my neighbor, I had to chime in. I've done that drive. I studied in El Paso for awhile and drove down there and back and hit all the high spots in TX along the way.
AAA TripTik's are the way to go. I won't roadtrip without them. I've done the cross country thing about four times and that's the first thing I go for. You don't have to be a member to get one. Use this link: https://travelinformation.aaa.com/internet-triptik.htm I think they also started an app you can get too.
You can plan your route around specific places you want to go and check out look for other cool things you didn't know to look for. It also lists things like gas stations and provides hours and stuff so you don't get stuck late at night without a gas station open. Another perk is they rate the hotels so you know you're not staying at some unsafe dive.
Five days may be a quick trip so I definitely agree to bring some food and eat on the road. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches are great travel foods. None of that requires refrigeration and makes a pretty healthy lunch. (cheap too!) If you can't I'd take the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back. Amazing views and a beautiful drive!!
We are going to Clyde, close to Abilene.
That sounds awesome. Thanks for the info!
I just found this site and I am starting to plan things. The way Mapquest laid it out we hit 11 states. We are planning from the 15th of August til at least the 21st. With Dh's schedule he will have off til the 26th with only using 5 vacation days. Will my job I have to request off everyday I can't work and I don't get paid when not working.
I also have to plan around the time we need to spend in Clyde for my friends wedding. So that uses at least 2 days. That's why a little planning is mandatory.
I lived in Abilene for 2 years. Jenny is from Texas and lives in Clyde. That is where we will be and we are visiting a friend in Dallas too. I was actually stationed in SA for Basic Training.
Yeah SA is the only Basic training for the Air Force.