Notes on Road Trips

I just completed a one-month four-wheeled trek around the south eastern United States, and thought I'd share a few of the things I did right (and wrong) for the benefit of road-tripping posterity.

At the top of my list of "things to do differently next time": food. At the start of my trip I invested in a $12 cooler from Target, and a $3 ice pack to keep it cool. I had visions of picnic-ing by the side of the highway instead of being forced into the inevitable fast food outlet. The only problem was, I never found a freezer along the way to put that ice pack to bed in every night. I did have mini-fridges in most motel rooms, so it would have been easy enough to buy some groceries and keep them in the fridge overnight, while dunking the ice pack in a full ice bucket. These thoughts only occurred to me later, though, so instead I ate a lot of granola bars and dried fruit.

Making space in my suitcase for a few basic kitchen items would have been useful, too. I brought my trusty Swiss Army knife, of course, but I could have used a full set of cutlery and a microwave-safe mug or bowl. I did manage to make instant oatmeal in the mornings using paper cups and those in-room coffee makers, but coffee-flavoured oatmeal is not ideal.

The road trip has a bad rep these days thanks to all the concerns over carbon emissions, but depending on where you are and how much ground you're trying to cover, they can still be reasonably efficient. For a start: fill your car up with people. Sites like Craigslist.org and Facebook.com both have booming rideshare programs, and LonelyPlanet.com's Thorn Tree Forum has a busy travel partnering thread as well.

Second, choose your territory wisely. The South was perfect for me because there were a number of major cities that I wanted to visit, all reasonably close to each other, with interesting small towns and rural areas worth a stop in between, too. So at one point I spent three nights in Memphis - during which time my car stayed parked - and then took my time (three days) heading down Highway 61 through Mississippi to New Orleans, where I stayed for almost a week, again car-free. Total miles covered over that 12-day period? Maybe 500, and that leg was the undisputed highlight of the trip. Picking an area that's densely populated with things, places and people that interest you saves money, cuts down on those nasty emissions, and means you spend only an hour or two a day in the car, and the rest of the time out enjoying your new surroundings.

Over at The Traveler's Notebook, Matador Travel has a series on North America's greenest road trips. Check out part one by yours truly (Nova Scotia) and part two (Vermont).

Anyone else have any road tripping tips?