going on a road trip - solo (rentals, hotel, hotels)

[popcorn247]

I am an older female. I am considering going on a road trip by myself, from south Florida to Kansas - the Flint Hills region. I did go on a road trip with a friend to Montana last summer. We had a great time. Any hints or things to watch out for? How many miles/day? Make motel reservations in advance or not? I will probably leave either in May or June.

[earlyretirement]

Personally I've really enjoyed traveling solo. Before I got married I traveled all over the world solo and really loved it. Don't get me wrong..many times I'd travel with friends but almost all of my friends were professionals (doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants, etc) and didn't have much vacation time so I went alone.

I'm not shy so I'd meet people in almost all of the cities I went to. And this was really before social networking took off like today so today there are more opportunities to meet people traveling.

I liked being able to sleep in, not being on any set schedule or have an agenda. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted so I think you will like that aspect of traveling solo.

I mostly flew and didn't drive as I don't like driving as much as just hopping on a plane and arriving faster. But I've taken road trips like that. I'd say break out a map and see how many days your trip is. I'm not sure if you are on any set schedule but look on a detailed map and see all the cities on the way there that you might want to visit.

Then you can go on sites like www.tripadvisor.com and see the top things to do in each city, see the top rated restaurants, etc. You can see the top attractions, etc. Really take advantage of the internet. You can see how many interesting things there are to do in any given city and add it to your list. The people on Trip Advisor are really great. If you ask questions in each city's forum, most will take the time to answer or even tell you the top things to do in each town. Definitely check it out.

Divide up your trip first seeing all the places you want to maybe see. Then you can use various websites to book hotels or if your trip is longer you can maybe rent properties if you want to live more like a local on sites like VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner (http://www.vrbo.com - broken link) or HomeAway Vacation Rentals: Beach Houses, Condos, Cabins, Villas & Vacation Rental Homes I've rented apartments/homes in many of the cities I've been to and really enjoy it vs. a hotel.

Before you go, you can load up your ipod/iphone/ipad/etc. with your favorite tunes or burn tons of CD's for the car so you have your favorite songs to listen in the car. Or you might want to buy some audio CD's or even learn a new language with CD's like Pimsleur. (google it).

I traveled heavy for several years and I still do and enjoyed doing all of those things. And today you have much greater technology with things like ipads where you can download books to read at night when you are in your hotel. Or download movies/TV shows.

Bring your laptop and anywhere there is wi-fi you can watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. Traveling has never been easier.

I'd say depending on how desirable the city is, you might want to make hotel/motel reservations ahead of time but utilize sites like www.priceline.com and the like to really great great deals. Also, nowadays there are sites like www.groupon.com and www.socialliving.com where you can sign up for deals and see them online so you can often get things like food, restaurants, drinks, spa packages, hotels, tours in any of your given city you are visiting and save a lot of money. I haven't used any of these yet but I plan to in the future and know a lot of people that have and saved a lot of money.

Have a great trip and make sure to bring along a digital camera for memories! You an utilize sites like https://picasaweb.google.com where you don't even have to lug around back up drives, etc. Just bring your USB cable and upload photos from your camera to your Photo Album on Picasa. It's totally free to have an account and you can share your trip real time with your friends and family back home. We do this and our family loves it! You can make a photo album for each city/state if you want or lump them all together.

[popcorn247]

Thanks for all the good advice!!

[kygman]

I think the best way to plan for a trip is not to plan. You know where you're going and you know the route you're going to take. Take off and go till you get tired. Enjoy the sites. My parents took several senior citizen bus trips. My dad said what he liked about traveling that way is you don't have to worry about missing something because you have to keep an eye on the road.
Have a good trip!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

I am an older female. I am considering going on a road trip by myself, from south Florida to Kansas - ...Any hints or things to watch out for? How many miles/day? Make motel reservations in advance or not? I will probably leave either in May or June.

Great,
Service vehicle, buy a service package (insurance or AAA)
tires, belts, hoses, AC, filters (including fuel), wipers, suspension

Miles / day depends on your style and 'What's to see and do'
I do from 900 miles / day (3/4th tank of fuel for me) to a low of 300 (4 hrs @ 70mph). A few days I drive 20-22 hrs if I need to go far. I much prefer to drive boring stuff at night. (Southern WY, much of SD, NE, KS, UT, NV, CA, eastern OR)
America's Byways®: National Scenic Byways Online
Where We Eat: The Splendid Table

Motel I can't recommend private Guest homes strong enough, ($10 - $20 / night - SUPER friendly, SUPER safe, Super good food, Super Education) been doing them for 25+ yrs. Kansas and other farm places are even MORE special stays (since I'm a prairie kid & I love to stay and help with chores / harvest / projects / ... on farms). This site will cover most of your needs (if 'older woman' means over age 50) Evergreen Club

Have a great trip !!!! Wish I were there... (I had a 6' dia tumbleweed as a Christmas tree ).

Kansas Flint Hills - Counties
Amazing100miles.com Home

Say Hi to Denmark, KS for me, as I really want to move there and 'restore' a sandstone 'Ghost-town'. Take a pic of the Implement dealer building. I think it even has inventory in place, it just needs a roof and windows and a wall or two.
Denmark, KS
PrairieSide Inn of Denmark Bed and Breakfast

[popcorn247]

Stealthrabbit, you're the best! Thanks for the good advice. I looked into the Evergreen Club and it seems in order to join, I would have to agree to provide housing. I don't think I could do this! I did'nt realize you were a prairie kid! Over the last 30+ years, I have become interested in prairies. This is the main reason for visiting the Flint Hills. Denmark, KS sounds very interesting.

[jtur88]

Relax. My wife, in her 60s, drives between Michigan and Texas all the time, in a ten year old car, takes a different route every time just to see the country. No preparations, just gets in the car and goes.

If you keep your car in good day-to-day maintenance, check the fluids, watch tire pressure, then going on a trip is no different than a month or so of your everyday driving. When you feel like stopping for the night, motels are pretty easy to find and are never full. You're always welcome to sleep in your car in WalMart parking lots, they usually designate a space for campers, and you'll see others there, and their lots are patrolled.

Nothing really bad will happen. If you have a couple of unexpected adventures along the way, that's what life is for. I'm not saying you don't need to be careful, but there is really very little risk or danger to a prudent person driving a fairly reliable car.

Relax, and enjoy the trip without stress. Be an attentive driver, and look way down the road.

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Relax. My wife, in her 60s, drives between Michigan and Texas all the time, in a ten year old car, takes a different route every time just to see the country. No preparations, just gets in the car and goes.

If you keep your car in good day-to-day maintenance, check the fluids, watch tire pressure, then going on a trip is no different than a month or so of your everyday driving. When you feel like stopping for the night, motels are pretty easy to find and are never full. You're always welcome to sleep in your car in WalMart parking lots, they usually designate a space for campers, and you'll see others there, and their lots are patrolled.

Nothing really bad will happen. If you have a couple of unexpected adventures along the way, that's what life is for. I'm not saying you don't need to be careful, but there is really very little danger to a prudent person driving a fairly reliable car.

Relax, and enjoy the trip without stress.

Thank you for saying just what I needed to hear! You have no idea what a difference you have made.

[flyonpa]

One thing about 'just' showing up at a Hotel/Motel Walk-in get very high rates, even with the AAA discount. What I do is (pre smart phone). I would call my sister and have her go online and search out some hotel's online about 1hour or so before i want to stop. She would book me the room and a much better rate then i would get being a walkup. Online the hotel have to compete, when you walk in they dont. Most people don't walk out after a long day of driving etc, they just want to get to the room.

[eureka1]

Some people- like me- enjoy the planning phase and the research and schedule and book every stop. Other folks wing it. There are advantages to each approach. The important thing is to do it the way YOU want. Have a great trip!