The
Little Road Trip Handbook
, by Erin McHugh
"The American Road
Trip isn't just a pastime, it's a birthright…"
- The Little Road Trip Handbook
Nostalgia is back in
full force in The Little Road Trip Handbook,
but with modern day twists. From the old VW bus on the
cover to the discussion of Blackberries (banished except
for emergencies) and iPods (totally OK and necessary
for road trip tunes), this book celebrates the all-American
fun of preparing for and taking a road trip.
The author covers the
gamut from the "pre-ignition check" and "road
rules" to a smattering of suggested routes. I
found the format and composition of the book to be half
the fun. It's a handy 5" by 7" size with coated
pages - your last McDonald's meal can't do any damage!
The book is liberally illustrated with vintage road
trip images, up-to-the-minute hi-tech gadgets, and a
variety of other photos from voodoo dolls to AK-47s.
Combined with clever, breezy wisdom and fun facts, there
is something for everyone to love about this book.
The author clearly has
her tongue planted firmly in her check as she dispenses
gems such as "Without Road Music there is no Road
Trip" (Duh!) or this serious piece of advice: "Choose
your fellow Trippers well: you don't want any of them
to become a roadside hazard." (Yeah!) I found her
style endearing in a "Mom told you so" kind
of way.
The Little Road Trip
Handbook covers most of the basic road trip topics:
choosing your companions, sharing expenses, deciding
what to see, games, tunes, packing, road cars, and prepping
to go. McHugh approaches every topic with a "you
knew this, right?" sort of mentality. She marches
through the fundamentals without much concrete detail,
but rather with an "I want to go right now"
attitude. As someone who spent a year vagabonding around
the lower 48 states, I am probably more obsessed with
planning than the average road tripper. While I'm not
sure there is enough detail in this book to make a long
road trip happen, it offers inspiration, basic tips,
and a "hit the road" attitude that is both
helpful and motivating for those contemplating typical
vacation-length journeys.
One of the most engaging
sections of The Little Road Trip Handbook is
"Chapter 14 - Foolish Laws from the 50 States."
Some of the laws still on the books are hilarious. For
instance, who knew that "howling at women within
the city limits is forbidden" in Mobile, Alabama,
or that in Pennsylvania "ministers are forbidden
from performing marriages when either the bride or groom
is drunk?" (Too bad Britney Spears wasn't in Pennsylvania
a few years ago!) Even I - the veteran road tripper
- learned something about my home state: Oregon has
the only state flag that's different on both sides.
If you are looking for
something fun to read with generous doses of new and
old road tripping advice and lore, order up your copy
of The Little Road Trip Handbook. Then get ready
to sit back and enjoy the ride!
Carol
White
6/5/09
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