More from RoadTrip America:

Getting Out There, by Mark Sedenquist

A frequent topic of discussion on the Great American RoadTrip Forum centers around whether or not to make lodging or camping reservations when on a road trip. For me, the only difference between a "drive" between two points and a "road trip" is the shift in perception by the participants. In my world, a "road trip" is synonymous with freedom and adventure and the constraints imposed by having reservations en route is antithetical to that process.

Back in March, 1994, Megan Edwards, Marvin the Road Dog, and I hit the road with no destination and no definite return date. During those early months on the road, we gained an appreciation for living "an unsliced life," a term Megan coined and discussed in her first book Roads From the Ashes. One component of that lifestyle was the ability to choose directions and routes based on the whim of the moment...[Read more]