Summer Roadtrip 09

Hello again,
we decided to wait and do the road trip this summer so we'd have more time to plan properly. We fly into boston on June 10th, drive up to Salem for 2 nights to get the trip started, then head down to Washington. Does anyone have any good suggestions of where we should stop off between Salem and Washington? If not anywhere to stop, then a good route to take? It takes about 8 hours to Washington, so we'd rather stop off somewhere as only one of us will be driving.

Also, what's everyone's opinion on Motel 6's? We traveling cheap, but if they're really bad then we might have to spend a bit more maybe??? Our first Motel 6 would be in Danvers and the reviews of it are pretty poor. We've been in some bad places before, but if it is genuinely that bad, we were thinking off spending a bit more - especially on our first couple of nights.

Thanks for the help
Lucy & Jo

{I haven't merged this new thread with the previous one, since the route is different, but many of your queries still apply -- be sure to re-read it).

sorry about that, but thank you!

Motel 6 is consistantly the lowest price chain out there, at least on the sticker price.

However, the price they advertise is usually a rate for one person, and a room with one bed, one tv, and a bathroom. Its not going to be anything particularly nice and certainly not fancy. Personally, I think they also tend to nickel and dime people, because they charge more for each person, you won't get even a stale doughnut continental breakfast, and I've even seen locations where you have to pay extra for typical motel basics like soap or shampoo.

Motel 6 does exactly what they set out to do, be at the very bottom when it comes to price. However, for my money, often times I think you can find much better values by spending only a couple dollars more if you're willing to do a little shopping around.

The closer to large cities you are, the shabbier and more expensive the Motel 6's generally are. I will only stay in them off Interstate exits in rural areas or in small towns. I have stayed in one near a big city (King of Prussia, PA) that was actually quite nice, but it was 80 bucks a night. Super 8 is a bit better, but the same thing applies around cities.

Any hotel/motel along your route is going to be expensive. There is no cheap lodging in the Boston/DC corridor. The King of Prussia/Valley Forge Motel 6 may be your best bet for something livable under $100 a night, it's NW of Philadelphia on US-202 just off the Turnpike and I-76.

You have two basic options for the drive from Salem to Washington. The first is to basically hug the coast on I-90/I-84/I-95 through the major cities of the northeast corridor: Hartford, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. There is certainly no shortage of things to see and do in each of the cities you'll be passing through and this might suit you best since you had planned originally on spending some time in New York City, which would be roughly halfway between Salem and Washington.

If, on the other hand, you're now looking for something a bit more tranquil, consider staying a bit inland and taking a more relaxed drive. You'd still take I-90/I-84 through Hartford, but then stay on I-84 and bypass New York City to the north. Near Port Jervis NY you'd pick up US-209 southeast through the Delaware Water Gap and beyond to I-81 and the Harrisburg area. There take US-15 south through Gettysburg, picking up I-270 from Frederick MD into Washington. If you go this way, you'd probably want to go farther than halfway on the first day since the second day's roads are a bit slower, maybe make the drive through the Water Gap and spend the night in Stroudsburg PA.

AZBuck

Like Midwest Michael says:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

Motel 6 is consistantly the lowest price chain out there, at least on the sticker price.

---

The problem I've always had with Motel 6 is that if you compare Super 8 or even some of the Best Westerns dollar for dollar against amenities you will quickly discover that Motel 6 is costlier than any other motel chain. They charge for extra towels, blankets, internet access, extra people, etc. They frequently feature the cheapest quality beds and furnishings and never have bath tubs. I've found that the best combination of accomodations versus price is the Holiday Inn Express chain. -- and unlike stale donuts -- the breakfasts are actually quite excellent. This forum is all about providing personal advice and I would never recommend Motel 6.... They do a great job of advertising -- but you can always do better for virtually the same or nearly the same money.

While doing research for another topic --I found this article about the demise of tubs in motel rooms -- generally I take showers too --

Mark

Ok, I think we will go with the Days Inn, not the Motel 6's. The route including Gettysburg sounds brilliant, I'll be including that into our route. Thanks so much everyone, brilliant so far :)

So we are up to Washington now, and Virginia is what we are aiming for next. Should we head down to Virginia Beach and find somewhere to stay there, or are there better places to stay and actually see things other than just a beach?
I've looked around and most of it has mentioned Chesapeake, but all I can really see is a lot of boatmen. What do you recommend as a must see in Virginia? I got myself a free travel guide, it looks really beautiful, but can't seem to figure out whereabouts the 'main things' to see are.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

So we are up to Washington now, and Virginia is what we are aiming for next.

---

Your previous post listed over 30 destinations for this trip, and frankly, I'd rather not have to address each of them individually in the detail you've been getting so far. Would you be so kind as to outline just what you now have in mind for the entire trip: destinations, timeline, desires, etc. so that we can answer your questions in a more efficient manner.

AZBuck

Wow.. Sorry.

Arriving in Boston from London on the 10th of June. We have 30 days to do a ''loop'' from Salem down to New Orleans, missing out Texas as we don't have time to do that this time, back round, haven't figured out that half of the loop yet but we want to factor Niagra falls in before we come to the end.

We are hiring a car, I will still be 20 so Joanne is the main driver.

Budget of around $6000 for motels/hotels, food and attractions.

The must see places for us are Salem for the witch history haha, Smoky Mountains, some music in Tennessee, New Orleans for the Jazz (Jo's doing a music production degree so she's desperate to go to New Orleans), I'd love to stop over in Mississippi at the Shack Up Inn.

Sorry about the virginia thing. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anything special to do..

Thanks though.

Quote:

---

We are hiring a car, I will still be 20 so Joanne is the main driver.

---

I'm a little curious/frightened of what it sounds like you are planning here.

If you are under 21, driving a rental car will be pretty much off limits. I don't know of any rental agency that will allow an extra driver under age 21, certainly not without some huge extra fees.

If you are not on the rental contract and you drive the car, you will essentially be driving a stolen car. That will create all sorts of problems. At the very least any insurance would almost certainly be void, so if you were to get into an accident, you then would become personally responsible for any and all damages you'd cause not only to the car, but to anyone or anything else affected by a crash.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

We are hiring a car, I will still be 20 so Joanne is the main driver.

---

Does the $6,000 (USD) include the cost of the rental car? And as you know from your original post, Joanne will have to be only driver unless you really want to have a very expensive rental.

Quote:

---

Sorry about the virginia thing. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anything special to do..

---

Here are some more suggestions:

This thread provides some tips by local expert Foy about scenic drives between New Jersey and Atlanta (which will work for you too)
More local tips for the Blue Ridge Parkway by Foy
And for the music lovers -- I would read all of this thread! ...As a teaser, a local fireman from Brandon, MS has offered to show you around -- and there are lots more local tips in this thread....

Mark

Well I turn 21 on July 1st so I was thinking I could be added as a driver and do the last part of the trip. I haven't spoken to a rental company yet, but I didn't think that'd be too much of a problem. If not, then Jo will have to drive. We hired a car in Florida last year and all went well.

If Joanne is younger than 23 then you are already paying the youth surcharges and so adding your name to the rental contract won't (maybe) cause too many issues.

Mark

The $6000 does not include the car rental. That money is just for the motels/hotels food, petrol etc. Haven't worked out the total mileage yet, but I saw a total gas price thing somewhere around so I'll be sure to use that.

Going to have a look at your links now, thanks very much :)

I think you were referring to the free Fuel Cost Calculator tool? You can look up ever car sold in the USA and compare fuel costs with it.

Mark

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

I think you were referring to the free Fuel Cost Calculator tool? You can look up ever car sold in the USA and compare fuel costs with it.

Mark

---

Ah that's exactly what I was referring to, thanks for the link.

Yep, she is 21 so we're already stuck with that younger drivers charge.

I can't wait to do this and all the information is brilliant on here.

Last year I got a USA map card off of ebay for my satnav, which worked brilliantly when we were in Florida, so we've at least got that to help. I'm using google maps at the moment to get our route drawn out, reading through the threads and adding places to see on our list.

Enjoy those links -- especially the last one -- I think it is a perfect one for both of you.

Mark

Thanks again

I'm thinking about joining the AA in the UK, so that I can use the 10% AAA discount in the US. I've just checked their website and it says 'Discount only valid on bookings made between 8th December 2008 and January 21st 2009. Pick up period only valid between 8th December 2008 and 28th February 2009. Some destinations not included.'

Is this the same for the US or is the AAA 10% discount something that's always around?

Lucy x

In the US, the AAA discount (almost always 10%, and almost universally available) is a constant. You can ask for it, and receive it, whenever you book a motel, even when just drive up to the door without a reservation. Similarly, there is usually a 10% AARP discount, but you wouldn't qualify for that and they can't be combined. You can figure such a discount would save you $5-7 each night, so you can relatively easily figure out what having it would be worth to you over the course of your trip.

AZBuck

Hmm I think that is probably worth having. I'll be signing up.
Thanks for info again

Another quick question :)

Last year we were able to rent a car and add the 'alamo gold young driver' which made it so that we didn't have to pay $25 a day. I've tried googling about it, but nothing is coming up. Does anyone know if they have gotten rid of this?

I've never heard of that program before, but that doesn't mean much. Different companies do different promotions all the time.

If its something you are interested in, you really should just contact Avis and see what they tell you. That's going to be a whole lot faster, easier, and more accurate than any response you'd get on a message board.

I contacted them today. Alamo do still have the young drivers package but you now have to phone and ask for it instead of adding it on when booking online. It takes off the $25 a day, but the insurance is higher, I assume. I think it's worth having so for all the young drivers wanting to go on a roadtrip, ask about the alamo gold young driver package.
:)

Hi again,
I think I'm in the final stages of planning this trip. I have our route figured out, lists of things to see and do in each place we plan to stop.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/Picture3.png
{Copyright Google.com}

I've included the Delaware water gap on our way from Salem to Gettysburg, but that's about it for scenic routes.

I've come up with pages and pages of different places to see and things to do in each place we stop.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture3-1.png
{Copyright Google.com}

It probably seems a bit over the top, but I wanted to have a definite list of things so that we don't waste time wondering where to start once we're there hahaha like we'll be at a loss for things to do all of a sudden.. lol

If anyone has any ideas about a nice route to take between our stops without adding hours and hours to the journey, then I'd appreciate the suggestions. Maybe some odd little towns that you've stumbled across that seem to be on the same way we're headed. Or there could be a place on our journey that's one of them famous places to stop and eat? I don't know, any suggestions from anyone would be great to be able to put on the list.

Thank you, bye!

Like you, I thoroughly research places that I plan to visit on a RoadTrip and make a folder of information on each site. I use PowerPoint® to gather information from many different web sites with the address, hours of operation, highlights, reviews and pictures of each venue. I prep many more places than I can possibly visit and then make my final decisions on what to actually do as I make my way down the road. The folder then also serves as a souvenir/reminder of the trip.

I do have one suggestion for your route. I note that you plan to use the same roads both ways between Nashville and New Orleans. But there is a great alternate route that you should definitely consider. Between Jackson MS and Nashville TN the Natchez Trace Parkway offers something completely different, a relaxed, two-lane, controlled access parkway with historical stops and little traffic. I really think you'd enjoy it. And it brings you within visiting distance of Elvis' birthplace and Shiloh

AZBuck

I do the same thing. Although mine doesn't look as nice as Lucinda's. I just do a lot of copy/paste and end up with a crazy mix of fonts and print sizes.

I agree with Buck. It's always more fun when you're traveling on new roads.

Good planning! Enjoy.

holy shittake! Just saw your preparation material in your last post and I feel very very under prepared now! :)
I think you'll be fine. except for the driving age of course. That's a lot of milage for just one person to cover. Does the Alamo thing cover multiple drivers? you should check the cost of that, or keep your friend Jo happy and not hungry on the trip!

Aww thanks everyone! I've spent so many hours getting info on every place and putting together folders to be able to flip through when we get there. I also sent off for the free visitors guide from every state, which are brilliant to read through. Some have coupons inside with 10% at certain restaurants or hotels etc etc.

At the moment, I'm going back over the hotels we've decided on and seeing if I can get them cheaper on different websites. I'm looking at New Orleans at the moment, and I'm a bit wary of it after reading so many reviews of the hotels there. The half decent priced ones all seem to be in scary areas with quite bad reviews, and the others are extremely high prices. Has anyone stayed in a good budget motel, close to the action without being in a scary area? We're two girls on our own, so I have to think about that issue however silly it may sound. The Andrew Jackson hotel in the french quarter is seeming to be the best option at the moment, $300 for 3 nights. Has anyone ever stayed there?

If not, any ok location cheaper hotels would be good to look into.


Oh, I've added in the natchez trace parkway. I looked up a few pictures of the route, and it looks really beautiful so thanks for that suggestion


Alamo does cover multiple drivers, but we'll have to see about adding me as a driver as my 21st birthday will be practically in the middle of the trip. So it might be a bit of a hassle sorting that out.
Jo must always be kept fed, she turns into a monster if she feels hunger pangs. I have to keep her permanently topped up with food, or I might end up being thrown out the car window and left to hitch hike haha!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

We fly into boston on June 10th, drive up to Salem for 2 nights to get the trip started, then head down to Washington.

---

Since the car rental is a bit of a bug-a-boo, have you considered using Amtrak for your main travel needs, and renting cars for the day at various locations? The train does run from Boston to Washingon, etc. It eliminates your problem with underage-drivers, and it allows you to both relax during the drive. You can get a multiple-stop ticket so that you can board and reboard in various places.

I haven't investigated this myself, but I think you'd come out with a cost about the same as renting one car the whole time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

Also, what's everyone's opinion on Motel 6's?

---

Very dismal. I have to agree with what everyone else has said. Motel 6 is an example of false economy.

Online reviews are a great tool for choosing hotels. I wouldn't worry about 1-2 bad reviews -- there's always a nut case out there who can't be happy with anything -- but if you see a pattern, then you'd be wise to avoid the places.

We did consider buses and trains, but it seemed more secure and easier to be able to drive wherever we wanted if we got our own hired car. We're two girls, so we'll be lugging around heavy suitcases - which would be a hassle if we had to use trains and buses all the time.
I've been using tripadvisor for hotel reviews, which is a brilliant website. However, New Orleans has become a stumbling block at the moment when it comes to choosing hotels.

I've come across a place called Crescent Palms motel, which is down Martin Luther King Blvd. There's only one review on tripadvisor, which is a positive one, but it seems too good to be true. It claims to be ''located in the heart of New Orleans, minutes from the French Quarter, Superdome and other local attractions.'' It came to $190 for 3 nights, and the pictures look really nice. So there must be something wrong with it lol Is it in a bad area? Is anyone familiar with it?

Thanks everyone :)

I've not had any problems with the newer Motel 6's outside of cities, but the old ones and the ones in cities are pretty bad. Look at the outside and look around the lobby - if it looks well-kept, the rooms should be fine. If it looks dingy, it's probably a fleatrap. I don't stay there much, I usually do Super 8, and the same thing applies.

Lucinda, let me give you a tip, at the risk of being called a racist - anything that's on Martin Luther King Blvd. in *any* city is not a place where a couple of young Caucasian ladies should probably be, especially if they are unfamiliar with the particular city.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by glc

I've not had any problems with the newer Motel 6's outside of cities, but the old ones and the ones in cities are pretty bad. Look at the outside and look around the lobby - if it looks well-kept, the rooms should be fine. If it looks dingy, it's probably a fleatrap. I don't stay there much, I usually do Super 8, and the same thing applies.

Lucinda, let me give you a tip, at the risk of being called a racist - anything that's on Martin Luther King Blvd. in *any* city is not a place where a couple of young Caucasian ladies should probably be, especially if they are unfamiliar with the particular city.

---

Oh damn. I was a bit wary when it said on the website that it was the first motel opened in the 60's that allowed black people. I thought maybe it was only for black people. It looks all kitsch and fun, but I google mapped the road, and had a look around in street view, and it looked like the pictures were taken after hurricane katrina or something. Maybe it was? It's renovated now, but that street looked scary.

Back to the drawing board then!

Hello again,
I was looking at the walmart website, to get some ideas on the kind of food thats cheap and easy to prepare when there's just a microwave in your hotel room, instead of spending money eating out.
I tried to search for juice mixers, like the 'robinsons squash' that we have in the UK, but I can't find anything even vaguely similar. Does America not have cordial? I find it really hard to drink water, so being able to find the American version of this would be brilliant.

For anyone isn't sure what I'm going on about, here's wikpedia's description:
Squash (also cordial) is a highly-sweetened fruit-based concentrate which is mixed with a liquid, most commonly water or seltzer, before drinking.[1] It is also the name of the resulting drink.
Squashes and cordials are common in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, South Africa, Kenya, Australia, Israel and New Zealand, and have a large market share in competition with fruit juices and soft drinks.
Typically, squash is created by mixing one part concentrate with four or five parts water (depending on concentration and personal taste) directly into a glass or mug or into a jug. Common flavours are orange, apple, grape, raspberry, blackcurrant, lemon, peppermint, mixed fruit, lemon, peach, strawberry, and kiwi fruit.
Manufacturers of squash include Britvic under the Robinsons and MiWadi brands, Nichols (under the Vimto brand), GlaxoSmithKline (under the Ribena brand) and Coca-Cola (under the Kia-Ora brand). Australian brands include Cottees, Bickford's, P&N Beverages and Golden Circle cordials.'

Please help!
Lucy x

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

Hello again,
I was looking at the walmart website, to get some ideas on the kind of food thats cheap and easy to prepare when there's just a microwave in your hotel room, instead of spending money eating out.
I tried to search for juice mixers, like the 'robinsons squash' that we have in the UK, but I can't find anything even vaguely similar. Does America not have cordial? I find it really hard to drink water, so being able to find the American version of this would be brilliant.

---

When I think of squash, I think of vegetables. We do have concentrated fruit juice available, and it should be labeled as such. Most likely you will find these in the frozen foods section. I can't recall seeing any that are at room temperature.

I'm also glad to see I'm not the only person on here that prints out these pages of information about things to do and places to see and puts them into some form of book (I get mine bound at Staples).

It would appear to be only available through specialist stores and not very popular. I think the equivalent in America is in a powder form and known as Kool aid.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lucinda

I tried to search for juice mixers, like the 'robinsons squash' that we have in the UK, but I can't find anything even vaguely similar. Does America not have cordial? I find it really hard to drink water, so being able to find the American version of this would be brilliant.

---

No, we consider a "cordial" a tiny after-dinner drink, usually made with a super-sweet liquor.

I remember a couple years ago there was a product like you're describing that was available for a short period of time. It was kept at room temperature, and it was in a 12-ounce can like a soda. You mixed it with water and it made a fruit juice. I think it was one of those products that never "made it" here.

I think you'd be pleased with Crystal Lite singles, Kool-Aid singles, or Power-Aid singles. Oh, Country Time is another name brand. I've also bought store-brands that were equally good to the name brands. These are small packets of powder that you pour into a standard-sized bottle of water. I like the lemonade or pink lemonade that's made by several companies, and the fruit punch is okay, but the tea is to be avoided! Kool-Aid is more of a kid's drink (and you need 2 packets for an adult-sized water), while the other name-brands are less sweet and aimmed at an adult palate.

Here's a website I've looked at -- but never ordered from -- that may have such things: minimus
I saved that website thinking that I might one day need to order things for a trip. Before we make a trip, I do like to "save up" individual packets of mayonaise, mustard, etc. from fast food restaurants. My husband is the only person in our family who eats condiments, so I don't like to have big bottles taking up cooler space.

Thanks for the replies everyone. The tips and suggestions have honestly been great and such a help in planning this.

At the moment, I'm trying to figure out the route from New Orleans to Clarksdale, Mississippi to include driving the Natchez Trace Parkway.

As we're coming from the south, I think that means that we don't get to go to the visitors centre and get all the information on the Natchez Parkway? Is there many historical things to see on the way up to Clarksdale? It seems that as we are only driving so far as Clarksdale, we'll be missing out on a lot of things that are start of the parkway from Tennessee? I'm not 100% on all of this, so any help would greatly appreciated. If anyone can think of a great route to take to get on to the parkway, and what sites are along the part we'll be driving, it would be brilliant.

Thanks again everyone
Lucy x

P.S
So far I've google mapped the route, and the route it's given me takes me close to 'Washington' and 'Selma'. I can see that it has taken me to the Natchez Trace, but it turns into Traceway Drive. Am I completely wrong, or is this the same thing?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture2-2.png