What About Safe Trip For Girls

[quadrant]

We will be moving to Denver in JANUARY. Leaving from PA. driving an SUV. Can anyone out there give us a few tips on traveling across America in winter for two females traveling alone? THIS IS OUR FIRST MAJOR TRIP.....we need to take our pets so flying is out of the question.
Are there any tips on taking small amount of furniture. Should we pull a trailer or should we use a moving service?? Any help will be most welcome...all this is all new to us, so it will be quite an adventure...THANKS!!!!!!

[RoadTripper Brad]

...and We'll keep on saying it. Women traveling cross country alone are really, in my humble opinion, no more vulnerable than men... as long as a little common sense is used. Just be aware of your surroundings, stick to your route, let your family know of our flight-plan including numbers of where you'll be staying. If you don't know where you'll be stopping each night, it's best to check in with the location you are at just to be safe. I even do this and I'm a guy. Be leery of stopping to help someone, but, don't leave them stranded either: try to phone it in to the highway patrol that way they'll get some help.

As far as the trailer, depending on the amount and size of your furniture, you might be OK with a trailer. Be aware though that this will make you slow down to about 55 the entire way and will use more gas. If the items are large and bulky, or if you need to save on time, you might consider a moving service (although it will be more money).

Hope this helps!
-Brad

[Mark Sedenquist]

Can anyone out there give us a few tips on traveling across America in winter for two females traveling alone?

Here is a general article on road trip safety, here is a quick overview about winter driving and if you can afford a moving service -- use it!. Here are some tips for traveling with your pets.

Mark

[karrie_amelia]

One thing to remind yourself is you get nervous is that wherever you're driving, other women drive, transport furniture, live, shop and do a variety of other things everyday. The only time I have had anyone remark on an out of state plate--from a good distance--was a Babies R' Us in Utah, in broad daylight, and it was a family who parked next to us who had fond memories of spending time in Boston when younger.

It sounds so trite, but just use common sense. I personally prefer to limit/avoid late night driving, and take care not to fall into "Hey, look at me! I'm all alone, and this is where I'm staying tonight." kind of behavior.

I also use a GPS. If you don't have one, and can afford it, I highly recco it. That way, you're not as likely to be pulled over to the side of a road, engrossed in/arguing over a map---which might make you a *tiny* bit more obvious. Also, take care not to broadcast your itinerary in restaurants or other public places, since you never know who is listening. (You can certainly strike up conversation with friendly people, I just say I'm "on vacation, and location X has been a blast/beautiful so far. " instead of "I'm driving cross country and the next stop is _____")