What is Your RoadTrip Profile?

[PNW Judy]

I am sort of the opposite of Arizona Brad. Given the limited time and resources I have, I feel that my chances of a highly successful trip are enhanced by extensive planning. I pore over maps, research distances and costs, and find out useful things to know way in advance. So by the time I actually get to my destination, I can hit the ground running, even if I have never been to that particular place before!

I do tons of research before I go somewhere. Between guidebooks, notes, printouts from the internet, etc., I'm well-armed. However, my trips are still spontaneous with little real planning. A paradox? Maybe. But I just take all this information and still make decisions spontaneously depending on my mood that day, the weather, the status of my pocketbook, my energy levels, etc. Few days, if any, are set in stone but I have the information I need to go and do the most important things to me at the time.

Is this kind of what you mean?

[Midwest Michael]

I too do tons of planning before I go, but I make almost no firm plans until I'm on the road.

For example, I'm heading out on my annual roadtrip with the guys later today. I've spent lots of time researching possible routes, campsites, and attractions, but as of right now, I don't even know where we are going to be sleeping tonight. But When it comes time to make a decision, I'll know what my options are.

And of course, if this method of traveling has shown me anything, its that no matter how much research you do before a trip, you'll always find things that you'd never anticipate until you're on the road. Which of course is what makes these adventures so much fun!

[wacko2]

Well, my past couple of trips were a different sort of road trip, the fly/drive combo. We flew to our destination, and then each day I would drop my parents off at whatever golf course they had booked, and pick them up when they were done their 18 holes. That leaves 5 hours in between to do what I want, so there's not quite as much room for spontaneous planning. I picked my spots to visit in advance, and informed my parents of the day's plan (safety first!). Given that we were in Palm Springs and Phoenix at the nicer times of the year, weather was not too much of a factor in my planning.

My next trip, we will be driving all the way to/through the mountains. So there will be more space for spontaneous decisions, and the weather will very likely be much more of a factor in deciding what we want to do. (Hope it doesn't rain the whole time!) But even if we do decide to do different things once there, at least through my planning I already know the general layout of the area, and which routes to take.

As well, when I went to the Yukon/Alaska last year, we had a rough itinerary mapped out, but we deviated from it whenever we found it convenient. As a result, we ended up seeing Denali National Park on a different day than planned. We totally lucked out and saw quite a variety of wildlife! Dall sheep, grizzly bears, moose, a fox and even a wolf! And it is quite rare to see a wolf anywhere near humans.

[RoadDog]

I call our trips Roaddoggin'. They are a combination of many of the choices above, but I went with The Challenge. Quite often it is lighthouses, or battlefields. Lately, it's been to follow one non-interstate road for a distance. We also like to play NTN along the way.

Unless we're visiting for a specific event, we never make reservations. That would make it difficult to explore anything we find along the way. Very rarely have we had a problem finding a place to stay, even at the last moment. There have been a few exceptions though, a 1976 bicentennial trip to Washington, DC, ended up with a sleepover in a Holiday Inn parking lot. More recently, we had long night cruises from Omaha, Nebraska, to Des Moines (Hint, stay away from Omaha during the College Baseball World Series if you're just passing through.)

I would truly love to take a trip in a Corvette but can only afford one from the 80s and that might mean mechanical problems. We're quite happy in the Malibu which has the room and the mileage.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

[Syv]

I need the choice: fulfill destination - all of the national parks

[Big Pop]

My quest is to use a vehicle to challenge the risk factor of a juant. Yeah, I guess that just about covers it.

[dj toast]

I had to pick the last option because I just noticed the other day that Hertz, bless them, have snuck the 'Vette into the list of cars you can hire at LAX.

It's just too tempting to resist: I've been debating with my wife whether to return to California in 2007 or take a trip around the East coast, but this may just seal it...

[Mark Sedenquist]

I had to pick the last option because I just noticed the other day that Hertz, bless them, have snuck the 'Vette into the list of cars you can hire at LAX.

One of our RTA guides' rides is a Vette -- not very practical but still worth it!

Mark

[inluvwithUtah22]

A roadtrip is a time to spend with family or make new friends.Its the perfect picture, regional cuisine, or a hike into the wilderness. Its Main St USA, or a road that dead ends into a cow pasture.Its the smell of mowed grass,coffee,
bacon, or a fall festival. Its a mighty river,the ocean, or a mountain. Its a perfect view, a belly laugh, and a time for reflection. Its adventure, imagination, and excitement all rolled into one.Above all, its memories that last a lifetime

[PNW Judy]

What a lovely, poetic way to express how I'm sure most of us really feel about a good roadtrip!