Just do it. -Nike

After 10 days on the road, 13 different states, and more than 4000 miles, Kevin and I are headed home. This trip has been quite an adventure, and we plan to go on many more like it!

To help make our next trip a success we have decided to compile a list of tips that made this trip one to remember: (in no particular order)

1. Just do it. I'm a planner, so the thought of taking a trip like this initially made me anxious, but once we hit the road I had a blast. Everyone we met along the way said they always wanted to just pick up and go somewhere, and my advice would be to just do it. Even if it just for a weekend, hitting the road and leaving yourself open to the possibilities is exhilarating and results in more fun than sticking to a set agenda. 

2. No chain restaurants. In the spirit of adventure, we decided to avoid chain restaurants in search of unique dining experiences. There is an app from the Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives TV show that helped, and we also relied on Yelp, the Internet, and locals to find some yummy places to eat.

3. Don't make plans or reservations more than a day ahead of time. We'd often think that we would want to spend two nights somewhere but then we would change our minds and head for a new destination. Weather also often played a role in our plans. Rain prevented us from camping on a few occasions, but flexibility in our scheduling allowed us to adjust and have a great time! 

4. You can extend your budget if you are willing to camp, stay in motels, and hotels. Because we camped a few nights we were able to splurge on a pricier hotel to end our trip. Booking.com is an amazing site for making reservations. Their customer service department is outstanding and cancellations are a breeze! (PS. It is free to camp in National forests! Just be sure to observe any state fire bans!) Staying in a range of accommodations means having to pack for a range of situations, but be careful not to overpack! Road trips mean packing and unpacking just about every day, so the less you have to carry the happier you will be! 

5. Talk to people. We got great tips about things to see off of the beaten path by talking to locals. Waiters and waitresses make great food recommendations and often have inside tips on things to see while in town.

6. If you want it, ask. The worst answer you're going to get is no, but more often than not the answer is yes. The best example of this is our upgrade from an executive room with two double beds to a king suite! For free! 

7. Keep track of your spending and pay with cash whenever possible. We kept a log of every penny we spent. We found that if we had to write it down we were less likely to make frivolous purchases, and using cash made the money spending more tangible than using a credit or debit card. It also helped keep us on a budget.

8. Try to eat one meal a day on your own. We kept a cooler in the bed of our truck and usually made cereal and milk for breakfast. This saved a lot of money. We made peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and we were sure to stay stocked up on Capri suns, soda, and other beverages so that we didn't have to stop and/or pay every time we were thirsty. 

9. Write about your trip as you go. Keeping this blog helped capture the memories. It feels like we've been gone for way longer than 10 days, and by taking the time to write about it each day I made a record of our trip that I can revisit for years to come. I used the Blogger app on my iPhone for all of the posts, but a paper and pen journal would have done the trick too. 

10. Keep in mind that "not all those who wander are lost." On a few occasions some "wrong turns" resulted in memorable moments. Like our truck rib lunch! 

11. Be kind to each other. Road trips mean long stretches of time in closed quarters. Tempers can be tested and sometimes exhaustion sets in. Caffeine helps, but so does patience and making sure to acknowledge the irritation once you are feeling more like yourself. Stay calm and laugh a lot. Take turns driving every two hours or so and remember to have an old-fashioned atlas and common sense to rely on when the technology and GPS are acting up. 

Kevin and I are already talking about our next road trip. We've got about a dozen US states that we haven't visited yet. We hope to be equipped to take the dogs along next time, too! For now, we will enjoy the memories from this adventure! 

We've officially entered into our own time zone and enjoyed our last meal on the road. Coal fired pizza at Coals in Louisville, KY. We are going on a diet effective as soon as we return to reality in a few hours. :) 

Until next time....