If you’re looking for an interesting side-trip, or you just want to get out of town for a quick day trip, visit a ghost town.
To find a ghost town, log on to ghosttowns.com, which lists hundreds of ghost towns by state and county and describes what makes each spot unique and “ghostly.”
You may be surprised at how many ghost towns are in your area. Just don’t get scared.
For travelers who value spontaneity but want to avoid the mishaps inherent to unplanned trips, I can’t recommend visitor centers or tourism offices enough.
Several years ago, a friendly visitor center associate rescued me from a dodgy room in a dodgier neighborhood by booking a suite for the same price in an elegant condo building that had not entered my radar screen when I was researching hotels.
Since then, when traveling on the road, I always make a stop at the state Visitor Center for maps, brochures, hotel recommendations and clean restrooms (I can’t stress that last one enough).
Therefore, please let me say it again: clean restrooms.
If traveling with another adult and children, change seats from time to time.
Swapping seats gives the grown-up a new perspective … and makes the child feel important for sitting in the seats normally reserved for “Mom” or “Dad.”
Finally, it also gives everyone a chance to have different conversations and makes the trip more fun.
Taking a road trip is universally synonymous with adventure, relaxation, and new experience. While others might mention plotting out your trip, picking good stopping points, and making sure to have a rest and change drivers as often as you should, I won’t. Instead I’ll stress the one and only thing that you should never ever start a road trip without: a thorough mechanical check of your vehicle.
It you run out of sunscreen, you buy more. If you run out of money, you get some wired to you.
But if your car breaks while far from home… you’re stuck.
Thelma and Louise, Bonneville, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are all classic road trip movies. What do they all have in common? The car they traveled in was a convertible.
For maximum fun during a road trip, take a convertible! If you don’t own one, look into renting one for your next road trip. There’s no better way to see everything with the top down.
Experience all the sights, sounds and even smells that a great trip has to offer. Wear a hat and use plenty of sunscreen, but most importantly, keep that convertible top open!