RoadsideOnline

I can only boast taking a single cross-country road trip, and that happened over ten years ago, now. In 1998, Roadside cohort Teri Dunn and family decided to move back to New England after about three years in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and they asked me to drive back their family car. I took a route that roughly followed Louis and Clark, and arrived home full of ideas, impressions, and memories. Thanks to the fact that I had relatively few obligations at the time, I could take advantage of Teri's permission to take my sweet time, and the trip took about two weeks.

Since then, I've often dispensed with advice on how to conduct a good cross country trip, but amazingly never published anything. So, dear readers, here it is:

Roadside's tips for Cross Country Road Trips

In the Midwest especially, plot your trip to take you from BIG college town to BIG college town. At least there, you'll find life in the downtowns and good food. When in doubt, try the brewpub first. Food there is almost always above average. The rest of the midwest, while known variously as "America's Heartland" or "God's country," can't be described as a culinary paradise. Keep in mind that in small-town America, Wal-Mart is a cherished shopping experience and Applebees is a four-star restaurant.

Make a vow to meet at least one person every day you're out there.

Don't bother reading travel books like Blue Highways while on a trip like that. Absorb what's around you. Read the book well before or well after. It'll do you no good during.

Throw out the guide books and use your instincts. If you don't know whether or not you have good instincts, regard this as a good time to get them. Be sure to ask the locals for advice.

No matter where you are, start looking for a place to sleep around 6:00 p.m. If you see a cool motel about that time, stop and check in. You do NOT want to be searching for lodging after nine o'clock at night or when it is dark. If you're lucky enough to be in a cool town, check in and go for a walk. Explore as much as you can on foot.

If possible, reserve at least one day a week to stay put get to know the town/neighborhood. Go wash your clothes at the local laundromat.

If you want an easy way to strike up conversation with the locals, pull out a notebook (and not an iPhone) and start writing about your experience. Curiousity will get the better of those sitting around you, so just tell them you're writing a story for Roadside Magazine. People think travel writers are very cool. (Then submit that story to Roadside Magazine. )

Take a tape recorder or some kind of recording device and describe what you are seeing when you see it. Consider this a good, reliable rough draft for a future story or just to share with you grandchildren years from now.

Don't be afraid of the cities. Despite what some will tell you, real America lives here too.

Take LOTS of photos, even of the most random stuff. You never know what you might capture.

Stay off the interstate. (duh)

Motels west of the Mississippi are ridiculously cheap and generally clean. Don't bother with chains unless you absolutely must.

Have a friend at home to call every night to recount the day's travels. Record your end of the conversation.

Always use a map. The idea of traveling without a map is utterly moronic. Nothing spoils a trip faster than getting truly lost.