A family road trip is one of the Six Kinds of Trips Everyone Should Experience, but whether it’s with family, old friends, or with a significant other, there are some universal truths about the Great American Roadtrip that every roadtripper knows.
Essential Travel Resources for 2021 & 2022
These are my favorite companies that I use on my travels.
Find the best deals on hotels & vacation rentals on Booking.com.
For road trips and ground transportation, rent a car through Discover Cars.
Find the best city tours, day tours, bus tours, & skip-the-line tickets on GetYourGuide.
For packing and travel essentials order via Amazon.
For travel guidebooks to have with you during your trip, I always pick one or two (or five) from Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Moon Travel Guides, or Fodor’s Travel Guides.
Get reliable travel insurance through World Nomads.
Book an affordable family or romantic photography session on your trip through Flytographer (Use the code HISTORYFANGIRL for 25% off your first photoshoot).
- It is possible to find an episode of Law & Order (or one of it’s spinoffs) simply by flipping through channels in any American hotel room. Also, Olivia Benson does not age.
- The Kum & Go (found in Iowa and Missouri) is the single greatest gas station name.
- Wawa and Sheetz (found in the Mid-Atlantic) tie for best gas station experience.
- A visit to a Cracker Barrel in real life is a cry for help. A visit mid-roadtrip is a delight, and every minute in the gift shop should be savored. Can I interest you in some hard candy and a rocking chair?
- The way a person smells after being in a car for twelve hours can not be replicated through other means.
- A day driving through western Kansas is the least exciting US landscape. Cornfield and Texacos as far as the eye can see.
- Toll roads in Canada take credit cards. The USA needs to catch up.
- Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is breathtaking. Other gorgeous highways include the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys and the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
- A well-stocked cooler is man’s best friend.
- Everyone in the family can enjoy a David Sedaris audiobook for entertainment in cases where no one can agree to a playlist. May I suggest starting with Me Talk Pretty One Day? Also If You are Engulfed in Flames is just as delightful.
- It will start raining when you are an hour away from your destination and really have to go to the restroom.
Disagree? Got any more? Share below!
