| Yes,
it is New Year's resolutions time - time to examine
our priorities and maybe shuffle them a bit. Do you
think that you are too busy or too broke to go on a
road trip this year? Think again. With a little planning,
you can do it for less and shake off some of the anxiety
that has dogged everyone in this shaky economy. Carol
White resolves to get more enjoyment from life by making
those road trips happen. |
Another New Year is coming your way, the beginning
of the rest of your life. Personally, I love this time of
year because we all get to do a mini "do over"
on our lives - throw out some bad habits, adopt some good
ones. So what will it be for you?
Every year, people go through the same old
set of tired ideas - lose weight, save money, humor the
boss, stop snapping at the kids - everyone gets a piece
of our best intentions. All well and good, but at some point
don't you just want to scream, "What about enjoying
life more?" The problem is, most resolutions are
defect-driven. Think about it - overweight, out of
shape, broke, crabby - all things that are wrong
with you. It makes you depressed before you start.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Instead
of finding our faults we could be fulfilling our dreams,
and for road trippers that means resolving to get back on
the road. I, for one, am feeling hopeful as we approach
the end of 2008. Gas prices are down after climbing over
$4 a gallon last summer, we've elected a new president,
and we are all learning what we have to do to manage the
recession that set in this year. We still have to eat and
pay the mortgage, of course, but making time for ourselves
and our families and friends also needs to be a priority.
If we're not fueled from the inside, we certainly won't
be able to fuel our cars or heat our homes.
Here are some ideas to make your next road
trip happen. I hope you will put them on your New Year's
Enjoyment List.
|
12
Road Trips for 2009
Here are some 2009
happenings to spark your road trip creativity:
Jan. 20:
Inauguration Day, Washington, D.C.
Feb. 24: Mardi
Gras, New Orleans, La.
Mar. 17: St.
Patrick's Day Parade, New York, N.Y.
Apr. 12: First
Manned Space Flight, visit Cape Canaveral, Fla.
May 5: Cinco
de Mayo, San Diego, Calif.
June 14: Start
of the Ocean-to-Ocean Centennial Model T Race,
New York, N.Y., to Seattle, Wash.
July 4: Plan
a Fourth of July Picnic, Your Hometown, USA
August: Lincoln
Bicentennial Celebration 2008-2009, Springfield,
Ill. Make it a whole Lincoln
Exploration!
Sept. 20-21:
Largest
Oktoberfest in the U.S., Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct. 14-18: Sun
Valley Jazz Festival, 20th Anniversary, Sun
Valley, Idaho
Nov. 26: Plimoth
Plantation, possible site of first Thanksgiving,
Plymouth, Mass.
Dec. 17: Wright
Brothers Day, visit Wright Brothers Museum,
Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
|
|
Block out the time on your calendar right
now. Having a goal goes a long way toward making your
road trip a reality.
Prioritize spending to set some money aside.
Give up a couple of Starbucks each week, skip a dinner out,
play cards at home instead of going to a movie. You'll have
your road trip nest egg before you know it.
Get your traveling companions involved with
the planning. I always think it is more fun anticipating
the event when everyone who is going along has a part in
it. In families with children, this means giving even small
children a task - maybe just marking off the days on a calendar
until you leave. With friends, meet from time to time to
give each other updates and encouragement.
Pick a theme or set of ideas for your trip
and start gathering information. If money is an issue,
ditch Disney and other packaged attractions and enjoy the
thrills that nature has given us, instead. Maybe this is
the year to visit our national
parks (always a good value). Or how about building a
road trip around photography, bicycling or hiking? RoadTrip
America has hundreds of destinations
and ideas to help you plan your trip
Consider a shorter route, closer to
home this year. It's always amazing to me how many things
I haven't yet seen in Oregon and I've lived here most of
my life and traveled most every major highway. Take a day
trip close to home or, if business takes you out of
town, take some personal time to explore in a rental car.
Every state puts out a Visitors
Guide each year. Get one for your own state or a neighboring
state and see what festivals, events and attractions are
close by that you would enjoy.
Use the power of the Internet to find
little-known treasures that fit your budget and itinerary.
For example, there are lots of funky hot springs tucked
in out-of-the-way locations, working horse ranches sometimes
welcome guests - you can even find archeological digs looking
for volunteers. One of my favorite finds using the Internet
was a guest
ranch in Washington that could accommodate my whole
family for a family reunion. No phones, no television, no
Internet - we just got to focus on having fun together.
Start collecting your road trip tunes. For
me, one of the best parts of a road trip is having new tunes,
podcasts and audio books to listen to. Click
here for our recommendations for some of the best audio
books for the road.
Keep the dream alive.I get antsy, I
want to get going, so I need an outlet for that energy until
the time comes to hit the road. Joining
the discussion group here on RTA, or reading a book
related to my destination, or even making lists of what
I'm going to take seems to satisfy that urge until my New
Year's resolution trip comes up on the calendar. Maybe I
need to take my own advice and start crossing off those
days!
So instead of making the same old tired resolutions,
plan your 2009 road trip now. You'll have your trip ready
to roll in no time, and your spirits will be better, too.
Then maybe some of those "defect-driven" resolutions
will just take care of themselves!
Carol
White
12/22/08
