Road Tripping

I’ve gotten myself into something new and interesting. It involves writing, and you all know how much I love to write. It also involves travel, another of my favorite hobbies. It is also about assisting others who are either traveling out of necessity, or are coming to the USA as tourists.

I have been posting to a website for people who want to, or have to, drive from one place to another. The website RoadTripAmerica.com is a resource for those people. They can write a paragraph or two describing where they are originating and ending the trip, when they plan to travel, and–optional–what they would like to see along the way. Others will then post replies with information to help with the itinerary.

Since I have traveled extensively, I find this a neat way to share with others, and also to learn for myself. Just reading some of the threads gives me ideas for future road trips. However, I was invited by the web host to contribute route articles to the forum, and that is what I am writing about today.

One type of route article is a small road trip that covers only the mileage that can be comfortably driven in one day, 200-300 miles maximum. It includes several points of interest along the way, with mileages and map routes to those waypoints. The traveler may opt not to visit all the waypoints, but they won’t miss something they really wanted to see and didn’t know about.

Another article would be one that is designed specifically for the person who wants to see or visit as many attractions as possible on a pleasure trip. This person typically has no set deadline to reach a certain destination, and is on a holiday or vacation adventure. He or she can take whatever time is needed and alter routes to reach scenic, exotic or thematic sites.

Even with all of my travel experience, I cannot count the number of times I’ve driven past some great attractions that I just didn’t know were there so close by. When I learned of them later on, I was devastated that I had missed the opportunity.

That is where RoadTripAmerica.com comes in. If you know in advance what is going to be close to the route you are driving, you can probably tailor your itinerary to visit those that you think you will find interesting.

One of the newest innovations of the website is a map on the left side that you can click on. When it comes up full on your screen, merely click on the section of the country you wish to visit and you can find brief articles (road trips) for that region. These are being added to every day. If you don’t see one that fits your itinerary, just click on the Forum tab and start your own thread to get some input from seasoned travelers who’ve probably been there already.

If this information is of interest to you, I invite you to visit the website and browse through the different forums, photos, and route articles to acquaint yourself with what is available. I recommend it for anyone who has a road trip to make that will allow some time to explore. It might give you some great ideas.