Ok, kids…it’s that time of year when mama’s got itchy feet. The grey clouds of January in the Mid-Ohio Valley has turned me into a pale and grumpy girl and I have to head for some sun, sand, and surf! Yesss….you guessed it…it’s time for a ROAD TRIP! And you’re coming with me so turn on the sunlamp, play some Beach Boys, and slather on some coconut scented lotion, put on your sunglasses, get out the road map, and lets have some fun!

I’m not traveling with TOW-Wanda this time. I always get a little squirrelly when I think about pulling a 30′ camper in the snow over the Blue Ridge Mountains, so the big girl is holding down the fort at the farm. This is the econo-version of the Great American Road Trip! First, I rented a car. Now, before you freak out about the cost of that, figure that I get TRIPLE the miles per gallon in a small car than I get in my big, mama-honkin’ truck. And, I had an e-mail from Enterprise for a free upgrade. I tried making the reservation through the website but “free” upgrade actually increased the price and free is supposed to be free, right? So, I ordered an “intermediate” sized car. When I got to the desk, I showed the clerk the e-mail and actually GOT the free upgrade. A standard car turned out to by a Chrysler 200 with pretty much all the bells and whistles I could have needed. I brought my own GPS so I didn’t rent one. (For those of you who know me, I literally cannot find my butt with both hands and a flashlight so a GPS is non-negotiable!). This fine little American made automobile is imported from Detroit and I got a very respectable 34.6MPG on the highway coming down and that was over some fairly respectable mountains. As always, I do not divulge my exact location real time so I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow when I move on.

Another really great money saver when I travel is the hotel.com app on my phone. Hotels put rooms out on sites like this when they have a lot of empty rooms and they don’t expect to sell out. You can get some really great deals last minute. I drove till I was tired, found an exit with a lot of chain hotels, opened my hotel.com app and found a reasonably priced, name-brand hotel. Then, with the app still open, I went to the front desk and introduced myself. I said, very politely, “I just found this really great deal for a room here and I’m wondering…can you match this or do I need to go through the purchase here online?” I’ve never had anyone turn me down. They always give me the price I found online. This time, I got a bonus. The clerk said she could do me one better if I had AAA. So, I got a perfectly respectable room just off the interstate in a large southern city for $55 plus tax. And I get a free continental breakfast. Not bad!

I carry a cooler on road trips with sandwich makings and healthy snacks. I allow myself one diet soda when I drive and save it for late in the day. The little caffeine boost keeps me alert during rush hour traffic and I feel like I’ve really had a treat since I rarely drink soda anymore. I buy one meal a day on the road…in this case, breakfast at Denny’s. That is always an affordable meal packed with protein.

I have some basic rules of safety when I travel. I carry a smart phone with internet access. I try not to drive too long after dark. I stop for gas at the big places like Pilot or Travel America because they are well lit, their gas is restocked frequently, and they are busy. And, if you have a Good Sams Club card, you get $.03 off per gallon when you prepay at Pilot…another savings that adds up over a long road trip. That’s the end of day one. Today I head further south and I’ll tell you more tomorrow about the sites I’ve seen so far. ❤️?❤️

“For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:10-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬