Driving rather than flying add your tips please.

cdltpx

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Jul 6, 2009
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Galvez La 70769
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With the new restrictions on travel in airplanes I wish to begin a new thread. Reason is we are free to choose whatever means we wish to travel and flying in the continental USA is not all it's cracked up to be anymore. People are left to rot on the runway while the planes wait in line, consumers are searched like they are the terrorists while Gtmo is releasing terrorists to be seen later leading the pack. Now they are telling people that it takes 2 hours just to get through security that is 4 hours of your life devoted to terrorism tell me they haven't won slightly. What I am asking is all you drivers to give tips on traveling in a car/rv.
I wish to tell you about a trip we 3 took recently.Drive time total 48 hours round trip distance traveled 3,000 miles round trip.
We used the most efficient car in our arsenal 2007 toyota Prius. http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2007-toyota-prius.htm . I have seen these cars selling for 13k used 60k miles they are not too sexy but they sure make a long trip shorter not having to refuel as much. http://static.monolithic.com/pres/prius/index.html

We visited the local library prior to leaving to load up on books, on paper and cd. We also checked out 8 magazines we maxed out our cards with 8 movies too used the laptop With inverter for power and last headphones to watch movies on the way. We also took a netflicks movie watched it and dropped it in the mail once we got to Phoenix. Red box is a cool new way to view movies too since you can get amovie in one place and return it in another. This was the first long trip as a family I am use to travel since I am a commercially licensed seasoned driver. I did all the driving and stopped before I was tired. We had plenty of music to listen too also with a laptop loaded with music and an Iphone loaded with music.

Baton Rouge to Phoenix we took the longer route through Dallas since we wanted to see family in Dallas on the way. We liked this route so much we took it on our return trip home and did quite well the mileage is just 60 miles extra 120 round the road was great plenty of radio stations to listen too plenty of motels to choose from.

We left Phoenix thanksgiving day 05:00 so we would miss any local traffic in Elpaso Tx. and return home in time to get our shopping done,17 hours later we were at out motel in Long view Tx we took out 1,200 miles that day.

We stayed in Laquinta, Best western, and a Quality inn suite. All rooms were nice and clean some had hot breakfast. We located motels with Internet called them first located good rates then we asked to see the room before we rented if the bed was not comfortable we took off to the next place. We had to do this only once when we went to a motel 6 yikes. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount tell them that you are good customers helps to have a club card like with laqiunta where your stays add up to get you a free room. Ask for those programs that will save you a bundle.
Logistics were handled with map gps dash and gps i phone. The gps will crunch the numbers so you will know exactly how far you have left as it will reduce the miles driven from the miles you have left. We located truck stops by first finding the ones we liked I always liked pilot so we got a magazine from them and the centerfold has all the truckstops listed easily for you to find them if you need additional truck stops you just have to snag a cat scale truck stop locator and this will do for truck stop locating when you go into other chains ask and the attendants should direct you to where you can get this paper. Also you can go to the truck stops websites with the I phone.
http://www.pilottravelcenters.com/Locations/Find_Locations/
http://www.flyingj.com/flyingjPorta...=true&_pageLabel=flyingjPortal_portal_page_61

If you wonder how we truckers know where we are all the time it's simple open your atlas a d breeze through it. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question656.htm.
It helps to know what your aautomobile mpg should be this will assist you in selecting locations to refuel in advance so you will get a consistant price on fuel. I use Sams club at first then just payed attention to prices on the way since it really is not worth it to go out of route any to buy 10 gallons of fuel. You can use google maps to let you know the miles it will take to drive the route then basically divide by 53 and you have a pretty good idea of how long it will take to get there with fuel stops and all. Sure it is winter now and that is a pain but people driver in the winter all the time how do you think all the groceries get to the market? Do I recommend driving in a blizzard no you have to use your head when using any form of travel it is risky to do anything but what is happening to flying is an option that you can engineer out of the equasion.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy/how-to-get-better-fuel-economy1.htm

You might be open to traveling with another person there is a website that can introduce you to potential passengers or locate you a car to ride in. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/rid/ This is craigs list this is the Los Angeles link you can search for a location closer to where you live and click on the rideshare link. Some people want a car delivered to another town you might want a one way ride to an area never know what may work for you.
Things you might wish to bring along are air compressor, airguage, gloves,two flash lights i use led, blanket, pillows, suction cup window shades, sunglasses, barf bag JIC, tylenol, laptop and inverter you can recharge your phone with the laptop if you have a usb phone charger,plenty of reading material, books on tape cd, a good coffee cup will save plenty on refills on the way .More saving ideas are listed in this website.
http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/2009/06/save-money-while-traveling/

As for instructions involving winter travel in a car this website offers solutions for the JIC things that might pop up.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/roadside/trunk01.html
 

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