By Anna Geannopoulos
Even after 3,500 miles of travel, I am still not home, but I have ascertained through trial and error some tips to improve any possible trans-American road trips you plan to take in the future. Here are five more tips based on my mistakes. Please excuse me if they sound obvious.
1.The more obscure the place, the higher the gas price. This is especially true close to and inside national parks. Try to fill up before you leave a populated area. From the highway to the park entrance at Yosemite, for instance, the gas went from $3.70 to $4.99 per gallon. Ouch.
2.Don’t give a cop any reason to pull you over. In the middle of nowhere, they might be bored. Check to make sure your plates are not expired. Test your lights to make sure a headlight or break light isn’t out. Nothing’s worse than a police officer asking you why you are so nervous in a state you’ve never been to, while you’re 2,000 plus miles away from anyone you know who can bail you out.
3. If you are camping across the country, choose your campground wisely and remember where it is. This also seems like a “duh” tip, but after driving in the car for so long, your mind is a little foggy and the first thing you do is pick out a spot. Don’t feel rushed. Take your time and remember what you picked. It is embarrassing and inconvenient when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night to inform you that you are, in fact, in his or her campsite.
4. Plan for the worst. I know, I said this in my last column, but really, make a list of all the dangers in every location you are going to: bears, thunderstorms, tornados, forest fires, flash flooding and then make a plan for what you will do to protect yourself from these dangers. It doesn’t have to be detailed or complex, just something so that you’re not woken up in a tent by thunderstorms wondering if the metal poles in your tent will attract lightening.
5. My last tip is not based on a mistake, but on the best purchase of my life: a GPS system. Not only did it get me where I was going, but helped me go to unexpected locations like AutoZone (after I got pulled over for a busted brake light), grocery stores and the closest In-N-Out Burger. It also prevented the stress of being lost and the bitterness of fighting over directions.
After approximately another 700 miles, I will never want to drive again, but I will also have seen nine states that I’ve never been to and been the better for it. Despite the many roadblocks we encountered on our trip, it has been a blast and I encourage anyone who has the chance to take on the open road.