Road Trip Medley...

Everything below this line is from the National Day Calendar website.

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NATIONAL ROAD TRIP DAY – Friday Before Memorial Day

NATIONAL ROAD TRIP DAY

The Friday before Memorial Day is declared National Road Trip Day and serves as the official kickoff of the summer road trip season. With two-thirds of leisure travelers (64 percent)* planning to take vacations this summer, it’s clear that the open road calls when long weekends and Fridays roll around. We pack up, fuel up, stock up and then crank up the tunes. In fact, 63 percent** of road trippers say that having good music, audiobooks and/or podcasts to listen to are the most important parts of a successful road trip. Additionally, three in five road trippers (59 percent) say that having good snacks and drinks for the road, finding great places to eat on the way and finding clean bathrooms to use while traveling are their most important parts of a successful road trip.

Whether we’re seeking adventure, visiting family and friends or making a business connection, road trips are often a rite of passage. Sometimes we endure them, often hearing, “Are we there yet?” And other times we never want them to end; sometimes getting lost can be even more fun than the original plan.

Getting ThereRoad trips that begin and end with happy passengers are always the best. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

•  Plan ahead. Even a spur of the moment trip requires a little planning.
  • Two in five (42 percent) road trippers find travel apps very helpful when planning their trip, and mapping out your stops ahead of time can be a great way to save both time and money.
  • One way to do so is with the Pilot Flying J app’s enhanced trip planner feature. The trip planner helps users create their route and find Pilot and Flying J locations along the way, showcasing specific amenities, fuel prices and more.
• Vehicle maintenance is vital to any successful road trip. Beyond the routine maintenance like oil changes and sound tires, other simple checks will keep you on the road.
  • check your wipers and wiper fluid
  • make sure your spare tire and jack are in place
  • all lights and signals are working
  • condition of your brake pads
  • registration is current or not about to expire
• Plot your course. Consider construction, fuel and snack stops, shopping and the interests of the other travelers.
  • Road trippers prioritize convenience and efficiency, primarily (58 percent) wanting to stop at all-in-one rest stops (offers gas, food, drinks, coffee, bathrooms, and more.).
  • Specifically, the top “road trip essential” snacks are chips and salty foods (52 percent), freshly made, grab-and-go foods (50 percent) and fast food options (49 percent).

How do you travel? There are two kinds of people who take road trips. If you’re going together, you might want to discuss a compromise before hitting the road! The tourist takes their time getting there and doesn’t mind taking backroads to see long-forgotten ghost towns. On the other hand, the pilot enjoys seeing the country from the car, sets a course and frowns upon unscheduled stops or side trips.

No matter the destination, road trips include an element of expectation, and they rarely disappoint. The best road trips bring us closer to people over a stick of beef jerky and car karaoke. They connect us to places through memories, a postcard, and the kindness of strangers.

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Everything above this line is from the Natonal Day Calendar website.

I decided to skip ahead to Friday for today's Medley.  It IS a holiday weekend for us in the USA and lots of folks do take road trips on long weekends.  Let's see where we can go with this one!!

1.  Have you ever done a spur-of-the-moment road trip?   We have done a few spurs of the moment DAY trips. Longer ROAD trips require some planning, from my perspective.  Where did it take you?  The last one was an hour away in Ona, FL.  We visited Solomon's Castle which is in the book of Weird Florida places. We loved it and have gone back a few times.

2.  If time and money wasn't an issue, what roads would you choose to travel and how long would you be gone?  I would take at least two months and travel as many back roads as I could, first heading west, then circling around heading east before heading back to Florida. No schedule, no destination... just drive and see what there is to see in this great country!  We would, of course, call ahead to blogging friends along the way so we could meet in person!!  (We don't camp, by the way.)

3.  When you go on a long road trip, what snacks and beverages do you take?  Do you pack a picnic? Does the back seat turn into a nest?  We take things totally unhealthy, like candy (licorice, chocolate), chips, pretzels, cookies. Sometimes we throw in a banana and/or apple.  We take water for me and Propel for Joe. Sometimes we add a couple of sandwiches, but we prefer to stop for meals to rest a bit and relax. My favorite thing is to leave at 3:30 a.m. and stop for a good breakfast around 6:30.  We hang clothes on a bar across the back seat, but we do nestle a cooler and a couple of totes in among the clothes.

4.  Please tell us about something interesting or strange you have seen on the side of the road. It wasn't really by the side of the road, but it was very strange to be driving south on I-75 during the evacuation order for Hurricane Irma (2017) when everyone else was headed north, out of Florida. We were nearly the only car headed south.  I'm sure folks going north were wondering what the heck we were doing, driving into a hurricane.  We needed to get home to secure the house and gather the cats and get to Helen's house for safety.  We had been visiting family in Ohio.  That traffic headed north was sitting still and we were speeding along at 75 mph.

5.  Who does the driving when you head out in the car? Over our 34 years, Joe used to do all the driving, then we started sharing the driving, and now I do all the driving. I don't mind driving, but am happy to be a passenger when it is offered. Do you stop in the rest areas along our Interstate highways when you have to use the facilities, or do you choose a fast-food restaurant or gas station instead?  Sometimes we do stop at a rest area but we prefer a fast food restaurant.  Joe will use a gas station, but not me!  We actually call the 'stop',  time-for-a-McPee since we usually stop at McDonald's.  Not TMI... inquiring minds want to know! 

6.  Please share something with us about your week so far. If you missed my blog on Monday, I will repeat my request for prayers going forward. My knee surgery is scheduled for August 27th.  Please include the surgical team and Dr. Bernasek in your prayers!!   I also went ahead and scheduled the second knee for November 21st.  My doctor wants his patients to use home therapy/therapists rather than go to a facility. That makes me happy!  

My doctor will use the ATTUNE knee replacement system.

Thanks for your visit today and if you answered on your blog, please link up with other Meddlers below so we can visit each other!!

Peace & hugs!  God bless!!

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