March 6, 2025 • 21 mins
Experience the thrill of the open road as we delve into the advantages of road trips in our latest episode. Join me as I share my personal journey preparing for an exciting drive from Texas to South Carolina, discussing why I prefer the freedom of the highway to the chaos of airports. Hear stories from past adventures, sprinkled with insights about ensuring your vehicle is ready for long travels and packing the essentials to make the journey enjoyable.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bob Bales (00:00):
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where
we explore the most intriguingaspects of travel, culture and
history.
I'm your host, Bob Bales, andtoday we are talking road trips.
Yeah, I'm about to take one.
It's going to be a long one too, but I am looking forward to it
.
So stay tuned and we'll getinto it in just a second.
All right, welcome back to theTraveling Fool podcast.
(00:44):
I'm your host, Bob Bales, and,like I said, this week we are
talking about road trips.
I am fixing to take a road trip.
You can tell I'm from the Southbecause I say fixing to.
I am getting ready to take aroad trip for all you
non-southerners and I am headedout to South Carolina.
(01:06):
I'm going to be leaving out ofTexas heading to South Carolina.
I think I looked on Google Mapsand it's like I don't know, 13,
13 and a half hour drive.
Of course, that never works outbecause I've got to go on
Interstate 10, which is just amess.
Half of Interstate 10, I thinkbetween Houston and Mississippi,
(01:29):
is one lane because they'realways doing construction on it.
So I have decided I'm going toleave at O-Dark 30.
Somewhere around midnight, 1230in the morning.
I'm going to head out becausethere will be no traffic.
I can get from one side ofHouston to the other without
having to fight 15,000 cars onthe interstate, and then I can
(01:53):
head over to Louisiana and intoMississippi.
And when I get to Alabama Ihead north.
You know, I actually prefer roadtripping rather than taking a
flight.
Why?
Because airports are a pain inthe butt.
I mean, I don't mind flying,it's just that airports are a
(02:15):
pain in the butt.
TSA is a pain in the butt,check-ins are a pain in the butt
, and then you got all themorons that want to cause
trouble at the airport becausetheir flight's delayed, their
flight's late, their flight'scanceled.
I mean, that's just part offlying.
If you don't expect it tohappen, you should, because more
than likely it will.
So instead of having to fightthe airport traffic, arrive
(02:38):
three hours early, stand aroundwith a bunch of morons that are
complaining because theirflight's delayed 10 minutes, I
would just as soon get in thecar and drive, because I could
enjoy my cigar all the way toSouth Carolina.
And I packed a bunch of them forthis trip.
I've got some big ones.
You know cigars come in ringgauges and a ring gauge is how
(02:59):
big a round it is, I guess youcould say.
I've got some very hefty cigarswith very large ring gauges.
So instead of taking 45 minutesto an hour hour and 15 minutes
to smoke a cigar, I've gotsomething that'll last over two
hours.
I mean, these are some bigmamma jammas.
I can have my coffee sittingthere piping hot in my thermos,
(03:22):
smoke a cigar, turn on someclassic rock, hit the road and
just enjoy the trip.
So why am I headed to SouthCarolina?
Well, here's the point whereyou need to take a note, because
I am headed to the SouthernTravelers Explore Conference.
Southern Travelers ExploreConference is put on by my good
(03:45):
friend, Melody Pittman, with thehelp of her two fantastic
daughters, Taylor and Peyton.
You know, I don't know whichone this is, it's like number
five or something that she'sdone.
I haven't been to all of them,but I've been to.
I think this is my fourth one.
She puts on a fantasticconference.
It only lasts two or three days, but it highlights places in
(04:06):
the South.
And this year we are headed toSeneca, South Carolina, but
that's the town we're staying in.
It's actually being hosted bythe county Oconee County.
So here's the part you need totake a little note of If you
want to follow some really goodtravel creators because there's
like 50 of us going she limitsit to a small group no more than
(04:31):
around 50, plus a bunch ofdestinations.
So there'll be a lot ofdestinations from the South I
think 20 or 25 of them and theycome in and they talk about
their destinations and stuffalong with other things that go
on in the conference .
But now everybody is going tobe posting on Instagram and
Twitter and Facebook and TikTokand whatever social media
(04:53):
platforms they have, but thehashtag for it #STEOconeeCoSC
which stands for SouthernTravelers Explore Oconee County,
(05:14):
South Carolina.
You follow that hashtag andyou're going to see a lot of
great stuff happening in OconeeCounty.
But also you're going todiscover some great travel
writers and travel influencersand probably some destinations
that you had not even thought ofthat are going to be putting
out a lot of great content.
That might give you an idea ofa few more people that you may
(05:36):
want to follow from time to timeor check and see what they're
doing, because they do put outsome outstanding content.
So, getting ready for this roadtrip.
Now I drive a car that is ahand-me-down from my wife.
Why is it a hand-me-down frommy wife?
Well, because when I buy a newcar, it's buying her a new car
(05:58):
and then whatever old piece ofcrap I'm driving I sell and take
her newer old piece of crap.
So I had to take it in and getworked on.
I've got a really good mechanic.
I mean, I trust these guys.
They're very, very honest.
In fact, I took it in for anoil change I'll show you, I
don't even drive this car thatmuch, because if I'm not
(06:20):
traveling I just don't drive itaround a lot and I took it in.
It had been several monthssince I'd done an oil change.
So I said, well, I'll get anoil change, rotate the tires and
have him check it out and makesure it's roadworthy.
I took it in.
He came out about 15 minuteslater.
He goes Mr Bales, we don't needto do the oil change because
we've only driven about 1,500miles since the last one, even
though it's been several months.
So that shows you how honestthey are.
(06:41):
They could have just done anoil change and been done with it
.
But he came out and said youdon't need it.
I said all right, we'll justcheck everything out.
But I did have to replace abattery, and my God, do you know
how much batteries cost thesedays?
I wound up paying close to $300for them to take it out,
because I drive a car that,unlike older cars that I was
used to working on when I wasyounger, you don't lift up the
(07:06):
hood and replace the battery.
Oh, no, no, no.
They put the battery in theback seat, under the floorboard,
where you have to move all theseats out of the way, unscrew a
panel, take the panel off andlift it up off the floorboard in
the back seat.
It's a real pain in the butt.
So they had to do that, replacethe battery and everything.
And just looking at batteries,I mean I checked Auto Zone and
(07:27):
Pep Boys and a few other placesand just to buy a battery, these
days they're like $250, $270.
It's crazy.
But I had the battery replaced,they cleaned everything up for
me, all good, and they rotatedthe tires and he said oh, you're
good to go, this thing willmake it there with no problem.
But I do have AAA just in casethe car does break down.
And here's one good tip for you.
(07:49):
AAA has good priced insurance.
I mean, I switched to themyears ago because they beat
everybody else's insurance whereI live.
But even if you do not gettheir insurance just the, I
don't know, it's $45 a year orsomething like that, maybe $60,
just to buy the membership.
It is well worth it for peaceof mind, because if you break
(08:10):
down, these folks will come andtow you.
Now I may be lying here, I'mnot sure, but if I'm not
mistaken they will tow you up to100 miles to wherever you want
to take that car, whereas if youjust call a tow truck to do it,
first of all they're going tocharge a bunch of money and
they'll tow you maybe 20 milesat the most, and it really helps
(08:31):
.
If you're on a road trip, youbreak down on a freeway
somewhere.
Another thing and I've had themdo this before, not lately,
it's been many years since I'vedone it but if you're out
somewhere and you try to startyour car and the battery's dead
for whatever reason, because youjust forgot that it was seven
years since you bought one andyou need a new battery you can
(08:55):
call them and they will bringone out and install it for you.
Now you're going to pay themfor the battery, but it's nice
that they will just come out anddo it for you, and they have a
lot of other roadside assistanceservices and for $40, $60 a
year, whatever it is, it's wellworth peace of mind.
I mean, they'll come out andchange a flat tire for you if
you want to.
So if you plan on taking theroad trip, look at getting AAA,
(09:17):
or I know there's a couple otherones out there.
I can only tell you about AAA,had them for years, love them.
Wife's used them several times.
It really comes in handybecause she doesn't know how to
change a tire and she has calledthem to replace a battery.
So it really gives you peace ofmind if you've got somebody who
can come out and take care ofyour car while you're out on the
road.
(09:38):
Now another thing to do beforeyou get ready to go on a road
trip.
You got to pack for it.
Of course, I always pack like asmall cooler full of water and
maybe a couple of soft drinks orsomething.
I always fill up my thermoswith hot coffee.
I've got plenty of it.
So make sure you have a fewsnacks, a few drinks, things
like this.
You might also want to look atgetting an emergency road kit,
(10:02):
and you can buy these things offAmazon.
Just go on Amazon and look foran emergency road kit.
If you don't want to buy offAmazon, you can still go on
there and look and see what theyhave and then go to whatever
store you want to buy the thing.
The emergency road kits.
They'll come with flares andfirst aid kits and just all
kinds of stuff.
It ranges from just a verysmall kit with just a few things
(10:24):
in it, the essentials, to alittle bit larger kits that have
hundreds of items you mightneed on an emergency basis on
the road.
Fire extinguishers come inhandy.
So look at getting yourself anemergency road kit before you
hit the road, throw it in theback of the car, put it in the
trunk, just remember where it is, because in case you need it,
(10:44):
you can get to it real quick.
Another thing you might want tobuy is one of those little mini
flashlights.
I've got three or four of thosethings.
I used to work overseas as acontractor in the Middle East.
I had a lot of these littletactical flashlights.
People were always giving themto me, or if somebody was losing
them, you'd find them laying onthe side of the road or
something.
Surefire makes a great one.
(11:07):
So I've got a couple ofSurefires and a couple of others
, but they usually use twobatteries.
They're extremely bright.
Batteries last for a reallylong time.
Buy you a little flashlight.
You can pick up a really nicesurefire, but it's going to cost
you $30 or $40.
But you can pick up small onesfor $2 or $3 at Walmart.
(11:28):
Just that'll get you what youneed, which will get you some
light if you happen to breakdown or you happen to need
something in the dark at nineo'clock at night.
And of course, you want to planyour road trip.
Now me, one reason I like roadtrips is because I can hit the
road and if I want to stopsomewhere and check things out
(11:50):
for a couple of hours, I can dothat.
It's kind of hard to have thepilot stop the plane so you can
look at something, but if you'rein a car it's real easy.
You just pull off the side ofthe road and check out something
really cool that you foundalong the side of the road in
some small town that you happento be driving through.
So, for me, planning the roadtrip is open up Google Maps and
(12:14):
look at the route.
It gives you a couple ofalternative routes.
Always look at the alternativeroutes because it may be 15 or
20 miles out of the way insteadof staying on the highway or the
interstate.
But depending on what towns itruns through, I'll check out
those towns and see if there'sanything interesting to check
out in those towns.
Also, google Maps comes inpretty handy.
(12:35):
I mean, the information thatyou get from them is not 100%
set in stone, accurate all thetime, but it does list where
they're doing construction onthe interstates and things like
this.
And it's nice to know that ifyou've got a 90-mile stretch of
(12:56):
interstate that you're going tobe traveling on, that they're
doing road construction on that.
Well, you can either plan forthat or you can plan to go
around it.
Now the other thing you mightwant to look at is getting a
dash cam.
I've got one.
You can find them anywhere from$40 to $500.
It just depends on what youwant.
You don't have to spend a tonof money For under $100, you can
(13:18):
get you a very nice dash camthat does everything you need it
to do and one of the coolthings that it does, besides
recording things you have a lockbutton that if there was an
accident, you could lock it.
Because the way the dash camswork, all the ones that I've
ever seen, is they film on aloop, like every three to five
(13:39):
minutes.
It just restarts and films athree to five to ten minute
video.
But if you get in an accident,you can hit the button and it
locks that so you don't losethat video.
Most of them also have afeature where you can hit a
button and take a photo.
So if there's something reallycool that you want to see along
the way and something happens onthe road trip, just hit that
(13:59):
button and click a photo of it.
But dash cams come in reallyhandy on road trips.
It actually comes in handyanytime, because if you do get
in an accident and it's not yourfault, you've got the evidence
right there.
Now, if it is your fault,you've got the evidence of that
also.
But a dash cam comes in handybecause it will record
(14:21):
everything that happens andthere are a lot of idiots out
there.
Road rage is a thing, so ifthat happens, you've got video
evidence of that as well.
But all I can tell you is justdo it, just invest a few bucks
and get you a dash cam.
They come in really handy.
They're well worth it, givesyou good peace of mind.
(14:41):
And I've told this story before.
I was traveling on a road tripmany years ago and I went
through Iowa and I hit a deercrossing the highway doing 70
miles an hour.
Of course the deer didn'tsurvive and neither did my
rental car.
I mean it pretty much totaledout that rental car.
If I'd have had a dash cam, itwould have been a lot better.
Thank goodness I had an18-wheeler behind me who saw the
(15:07):
entire incident and just toldthe trooper, which helped
insurance and everything, thatthere was no way I could react.
The deer came basically out ofnowhere from a culvert, jumped
up onto the highway and it was asplit-second deal.
But having a dash cam wouldhave certainly helped a whole
lot.
Also, going back to doing yourresearch for your road trip and
looking at planning your routesand everything, another thing
(15:29):
you can do with Google Maps islike this trip I'm taking is a
13, 13.5-hour drive, so I'mgoing to have to eat.
Well, I don't have to.
I could probably stand not to,but I will probably stop and get
something to eat along the way.
So if you say, well, six, sevenhours into the drive, I'll stop
(15:50):
, stretch my legs and grabsomething to eat.
I can search on the trip whereI'm going to be in six to eight
hours and then look at places toeat around there.
And I like to find locallyowned places to eat, whether
it's a good burger place, familycafe, something like that.
I just like locally ownedrestaurants and cafes and eating
(16:13):
places because I like to trysomething new and I like to
support the local businesses andface it.
I mean you can get a McDonald'sor Kentucky Fried Chicken
anytime you want to, so why doit on a road trip?
But you can search in thatlittle area on Google Maps and
just put in restaurants or putin hamburger places or put in
steakhouses or seafood orwhatever you want to, and you
(16:36):
might discover some really coollittle eating places along the
way.
Now I know you can get reallydetailed into planning a road
trip and a lot of these reallydetailed lists you see are just
somebody trying to fill up space.
For me, that's pretty much it.
I check out my car, make sureit's a really good working order
, make sure I've got someemergency equipment in case I
(16:59):
might need it Always have mydash cam, pack some drinks, Pack
a few snacks, go to Google maps, check out the route, maybe a
couple of places to eat, andthat is basically my planning,
and you can do a lot more, ofcourse.
Oh, one more I got to tell youabout.
It's an app.
It's called Gas Buddy.
(17:19):
I have this app downloaded andthere's paid and free versions.
I use the free version.
Gas Buddy works all around theUnited States and what it does
is it accesses your locationusing your phone's GPS and it
shows you gas stations aroundyou and what the price of
gasoline is at those gasstations.
And if you've traveled on theinterstate much, you will know
(17:42):
that stopping to get gas on theinterstate is more expensive
than taking an exit anddetouring a half mile down the
road to another gas station.
And it can be substantial andif you're on a long road trip,
you can save a bunch of money byusing GasBuddy and just
stopping where they have thecheapest gas to fill up.
(18:03):
Gasbuddy you can find it onwhatever Apple's deal is.
I have an Android, so you go toGoogle Store or the Play Store
or whatever it's called.
Download the app, it's free.
Set up your account and it willshow you all of the gas
stations and what their pricesare.
Well, not all of them, but itshows like 90% of the gas
stations out there and it's kindof one of those user-generated
(18:25):
things.
So if you see that well,gasoline over here is $2.36 a
gallon for regular, you pull inthere and it's now $2.35.
The users have the ability toupdate the app and say, nope,
this is the price.
And if I'm not mistaken, whenyou look at it it tells you the
last time it was updated.
(18:46):
It'll say as of yesterday or asof today or as of two days ago.
So it's a really good app tohave.
It works like a charm andthat's what I use.
So here in a couple of weeksI'll probably do a podcast about
Oconee County, South Carolina,or maybe specifically about one
(19:07):
or two of the things I did orsaw there, and in the meantime
there'll be another podcast inbetween those two, but that's
what I'm doing.
So, I am heading out on a roadtrip.
I plan on taking a few roadtrips this year, so that's the
best way to travel as far as I'mconcerned.
You get to see and do a wholelot more.
If you haven't taken one in awhile, or if road tripping is
(19:28):
not your thing, try it one time.
You might find out that youreally enjoy just hitting the
road.
There's something about nothaving to worry about being told
when to board, when not toboard.
Put your seat tray up.
No, we're not serving drinks atthis time.
It's just a whole lot easier toget in the car, grab your
favorite beverage, as long asit's non-alcoholic.
(19:49):
After all, you are driving downthe interstate.
If you're like me, light up anice cigar, crack the window a
little bit, put on your favoritetunes, hit the road and enjoy
the trip.
So that's what I'm doing.
I hope you're having a goodweek, hope you're planning some
good trips out there and untilnext time, safe travels.
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where
we explore the most intriguingaspects of travel, culture and
history.
I'm your host, Bob Bales, andtoday we are talking road trips.
Yeah, I'm about to take one.
It's going to be a long one too, but I am looking forward to it
.
So stay tuned and we'll getinto it in just a second.
All right, welcome back to theTraveling Fool podcast.
(00:44):
I'm your host, Bob Bales, and,like I said, this week we are
talking about road trips.
I am fixing to take a road trip.
You can tell I'm from the Southbecause I say fixing to.
I am getting ready to take aroad trip for all you
non-southerners and I am headedout to South Carolina.
(01:06):
I'm going to be leaving out ofTexas heading to South Carolina.
I think I looked on Google Mapsand it's like I don't know, 13,
13 and a half hour drive.
Of course, that never works outbecause I've got to go on
Interstate 10, which is just amess.
Half of Interstate 10, I thinkbetween Houston and Mississippi,
(01:29):
is one lane because they'realways doing construction on it.
So I have decided I'm going toleave at O-Dark 30.
Somewhere around midnight, 1230in the morning.
I'm going to head out becausethere will be no traffic.
I can get from one side ofHouston to the other without
having to fight 15,000 cars onthe interstate, and then I can
(01:53):
head over to Louisiana and intoMississippi.
And when I get to Alabama Ihead north.
You know, I actually prefer roadtripping rather than taking a
flight.
Why?
Because airports are a pain inthe butt.
I mean, I don't mind flying,it's just that airports are a
(02:15):
pain in the butt.
TSA is a pain in the butt,check-ins are a pain in the butt
, and then you got all themorons that want to cause
trouble at the airport becausetheir flight's delayed, their
flight's late, their flight'scanceled.
I mean, that's just part offlying.
If you don't expect it tohappen, you should, because more
than likely it will.
So instead of having to fightthe airport traffic, arrive
(02:38):
three hours early, stand aroundwith a bunch of morons that are
complaining because theirflight's delayed 10 minutes, I
would just as soon get in thecar and drive, because I could
enjoy my cigar all the way toSouth Carolina.
And I packed a bunch of them forthis trip.
I've got some big ones.
You know cigars come in ringgauges and a ring gauge is how
(02:59):
big a round it is, I guess youcould say.
I've got some very hefty cigarswith very large ring gauges.
So instead of taking 45 minutesto an hour hour and 15 minutes
to smoke a cigar, I've gotsomething that'll last over two
hours.
I mean, these are some bigmamma jammas.
I can have my coffee sittingthere piping hot in my thermos,
(03:22):
smoke a cigar, turn on someclassic rock, hit the road and
just enjoy the trip.
So why am I headed to SouthCarolina?
Well, here's the point whereyou need to take a note, because
I am headed to the SouthernTravelers Explore Conference.
Southern Travelers ExploreConference is put on by my good
(03:45):
friend, Melody Pittman, with thehelp of her two fantastic
daughters, Taylor and Peyton.
You know, I don't know whichone this is, it's like number
five or something that she'sdone.
I haven't been to all of them,but I've been to.
I think this is my fourth one.
She puts on a fantasticconference.
It only lasts two or three days, but it highlights places in
(04:06):
the South.
And this year we are headed toSeneca, South Carolina, but
that's the town we're staying in.
It's actually being hosted bythe county Oconee County.
So here's the part you need totake a little note of If you
want to follow some really goodtravel creators because there's
like 50 of us going she limitsit to a small group no more than
(04:31):
around 50, plus a bunch ofdestinations.
So there'll be a lot ofdestinations from the South I
think 20 or 25 of them and theycome in and they talk about
their destinations and stuffalong with other things that go
on in the conference .
But now everybody is going tobe posting on Instagram and
Twitter and Facebook and TikTokand whatever social media
(04:53):
platforms they have, but thehashtag for it #STEOconeeCoSC
which stands for SouthernTravelers Explore Oconee County,
(05:14):
South Carolina.
You follow that hashtag andyou're going to see a lot of
great stuff happening in OconeeCounty.
But also you're going todiscover some great travel
writers and travel influencersand probably some destinations
that you had not even thought ofthat are going to be putting
out a lot of great content.
That might give you an idea ofa few more people that you may
(05:36):
want to follow from time to timeor check and see what they're
doing, because they do put outsome outstanding content.
So, getting ready for this roadtrip.
Now I drive a car that is ahand-me-down from my wife.
Why is it a hand-me-down frommy wife?
Well, because when I buy a newcar, it's buying her a new car
(05:58):
and then whatever old piece ofcrap I'm driving I sell and take
her newer old piece of crap.
So I had to take it in and getworked on.
I've got a really good mechanic.
I mean, I trust these guys.
They're very, very honest.
In fact, I took it in for anoil change I'll show you, I
don't even drive this car thatmuch, because if I'm not
(06:20):
traveling I just don't drive itaround a lot and I took it in.
It had been several monthssince I'd done an oil change.
So I said, well, I'll get anoil change, rotate the tires and
have him check it out and makesure it's roadworthy.
I took it in.
He came out about 15 minuteslater.
He goes Mr Bales, we don't needto do the oil change because
we've only driven about 1,500miles since the last one, even
though it's been several months.
So that shows you how honestthey are.
(06:41):
They could have just done anoil change and been done with it
.
But he came out and said youdon't need it.
I said all right, we'll justcheck everything out.
But I did have to replace abattery, and my God, do you know
how much batteries cost thesedays?
I wound up paying close to $300for them to take it out,
because I drive a car that,unlike older cars that I was
used to working on when I wasyounger, you don't lift up the
(07:06):
hood and replace the battery.
Oh, no, no, no.
They put the battery in theback seat, under the floorboard,
where you have to move all theseats out of the way, unscrew a
panel, take the panel off andlift it up off the floorboard in
the back seat.
It's a real pain in the butt.
So they had to do that, replacethe battery and everything.
And just looking at batteries,I mean I checked Auto Zone and
(07:27):
Pep Boys and a few other placesand just to buy a battery, these
days they're like $250, $270.
It's crazy.
But I had the battery replaced,they cleaned everything up for
me, all good, and they rotatedthe tires and he said oh, you're
good to go, this thing willmake it there with no problem.
But I do have AAA just in casethe car does break down.
And here's one good tip for you.
(07:49):
AAA has good priced insurance.
I mean, I switched to themyears ago because they beat
everybody else's insurance whereI live.
But even if you do not gettheir insurance just the, I
don't know, it's $45 a year orsomething like that, maybe $60,
just to buy the membership.
It is well worth it for peaceof mind, because if you break
(08:10):
down, these folks will come andtow you.
Now I may be lying here, I'mnot sure, but if I'm not
mistaken they will tow you up to100 miles to wherever you want
to take that car, whereas if youjust call a tow truck to do it,
first of all they're going tocharge a bunch of money and
they'll tow you maybe 20 milesat the most, and it really helps
(08:31):
.
If you're on a road trip, youbreak down on a freeway
somewhere.
Another thing and I've had themdo this before, not lately,
it's been many years since I'vedone it but if you're out
somewhere and you try to startyour car and the battery's dead
for whatever reason, because youjust forgot that it was seven
years since you bought one andyou need a new battery you can
(08:55):
call them and they will bringone out and install it for you.
Now you're going to pay themfor the battery, but it's nice
that they will just come out anddo it for you, and they have a
lot of other roadside assistanceservices and for $40, $60 a
year, whatever it is, it's wellworth peace of mind.
I mean, they'll come out andchange a flat tire for you if
you want to.
So if you plan on taking theroad trip, look at getting AAA,
(09:17):
or I know there's a couple otherones out there.
I can only tell you about AAA,had them for years, love them.
Wife's used them several times.
It really comes in handybecause she doesn't know how to
change a tire and she has calledthem to replace a battery.
So it really gives you peace ofmind if you've got somebody who
can come out and take care ofyour car while you're out on the
road.
(09:38):
Now another thing to do beforeyou get ready to go on a road
trip.
You got to pack for it.
Of course, I always pack like asmall cooler full of water and
maybe a couple of soft drinks orsomething.
I always fill up my thermoswith hot coffee.
I've got plenty of it.
So make sure you have a fewsnacks, a few drinks, things
like this.
You might also want to look atgetting an emergency road kit,
(10:02):
and you can buy these things offAmazon.
Just go on Amazon and look foran emergency road kit.
If you don't want to buy offAmazon, you can still go on
there and look and see what theyhave and then go to whatever
store you want to buy the thing.
The emergency road kits.
They'll come with flares andfirst aid kits and just all
kinds of stuff.
It ranges from just a verysmall kit with just a few things
(10:24):
in it, the essentials, to alittle bit larger kits that have
hundreds of items you mightneed on an emergency basis on
the road.
Fire extinguishers come inhandy.
So look at getting yourself anemergency road kit before you
hit the road, throw it in theback of the car, put it in the
trunk, just remember where it is, because in case you need it,
(10:44):
you can get to it real quick.
Another thing you might want tobuy is one of those little mini
flashlights.
I've got three or four of thosethings.
I used to work overseas as acontractor in the Middle East.
I had a lot of these littletactical flashlights.
People were always giving themto me, or if somebody was losing
them, you'd find them laying onthe side of the road or
something.
Surefire makes a great one.
(11:07):
So I've got a couple ofSurefires and a couple of others
, but they usually use twobatteries.
They're extremely bright.
Batteries last for a reallylong time.
Buy you a little flashlight.
You can pick up a really nicesurefire, but it's going to cost
you $30 or $40.
But you can pick up small onesfor $2 or $3 at Walmart.
(11:28):
Just that'll get you what youneed, which will get you some
light if you happen to breakdown or you happen to need
something in the dark at nineo'clock at night.
And of course, you want to planyour road trip.
Now me, one reason I like roadtrips is because I can hit the
road and if I want to stopsomewhere and check things out
(11:50):
for a couple of hours, I can dothat.
It's kind of hard to have thepilot stop the plane so you can
look at something, but if you'rein a car it's real easy.
You just pull off the side ofthe road and check out something
really cool that you foundalong the side of the road in
some small town that you happento be driving through.
So, for me, planning the roadtrip is open up Google Maps and
(12:14):
look at the route.
It gives you a couple ofalternative routes.
Always look at the alternativeroutes because it may be 15 or
20 miles out of the way insteadof staying on the highway or the
interstate.
But depending on what towns itruns through, I'll check out
those towns and see if there'sanything interesting to check
out in those towns.
Also, google Maps comes inpretty handy.
(12:35):
I mean, the information thatyou get from them is not 100%
set in stone, accurate all thetime, but it does list where
they're doing construction onthe interstates and things like
this.
And it's nice to know that ifyou've got a 90-mile stretch of
(12:56):
interstate that you're going tobe traveling on, that they're
doing road construction on that.
Well, you can either plan forthat or you can plan to go
around it.
Now the other thing you mightwant to look at is getting a
dash cam.
I've got one.
You can find them anywhere from$40 to $500.
It just depends on what youwant.
You don't have to spend a tonof money For under $100, you can
(13:18):
get you a very nice dash camthat does everything you need it
to do and one of the coolthings that it does, besides
recording things you have a lockbutton that if there was an
accident, you could lock it.
Because the way the dash camswork, all the ones that I've
ever seen, is they film on aloop, like every three to five
(13:39):
minutes.
It just restarts and films athree to five to ten minute
video.
But if you get in an accident,you can hit the button and it
locks that so you don't losethat video.
Most of them also have afeature where you can hit a
button and take a photo.
So if there's something reallycool that you want to see along
the way and something happens onthe road trip, just hit that
(13:59):
button and click a photo of it.
But dash cams come in reallyhandy on road trips.
It actually comes in handyanytime, because if you do get
in an accident and it's not yourfault, you've got the evidence
right there.
Now, if it is your fault,you've got the evidence of that
also.
But a dash cam comes in handybecause it will record
(14:21):
everything that happens andthere are a lot of idiots out
there.
Road rage is a thing, so ifthat happens, you've got video
evidence of that as well.
But all I can tell you is justdo it, just invest a few bucks
and get you a dash cam.
They come in really handy.
They're well worth it, givesyou good peace of mind.
(14:41):
And I've told this story before.
I was traveling on a road tripmany years ago and I went
through Iowa and I hit a deercrossing the highway doing 70
miles an hour.
Of course the deer didn'tsurvive and neither did my
rental car.
I mean it pretty much totaledout that rental car.
If I'd have had a dash cam, itwould have been a lot better.
Thank goodness I had an18-wheeler behind me who saw the
(15:07):
entire incident and just toldthe trooper, which helped
insurance and everything, thatthere was no way I could react.
The deer came basically out ofnowhere from a culvert, jumped
up onto the highway and it was asplit-second deal.
But having a dash cam wouldhave certainly helped a whole
lot.
Also, going back to doing yourresearch for your road trip and
looking at planning your routesand everything, another thing
(15:29):
you can do with Google Maps islike this trip I'm taking is a
13, 13.5-hour drive, so I'mgoing to have to eat.
Well, I don't have to.
I could probably stand not to,but I will probably stop and get
something to eat along the way.
So if you say, well, six, sevenhours into the drive, I'll stop
(15:50):
, stretch my legs and grabsomething to eat.
I can search on the trip whereI'm going to be in six to eight
hours and then look at places toeat around there.
And I like to find locallyowned places to eat, whether
it's a good burger place, familycafe, something like that.
I just like locally ownedrestaurants and cafes and eating
(16:13):
places because I like to trysomething new and I like to
support the local businesses andface it.
I mean you can get a McDonald'sor Kentucky Fried Chicken
anytime you want to, so why doit on a road trip?
But you can search in thatlittle area on Google Maps and
just put in restaurants or putin hamburger places or put in
steakhouses or seafood orwhatever you want to, and you
(16:36):
might discover some really coollittle eating places along the
way.
Now I know you can get reallydetailed into planning a road
trip and a lot of these reallydetailed lists you see are just
somebody trying to fill up space.
For me, that's pretty much it.
I check out my car, make sureit's a really good working order
, make sure I've got someemergency equipment in case I
(16:59):
might need it Always have mydash cam, pack some drinks, Pack
a few snacks, go to Google maps, check out the route, maybe a
couple of places to eat, andthat is basically my planning,
and you can do a lot more, ofcourse.
Oh, one more I got to tell youabout.
It's an app.
It's called Gas Buddy.
(17:19):
I have this app downloaded andthere's paid and free versions.
I use the free version.
Gas Buddy works all around theUnited States and what it does
is it accesses your locationusing your phone's GPS and it
shows you gas stations aroundyou and what the price of
gasoline is at those gasstations.
And if you've traveled on theinterstate much, you will know
(17:42):
that stopping to get gas on theinterstate is more expensive
than taking an exit anddetouring a half mile down the
road to another gas station.
And it can be substantial andif you're on a long road trip,
you can save a bunch of money byusing GasBuddy and just
stopping where they have thecheapest gas to fill up.
(18:03):
Gasbuddy you can find it onwhatever Apple's deal is.
I have an Android, so you go toGoogle Store or the Play Store
or whatever it's called.
Download the app, it's free.
Set up your account and it willshow you all of the gas
stations and what their pricesare.
Well, not all of them, but itshows like 90% of the gas
stations out there and it's kindof one of those user-generated
(18:25):
things.
So if you see that well,gasoline over here is $2.36 a
gallon for regular, you pull inthere and it's now $2.35.
The users have the ability toupdate the app and say, nope,
this is the price.
And if I'm not mistaken, whenyou look at it it tells you the
last time it was updated.
(18:46):
It'll say as of yesterday or asof today or as of two days ago.
So it's a really good app tohave.
It works like a charm andthat's what I use.
So here in a couple of weeksI'll probably do a podcast about
Oconee County, South Carolina,or maybe specifically about one
(19:07):
or two of the things I did orsaw there, and in the meantime
there'll be another podcast inbetween those two, but that's
what I'm doing.
So, I am heading out on a roadtrip.
I plan on taking a few roadtrips this year, so that's the
best way to travel as far as I'mconcerned.
You get to see and do a wholelot more.
If you haven't taken one in awhile, or if road tripping is
(19:28):
not your thing, try it one time.
You might find out that youreally enjoy just hitting the
road.
There's something about nothaving to worry about being told
when to board, when not toboard.
Put your seat tray up.
No, we're not serving drinks atthis time.
It's just a whole lot easier toget in the car, grab your
favorite beverage, as long asit's non-alcoholic.
(19:49):
After all, you are driving downthe interstate.
If you're like me, light up anice cigar, crack the window a
little bit, put on your favoritetunes, hit the road and enjoy
the trip.
So that's what I'm doing.
I hope you're having a goodweek, hope you're planning some
good trips out there and untilnext time, safe travels.
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