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Times are changing, especially with all the illegal immigration, so is not a bad idea to have protection. I don't carry a weapon, but would certainly not be opposed to it!
I started a thread just like this and already have a ton of great suggestions you can use. I'm a single female too so I was concerned as well. Check it out!
I, too, have traveled much by road and never had a problem. But I also plan where I will stay and know the areas. This past Fall made a trip from Texas to Oregon. Made Cheyenne, WY the first night, safe, conservative, had lived there three years so knew the town. Second night in LaGrande, OR, again a small safe little place in a family owned motel. Spent several hours just talking with the owners sharing stories.
If I find myself having to stop in a large city, I always stay in an upscale motel /hotel to try to avoid potential problems. So far, so good. I do not travel east of Texas, don't know if that makes a difference? I did make a trip up through Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas to get to Montana one summer, and other than cursing at the toll roads, all went fine. Spent a wonderful five months there, lovely wide open spaces, great people!
I have traveled on my own as well, me and my daughter. There have been times I have had pets along with me as well.
I agree with the planning part. Map out your journey, plan how far you can safely drive in a day, check out hotels that allow animals and make your reservations in advance if you can.
Make sure you have your cell phone and things like flares and so forth should you have an emergency.
Driving across country is a liberating thing and its wonderful to see this great land this way. If you fly you don't really get a real idea of how big and diverse this place is.
You will be surprised at how well a pet can adjust to driving in the car. I had some cats that actually seemed to enjoy a road trip. They would sit on the back of the seats and in the front window and look around. People were always pointing at us and laughing because its so unusual to see cats in the car.
Some towns, cities and states are probably easier to traverse, but overall I think I've been to all but less than a hand-ful.
The East Coast isn't much different than the West, or the Middle, except for scenery, weather and food.
I've had some of the best, and positive experiences when I least expected it, but I am fairly savy about troublemakers, don't look for it, rarely got it, and on the friendly side.
I've slept in the car, at rest stops, at RV sites, hostels, in upscale, downscale and no scale hotels and motels, friends' houses, and standing up. I found my attitude improves my experience. So on a bad day, I might not travel and just check out a locale, and then catch up on the following day. And as I've traveled for the sheer fun of it, and to move, I pace myself, and don't give myself the extra stress of a time-table. Only once did I hustle and that was a killer, 980 miles or so through the mountains of Montana to San Francisco.
Most of my long trips were with a cat as well. My old girl (may she rest in peace) would just get under the passenger seat, yowl for an hour, then settle down. My new big girl is willing to stay in her carrier and usually doesn't make a peep! The big problem with her is getting her 15 lb. self in there, she fights it, claws and hisses, but once inside is okay.
When I was 21, I packed up everything that would fit in the back of my small car (including 2 cats, one of which was pregnant) and drove from Boston to San Francisco. Although I knew people all along the way with whom I could stop and stay a night or two, I didn't know a soul in SF. In fact, I had such a great time in Bloomington IN, that I almost just stayed there!
The cat had kittens outside of Cleveland. I had a moment of panic driving over the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge since I hadn't planned where I was going to stay, but it all turned out alright. It was an adventure.
I'll admit I'm not sure I could do that way again today (30+ years later) but maybe if I were single with no kids...
I've moved lots of times since then, but they were all corporate relos after that.
Of course it does. There's no reason to carry a gun while traveling unless you plan on hanging out at night in a bad area, or you are doing something illegal. I'm 45 and I've been traveling long distances by myself since I was 16, and I have never ever had any sort of problem from anyone. I've been all over the US, Canada, and all the way down into Central Mexico without incident. Yes, I'm also female, pale, and blonde, so I do stand out some of the places I've been and STILL haven't had a stitch of trouble.
Saying one wants to protect himself or herself is paranoia is absurd. I remember once when I was 21 and driving across the country, I had car trouble. My mom was with me and we had to pull into a rinky-dink service station in the middle of nowhere in the AZ desert. This was 36 years ago. We were both a bit unnerved because of the guys that were there gazing at me and then starting speaking in a foreign language. Let's just say they were very scary looking. They wouldn't take thier eyes off of me and needless to say, I was a bit uncomfortable. Nothing happened, thank God.
Statiscally, I will agree that usually one is safe when traveling, but things can and do happen. Good grief. People have handguns as protection in their own homes. That is supposed to be a person's total safe-haven, but when the nuts are out, one doesn't know who their next targets will be.
Anyway, I wouldn't plan to drive in a bad area, but there isalways the possiblity of taking a wrong turn. That happened once to me in Memphis, an awful experience for sure. Please, doing something illegal is why one should carry a gun? That's so ridiculous.
Of course, there is always a possibility of a vehicle breaking down in no man's land. No one should worry about that though. This country is full of law-abiding and caring citizens who would never hurt a dog let alone another human being. That just doesn't happen in America; we're all safe wherever we go.
P.S. I don't travel a lot but just for the record, I don't carry a cell phone or a gun.
Nancy, I just completed my relocation from NC to NE and overall, had a pretty good experience. I only had 3 weeks so it wasn't feasible for me to sell or give away everything. The first things I would do is figure out how much you can budget your move for. Include everything from packing supplies, hired help, truck/moving unit, gas, food, hotels, tolls, etc. Depending on how much money you have to spend, that may determine what you need to bring with you. If you have a larger budget to play with, you can go 2 ways: sell/give away everything and replace once you get out west or pay professionals to move your stuff if you have really nice furniture/sentimental stuff. I had a medium budget which was not enough to cover the cost to replace my belonging once I got to NE. I also didn't have enough money to pay pro movers. I went wtih the moving unit / packed myself / hired loaders and unloaders route. If my company didn't offer me a relocation package, I would have rented a truck w/ a dolly to tow my car. Sure I could have done that anyway but I'm really glad I didn't.
A friend of mine just moved back up to Portland from SoCal. She used a "POD". I had never heard of it, but they bring this mobile container to your house. You pack it your self, and when you're done you lock it up. They come get it, and take it to where you want it, and can store it until you are ready to have it delivered to the new place. YOu don't have to drive a truck or worry about getting there on same day as the movers, or have anyone else having access to your stuff since it is locked the whole time. She had it at her house for 2 weeks, packed it, and has had it in storage while she looks for a place. I'll be trying in the next time I move. I think you can have it for 30 days while you pack, so not so much stress about hurrying up top get everything in.
Good luck on your move. I'm originally from Oregon, so hope to be joining you back up there in future.
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