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Have you, after you retired, gone on a solo (alone) car trip across the United States?
If you have, how long did you travel and where did you go?
Did you ever feel in danger?
No. At least not up to now. I go across the country from Ohio to So. CA. twice a year solo for 8 years.. No problem. I do avoid Motel 6's and 8's and other party motels. Never exit at an exit labeled MLK or Martin Luther KIng" or "Rosa Parks"...or any exit within 5 miles of that. That's just common sense. Otherwise not much to say. Bon voyage.
Last edited by TwinbrookNine; 06-19-2015 at 03:28 PM..
Had a wonderful 6 week trip from northern New England. Drove to Chicago, then followed Rt 66 to Calif. Returned the northern route to Crater Lake, Glacier, devils tower, mt Rushmore and the Bad Lands. Visited several reservations along the way. Stayed mostly at Days Inns. Never had any problems. Met many great people along the way. I've also driven the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge with a stop in Gettysburg. Also a trip to FL. Love traveling solo, going where I want, eating when I want and stopping when I want.
As a lone female traveler, I carry wasp spray in the car along with my S&W. The wasp spray to deter, the S&W for life-threatening situations. Never had to pull either of them, but having them with me give me an advantage. I also am hyper-aware of who is around, stick mostly to big chains or rest stops for pee breaks, and I get off the road before dusk.
If I'm not staying with friends/family, I stick with the larger chains. Holiday Inns have been decent all around. Of course, you still have to pay attention to the general neighborhood of any location; there are HIs in crappy areas too.
I also have AAA, a vehicle inspection before I leave, and cell phone.
No. At least not up to now. I go across the country from Ohio to So. CA. twice a year solo for 8 years.. No problem. I do avoid Motel 6's and 8's and other party motels. Never exit at an exit labeled MLK or Martin Luther KIng" or "Rosa Parks"...or any exit within 5 miles of that. That's just common sense. Otherwise not much to say. Bon voyage.
Had a wonderful 6 week trip from northern New England. Drove to Chicago, then followed Rt 66 to Calif. Returned the northern route to Crater Lake, Glacier, devils tower, mt Rushmore and the Bad Lands. Visited several reservations along the way. Stayed mostly at Days Inns. Never had any problems. Met many great people along the way. I've also driven the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge with a stop in Gettysburg. Also a trip to FL. Love traveling solo, going where I want, eating when I want and stopping when I want.
Have you, after you retired, gone on a solo (alone) car trip across the United States?
If you have, how long did you travel and where did you go?
Did you ever feel in danger?
For many years I have driven alone across country (haha, does my front-seat, co-captain, cat count?), and traveled extensively alone via car in Europe and throughout the US, and Mexico for weeks at a time.
There have been only a couple of times when I felt I was in danger.
In one very rare case (Nevada), I weighed my options, and left the motel before daybreak.
I'm very observant, and can tell the difference between anxiety and instincts, so I trust myself.
Overall, I have found the world a very welcoming place, but I'm discrete until I know that I am safe.
I am not naive--I watch people while appearing to avert my gaze.
When necessary, I know how to have a *#@%--off face.
Mostly I reserve ahead (use phone apps to review), research areas before I travel, and never camp.
Traveling alone has allowed me to discover nuances in areas or population, develop courage, experience freedom, and meet amazing people.
Traveling with others is absolutely wonderful, but for the deepest experience of an area or population, alone is tops for me.
As a lone female traveler, I carry wasp spray in the car along with my S&W. The wasp spray to deter, the S&W for life-threatening situations. Never had to pull either of them, but having them with me give me an advantage. I also am hyper-aware of who is around, stick mostly to big chains or rest stops for pee breaks, and I get off the road before dusk.
If I'm not staying with friends/family, I stick with the larger chains. Holiday Inns have been decent all around. Of course, you still have to pay attention to the general neighborhood of any location; there are HIs in crappy areas too.
I also have AAA, a vehicle inspection before I leave, and cell phone.
Never had a serious problem.
I do all the things you do with the exception of the wasp spray and the S&W. I've never carried any kind of weapon or felt the need to. Like you, I am also "hyper-aware". When you travel alone it's easy to be because there's nobody to distract you. I'm off the road by dark, have everything I need to be comfy for the night and 'lock myself in' at the motel. I even carry my own coffee pot, etc. so I don't have to go to the lobby for coffee in the AM. No thanks.
I have AAA, have my car checked before I leave and take a cell phone. It's the only time I ever use my phone. I've never had a serious problem either which I find remarkable considering I've been doing some really long road trips for many years, since I was about 25. I love my road trips and don't get enough of them.
I did have one sorta scary incident one time. I was driving back to AZ from OR, down I-5 and late at night, around midnight. Was thinking I should get a motel but wasn't tired and kept going. At one point a car pulled up beside me and flashed a spotlight at me! I thought WTH??? I couldn't tell what kind of car it was because of the light in my eyes but it spooked me enough I pulled into the next lane and sped up a bit. And THEN the lights came on! lol It was a cop! He asked me didn't I see that spotlight? I told him I sure did and it scared the bejeepers out of me so I wanted away! Late at night, lone woman with out of state plates and...? He apologized for that and we both laughed a little. He said he had 'flashed' me to "slow down a little" and made me speed up! No ticket, no warning, just a "Drive careful" and that was that. And that's the closest I've ever come to 'trouble' in all my travels. lol
I've roadtripped throughout the country as a single woman, via my own car, Amtrak, and Greyhound. A Greyhound trip has sure changed over the years; I don't think I'd do it now. But driving on your own? Why not? I've never ever had a problem. I don't believe in sticking to "main highways" either - I actually think those are least safe.
I just try not to travel after dark, and choose to stay at Bed and Breakfasts over chain motels. I've found that a lot of truckers and construction workers stay at the chains, and though the majority of those guys are perfectly fine, I've observed enough funky behavior to just opt not to take my chances. B&B's are a little more expensive, but are MUCH nicer and safer than the chains.
Every summer, I fly to Colorado and Utah and drive around, stay at B&Bs, visit guest ranches and ride. The longest trip started in Las Vegas, across Utah and up into Colorado and then Denver. I am aware of my vulnerability- it is very isolated where I go.
When I was 25, I drove from Boston to Santa Fe and lived there for a while, bailed out, and drove back. A lot of scary things happened in Santa Fe (hey, it was the 1970s) but the only thing that happened on the highway was truckers bunching up around my car and driving way too close and too fast and almost pushing me off the road, I assume just for a harassing laugh.
I wouldn't mind having a good gun (that I'd learned how to shoot) with me, but don't at present have one. But I no longer drive late at night, get out to get gas in the middle of nowhere, etc. Comes with not being 25 anymore.
In 2006, at age 62, I took an epic solo road trip, seeing many museums (mostly aircraft museums), old friends, and relatives. I put about 10,000 miles on the car. Here are the highlights only, with much left out: Started north out of Los Angeles, up through the beautiful redwoods in northern California, through the spectacular Canadian Rockies as far north Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). Back through Kansas City (visited my godparents), St. Louis (boyhood home), Amish country in Ohio, as far northeast as Buffalo, New York. Then on to Washington DC (four days seeing as many sights as I could in that time). Continued south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Returned via the southern route (Carlsbad Caverns, among other sights).
I stayed in motels (quite a few Motel 6's) and with people who invited me to stay with them. Never once felt uncomfortable. Boyhood friend who now lives in DC invited me to stay. Graduate school friend who now lives in Canada invited me to stay. Ditto cousin in northern Georgia and sister in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ditto old friend in western Pennsylvania. I limited my maximum stay at others' homes to four days, and paid close attention to all cues about how long I was welcome.
I will never forget that trip. There is so much to see in this country in addition to the very well-known things such as the Grand Canyon and the Smithsonian in DC. There is a large and fantastic railroad museum in Sacramento, Calif., for example, and an excellent National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredricksburg, Texas.
I have taken other solo road trips since then, but nothing nearly as long. Last summer (2014) I drove as far east as Blue Ridge, Georgia. The summer before that I took in (among other things) the Eisenhower and Truman national museums in Abilene, Kansas, and Independence, Missouri respectively - both very worthwhile.
Will be a homebody this summer (2015) as far as road trips, but will fly to Little Rock and drive with my sister to Mobile, Alabama for a family reunion.
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