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If you stick to the speed limit, it will be difficult for a rapist to run you down.
It's going to be a long hard drive, save your money until you feel you can fly. I think it would be cheaper too.
Your most dangrous thing will be having a car breakdown of some sort. A tire blow out, radiator burst, gas tank leakage, lots of things! What would you do if you had to stay a few days in some Podunk, USA spot along the way until your car is fixed?
You know what the trip is like and not in any more danger as with a friend really.Make sure of your car;stick to daylight driving. Your biggest danger is the driving itself ;really.
For ANY traveler; a CB radio may be worth considering. $50 bucks will get you a decent one; even a hand-held might be sufficient. Granted, there's a few morons that get on the CB radio. But it can be invaluable to let you know about traffic backups. And most of us truckers would be happy to take a traveler under our "wing". ThreeWolves in Snow, the only issue I have with cars parking on the truck side of rest areas is that truck parking is VERY scarce in most parts of the country. PLEASE don't park on the truck side unless you are in the largest U Haul-type truck and/or pulling a trailer. Have a great trip!
I agree on the CB. My husband routinely drives from NJ to FL and back and has one for his car. He often hears of backups and can divert to side roads for a few miles. The $100 or so it cost him probably saved him 20+ hours over the past couple of years.
Totally understand about flying, etc... but that is a long drive alone. I would not worry about the drive, my worry would be about the hotels, etc. I have travelled throughout the US and also overseas alone... but even I would not drive that drive by myself. If you break down.... what a nightmare. You can't get rental cars everywhere, either - especially in small towns.
Get a prescription for a few xanax to help you relax on the plane, get a sherpa bag for your dog (you can keep him under your seat), get his clearance papers from the Vet.... take the plane... you'll be fine and get there much faster and also probably save yourself a few bucks! Gas + hotels + time = Alot more than airfare...
We drove to Florida with 2 dogs (each about 18 lbs.) We found that LaQuinta Inn's allow dogs for no extra charge, as do some Red Roof Inn's (Florence, SC). Most hotel chains along Route 95 realize that in order to get the North/South overnight traveler, they must allow animals, even if they charge an extra fee.
Plan your route to drive no more than you are physically able to drive in one day, leaving a day or two extra for the possibility of having to stop or postpone your trip because of weather. Once you get past North Carolina, you're probably okay unless it's some real freakish storm (which has happened once or twice a year in the past several years). Make your reservations ahead of time~good resources are TripAdvisor.com, BringFido.com. If you don't belong to AAA it would be a good investment, they have great travel books which list the hotels, amenities, approximate pricing and whether or not the doors are hallway/interior or parking lot exposure.
Pack a small bag for each trip in/out of the hotels overnight, so that you aren't burdened with dog, purse, suitcase, dog bowls, food etc. each time you have to check in and out of the hotel.
Yes, I have a cell. It's MetroPCS service and I think it only has service in or near major cities. When I made the drive last year I had no service in parts of the Carolinas and Virginia.
pickup a cheap tracfone and use it only for where you can't get service. You can probably find double minutes phones and then for $20 you can get a 60 min card that will double to 120 min that's good for 3 months.
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