$1 per day Car Rentals

Just found this superb deal on one-way car rentals.

~ $1 per day car rentals from Thrifty for one-way travel
~ pick up in Seattle, Portland or Boise
~ return to major airports in California, Arizona and Las Vegas
~ rent (pickup and return) between September 21 and October 31
~ more details: http://bit.ly/cOau9X

Road Trip Zen

The day after my latest road trip, I was working in my yard when my son came home from school. We said hello and then I said, "What did you learn today to get you closer to your dream job?" He looked at me like I was insane, which is typical since he is a teen and I am his father.

It got me thinking about what steps I took today and recently. Whether you know me or not, a little insight is that I have struggled with the dream job/what to do with my life/who am I issues for at least 25 years. I am not making the leap (yet) into being a life coach but realized a great analogy from my recent road trip.

As usual, my trip goals were to have fun and explore, to stay off interstates and not go to any chains (to eat or stay). My first paid lodging stay was at Motel 6 in Bradenton, FL (and I drove I-75 from Naples to get there) but otherwise I managed to avoid interstates and chains between Miami and DC.

The last morning of my trip, I sat in the parking lot of Compare Foods (an awesome Latin grocery store) in Rock Hill SC after buying a couple of pastries from the independent bakery inside. I stared at my iPhone GPS app and maps for literally 15 minutes (and, Yes!, I know what literally means). You see, I could not make up my mind which road to take. It was a frustrating series of what-ifs; what if this road accidentally merges onto the interstate, what if this road is not fun, what if this road takes too long, and so on.

Unlike my dream job search, I had an end goal for my road trip--to be in Northern Virginia by my kid's bedtime. If I sat there staring at the map for another two hours then I would have to take the interstate and ruin my fun trip. I was suffering a massive case of TCS (trip completion syndrome). It was the last day of a fun road trip. I wanted it to last longer. I wanted everything to be perfect on that last day. I did not want to miss anything.

Surely you know what happened (and stop calling me Shirley). I picked a route and started driving. For a few miles I had buyer's remorse. I kept thinking that maybe the other way would be better after all. I played with the radio and scanned for some new stations. Then I popped in a CD. Really, this road stinks, so maybe I should turn around and try another route. All of a sudden a possible interesting shortcut road appeared, not shown on my map. I checked the GPS and it does look like a connecting road to my next target road.

Predictably, I eventually forgot about the other route and started enjoying the journey. I saw some great new sites that I had no idea was near: a US President's hometown, gorgeous small roads through southern NC, oncoming drivers doing the finger wave (a sure sign of a great road to me), and at least one BBQ joint to go back to. I even ended up in a town with a "must try before I die" BBQ restaurant that I could never seem to find a reason to visit. As an aside, I thought that Lexington BBQ was OK but their peach cobbler is superb.

The rest of the day was fantastic. My TCS anxiety was left near the SC/NC border. Later, I stopped for a break and walked on a great green trail in Reidsville, NC. I ran into groups of high school baseball players walking the opposite way. Was this a sign? A couple of days earlier, I ran into a former teammate in Miami who encouraged me to pursue baseball coaching (one of my what-if dream job possibilities). Well, that remains to be seen but I did "discover" to get unstuck, at least for one trip:

Lesson 1: when stuck, do something. Do anything. Get moving. I had to leave that parking lot, pick a road, and start driving. Otherwise, I would have remained in that parking lot forever. I have read and heard this suggestion but still remain paralyzed in my life's passion pursuit.

Lesson 2: be open to possibilities. During my trip, new opportunities (expected and unexpected) presented themselves. Ironic that such valuable lessons were learned, not in a seminar or book or coaching session, but alone in an unrelated leisure activity. You never know where inspiration will come from.

Lesson 3: you gotta swing before you can hit a home run. Well, it is a sport's analogy but appropriate for getting unstuck. First, you have to simply be in the game (or even know what game to be in), then you have to step up to the plate. Getting unstuck is not always fixed with one swing; often it is an incremental, step-by-step process...

... and here are some steps:

Step 1: Start Where You Are

- figure out your current location
* for any problem, define the issue
* while travelling, use a map

Step 2: Determine Where You Want To Go

- if no idea where to go:
* for any problem, choose an action and see what happens
* while travelling, pick a route and get moving or stay put
"If you do not where you are going any road will take you there."
"When you see a fork in the road, take it."

Step 3: Move Between Location (Step #1) and Destination (Step #2)

- track your progress on a map or journal
"Life is a journey, not a destination."

Step 4: Reassess Your Route

- periodically figure out where you are (Step #1) and where you are going (Step #2). Change the route, as needed.
"We are lost but making good time."

Step 5: Avoid Traffic Problems

- unless your goal is to blaze a new trail, there is an established path to your destination. Learn from others.
- look out for traffic jams. Learn from mistakes. "It's deja vu all over again."

Congratulations on the completion of your journey, whether it was actual travel or some life issue. Please share your "trip report" comments with others.

Restaurant Discounts - Dining Deals

Most travellers are going to eat out more while on trips than they do at home. In fact, travel dining expenses can easily be most expensive part of your trip. Here are some easy ways to save some money on restaurants, whether at home or for trips:

1. Costco sells restaurant gift cards at a 20% discount. Some national chains included are McCormick & Schmicks and Baja Fresh. Costco members can visit warehouses on their trips, too. Cheap basic prepared food ($2 giant pizza slices, $1.50 hot dog & drink), goods, and gifts are obvious purchases, but also look for local restaurant gift cards. The other day I bought a $100 gift card (for $80) for Glory Days in Northern Virginia.

2. Restaurant.com certificates have been a favorite of mine for years. In fact, they are celebrating their 10th anniversary now. They sell $25 certificates for $10. Wait, there's more. Sign up to receive promo codes by mail (and there is ALWAYS a sale) and save up to 90%. Yes, you can buy (and I have, many times) $25 certificates for $1.

3. I have used Entertainment discount books even longer than Restaurant.com certificates. 2-for-1 dining coupons are the primary draw, but they offer attraction and other travel (air, hotel, rental car) discounts, too.

4. also check local sources, such as Half Off Deals and Living Social. When travelling (or before), I like to browse local newspapers and tourist guides.

Happy Dining!

Global Top 5 Under $5 Must Eat Dishes

In the September 2009 issue of Travel & Leisure, there is an article called, "30 Dishes Worth Traveling For." Of course you would have to be a hypertraveler to have tried more than a few of them.

What particularly caught me attention was the sidebar that they called Global Top 5 Under $5. Here they are:

* Duck-fat fries at Hot Doug's, Chicago
* Soup noodles with braised brisket at Kau Kee, Hong Kong
* Custard tart at Pastéis de Belém, Lisbon
* Poutine at La Banquise, Montreal
* Soup dumplings at Nanxiang Mantou Dian, Shanghai

Sorry, no mention of In & Out or Five Guys.

Has anyone tried any of these dishes? Are they worthy of inclusion? What are your top 5 under $5?

Thank you.

© 2009, Charles McCool

Neil Armstrong Cannot Pee in Virginia

How many times have you heard, "If they can land a man on the moon, then ...?"

Well, here is another. If they can land a man on the moon, then they can keep the rest areas open in the state of Virginia.

First of all, today (July 20, 2009) is the 40th anniversary of the first person (Neil Armstrong) to step foot on the moon. It remains an inspiring feat, a quintessential example of what can be achieved. In total, 12 men have walked on the moon, but none since December 1972; except, perhaps in his own mind, Bill "Spaceman" Lee.

Back to earth. So, the state of Virginia is closing rest areas. I have long promoted state welcome centers and rest areas as relatively untapped sources of travel information; essential tools in the travel skills toolkit. Not only an area to rest, literally, but also somewhere to get travel deals. The people (usually volunteers) working at rest areas often had access to lower hotel rates than anywhere else--even lower than the coupon guidebooks distributed in the same centers.

Rest area workers also give keen recommendations for authentic, local dining (usually diners or dives!) and off-the-beaten-track attractions and scenic drives. Perhaps you would argue that such information can now be found on the net. Indeed, there are countless blogs (hey, I resemble that remark), boards, databases, and websites; best of luck poring through them to find what you are looking for. I know that I would rather ask a knowledgeable, competent (YMMV), local person than consulting my GPS or other device.

Besides, your iPhone cannot relieve you, if you know what I mean. Well, at least, there's not an app for that yet. Relief, of course, is the main purpose of rest areas. Virginia is not closing all of their rest areas; only 19 of the 42. As you are passing one of the closed rest areas (RIP), good luck making it to the next open (for now) rest area to relieve yourself.

Hey, Guv Kaine, has the state considered a pay-for-relief program?

© 2009, Charles McCool

Road Trip Cost Cutting Tips

Rental car rates can vary much even at locations in the same geographic area. You can save money by shopping around.

A recent example. I am planning a trip to visit Little Rock, Tuscaloosa, and parts between and around. It does not matter where I fly into. In fact, I redeemed a frequent flyer award (more below). Since I am using a frequent flyer award and visiting several areas, I have the flexibility to fly into any area airport. I researched flights and rental car rates at most locations between Tulsa, Memphis, Huntsville, Mobile, and Houston.

Checking around, rental car rates were relatively expensive from Little Rock, Memphis, Birmingham, and others; mostly in the $250 to $300 a week range. One location was much less expensive than the others. Drum roll.... It was Shreveport, about $150 with Hertz. So, I booked my frequent flyer flight to Shreveport which would have cost $536.

I considered driving instead of flying. It would have been about 2,000 miles just getting there and back, plus another 1,000 miles in the area. I used Cost2Drive to calculate fuel usage and carbon output. That certainly helped me decide to fly, although I put the true cost of driving my own vehicle at about 50 cents per mile including wear and tear, etc. I also realized that about three days would have been burned driving there and back, leaving me less time to research and explore.

© 2009, Charles McCool