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.

Cheap Rental Car Rates from Florida

It is that time of year again. The rental car companies need their cars to leave Florida for other parts of the United States. They are offering low, low daily rates for one-way rentals.

Hertz, for instance, has rates as low as $3 per day for rentals in March. For April, I just booked a week's rental for $30 and am also considering upgrading to a RAV for an extra $10 a day ($100 total).

National has a similar promotion for $10 a day.

If you are planning a trip between now and Labor Day, consider driving one of these cars out of Florida to another state. You can easily fly one-way into Florida. For instance, flights between Dulles and Ft. Lauderdale on JetBlue are only $74.

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!

JetSetter.com Exclusive Luxury Travel Discounts

Jetsetter.com is a website that offers private (not available to the public) luxury travel discounts. Membership is free but you have to be invited by another jetsetter member.

The good news is that you can join through my Travel Skills exclusive link.

Again, this is a free membership but you cannot just simply register through the website. You must be invited by another jetsetter.com member (me!).

Happy 2010 Travels.

2 ways to help Haiti

1. use your cell phone to text "HAITI" to 90999. A $10 donation will be automatically charged and appear on your next bill.

2.

travel contests

Happy New Year. Hope you have a happy and healthy 2010.

I just found out about this great contest. Check it out:

Things You Should Do is celebrating their 1,000,000th visitor with a fantastic travel contest. You can win overnight stays at some of America’s top hotels, plus tours, meals & activities. Visit website for details.

my book - Winning the Airfare Game - on eBay and Amazon

Just found a listing for my book, Winning the Airfare Game, on eBay. Actually, I do see it listed every once in awhile (I receive alerts from eBay). http://cgi.ebay.com/Winning-the-Airfare-Game-Save-Money-and-Stress-on-Eve_W0QQitemZ270504825407QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Nonfiction_Book?hash=item3efb58123f

If you want to buy a copy directly from me--a brand new fresh never been read copy-- buy it at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0970511922/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1262062815&sr=8-1&condition=new. The seller "lowerairfaresdotcom" is me. I am redesigning LowerAirfares.com and am not currently selling copies there.