I will soon be on my way to the US. I have planned a solo roadtrip all the way to Florida and back. This means, I will be on the road alone and be staying at various hotels.
To be safe, I take some precautions while I am traveling alone and below you will find them. Please feel free to contribute your ideas in the comments.
1. Never stop in badly lit areas with just a few people around. I always pull into busy stops whenever I have to. Sometimes, I exit the highway just to do that.
2. Always check the gas level, around the car and the tires before pulling out of a stop.
3. Never leave any belongings in the car within plain sight.
4. Be aware of the surroundings, the cars and people around.
5. Don't stay at places where room entrances are from the outside. This means, I spend more money but, that's OK. Safety first.
6. If asked whether I am on the road alone in a general conversation by anybody, always tell them no or meeting up with friends right after whatever I am doing.
7. Always keep my phones charged. (This is easy to do in the car)
8. Share my itinerary with my sister and my BFF.
9 Check the windows and the door one in the room. If I am on the ground level, I make sure to draw the curtains well and place some objects like my suitcase, or an armchair by the window. I also use door stoppers if there are no deadbolts. Some may argue that, it might be a safety problem if my health fails me and if the hotel staff needs to open my room but, that's what I do.
10. I have my sit down meal during lunch time rather than dinner time in order to be in my room before it is too late. It is also cheaper.
11. Consume nuts and cheese rather than carbs in order to stay awake and focused while driving.
12. Keep myself hydrated and I drink water mostly.
13. Keep some extra food and water in the trunk.
14. Do not wear fancy clothing or attention attracting bling.
15. Act confident, not lost even if lost.
16. Do not drive for more than two hours at a time. Always, stop, walk, get the circulation going and rest.
17. Don't be looking at your cell phone and not be paying attention to your surroundings.
18. Get the navigation started before pulling out of a rest area.
19. Make sure offline maps are downloaded as well.
20. KEEP FOCUSED WHILE DRIVING!
21. Travel light and bring only the necessary items.
22. Keep the nightgown, toothpaste, toothbrush brush and meds within easy reach to hit the sack if too tired.
23. Keep USD 20-30 in small denominations in the pockets rather than fiddle with the wallet when paying for small stuff. Keep cash and credit cards out of sight.
24. Keep Emergency Info in cell phones and in wallet. This includes allergy information, who to call, the number for Turkish Embassy and meds regularly taken.
25. If not feeling well, re-arrange plans and take care of self first.
When driving from Portland to Alabama I found the best places to fill up for gas or to get out and walk around a bit was national truck stops. I found Love's to be uniformly the best. They have stores inside where you can wander around just to walk a bit and they have any possible unthought of gizmo or gadget you might possibly need en route. As you head South Cracker Barrel Restaurant's are great stops. They always have a ton of people and the food, though not stellar is consistently good. They are located at instate exits throughout the South. They have a wide variety on the menu, cater to travelers, but are also frequented by locals so a solo diner does not stick out like a sore thumb.
ReplyDeleteAlso purchase one of the hands free phone holders. You can get them for under 15 bucks. The Waze app is particularly helpful both for it's GPS function and it alerts you (audio alert) to current road conditions and traffic.
Thank you so much Anne! Great tips. I just checked my route and there are Love's stations on my way. I already like Cracker barrel. I will definitely download the Waze.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have been very thorough in your plans. Some things I hadn't thought to do! Waze is great.
ReplyDeleteWe always carry one of those cell batteries (not very big, fit in your purse) in case the car charger dies or doesn't work. We also carry it when we fly. You just plug your normal car phone cord into them and they charge it up in no time. We got stuck on the highway in a bad snowstorm a couple of years ago and learned our lesson
ReplyDeleteThey were banned on flights in the past years. I will check to see if that ban is lifted.
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