From Hostels to the Occidental

I guess I should come clean about my resolve to travel "on-the-cheap." I started out good. The first night I stayed in a hostel, although I did "splurge" on a private room. Total cost: $49.30. Even though the bathroom and shower were at the end of the hall, and there was a terrible ruckus at 2:30 in the morning from a nearby room, I decided to risk a second hostel a few nights later. This one was a charming, tiny room in a hotel built in the 1800's. It reminded me of a log cabin, with it's rustic twin bed covered in a plaid comforter. Although again, the bathroom was down the hall, at least the shower was private, and, it was quiet. In addition to four additional hostels along my route, I consistently made reservations in inns and motels that fit in the on-the-cheap category.

Then, there was Buffalo, Wyoming. I had been on the Internet for some time trying to find a reasonably priced room in this stop-over town, when I happened upon www.occidentalwyoming.com. Although I was immediately fascinated by the history and decor of this hotel, I resolved to be good and went on looking for an alternative, thinking that I didn't have to actually stay overnight, but could simply visit during the day and have a peek.

Someone once wrote, "Continue until your weariness overcomes the need to save money." And, yes, I eventually booked the room. Total cost: $140.71. But, it turned out to be a bargain after all, because in addition to being a delightful place to spend the night, it was a history lesson, a day's entertainment, and most definitely in the category of "favorite memories of my x-country trip."

Who knows, it may actually be eligible for a chapter in my new book, the solo, x-country, not quite on-the-cheap book.

To the Connecticut blogger who heard my interview on the Mary Jones Show (WDRC 1360 AM) I will be calling in again on Saturday, September 26th at 1:30 Eastern Standard Time.

My Solo Cross-Country Trip

The recent flipping of the calendar page from July to August is a mixture of "YIKES, only four weeks to go, how will I ever be ready for my cross-country trip", and "WOW, only four weeks to go before my next exciting adventure." And the emotion changes as quickly as I turn the pages of my guidebooks, which for two days this past weekend, totaled about 24 hours.

That's a whole lotta pages(!) but now I am much closer to reaching the goal I started this spring, planning my 36-day itinerary, including dates, destinations, and hours and miles from point A to point B. In addition, at least for the first week, I have a list of places under the headings "must visit" and "visit if I have the time" plus reservations for lodging, including a couple of hostels which will be a first for me.

I love the initial research, poring over maps and guidebooks for general information, searching the internet for the unusual and bizarre, and networking with friends and friends of friends for specifics and personal stories. I discovered that the process is pretty much the same, whether I am taking a 5-week cross-country tour to unfamiliar places, or a series of day trips in my home state of Connecticut.

Oh, sure, a small part of me envies the carefree traveler who can happily hop in the car and go where the spirit takes him, but my curious and cautious nature seems to demand that I do an extraordinary amount of advance planning so I know exactly what to expect. Interestingly though, once I begin my trip, I am remarkably flexible and carefree, changing course where necessary, or making the decision to veer off the path to look for my own serendipity.

During future blog postings, I will talk about traveling alone versus being lonely, keep you up to date on the method and progress of my research, which 10 national parks I will be visiting, and other considerable and trivial facts, such as whether or not I can find a convenient and practical way to pack my picnic basket!

What I hope my readers will do, especially those with more experience traveling cross-country (in case you are wondering what "more experience" means, I have none!) is to share tips with me and other readers about how to best prepare for and enjoy this kind of travel.

Follow my blog. Halfway down this page on the left, under Subscribe to Cruising Connecticut, click "Posts", or email me at jan@cruisingconnecticut.com. I'd love to hear from you.

More next week!