#not a lot of opportunities to hunt in the arizona desert

[hayconrisa]

been thinking about giving cici a little black cat but i fear the logistics of having a cat while you're an AWOL wouldn't work out in the cat's favor...

[rakshaspeaks]

Part two because I got distracted and forgot where I was going with that

But ok now let’s consider the actual roadtrip aspect itself which is something I’m personally very invested in as someone who has travelled the lower 48 extensively over the past 20 years. And by traveled extensively I mean several days on the road at a time, in a 1987 F-350, cheap motels if you’re lucky, but usually sleeping in Walmart parking lots, truck stops, rest areas….brushing your teeth in gas station bathrooms at 5:00 in the morning, just the worst food on the planet for weeks at a time…So yeah anyway watching the Impala cruise into every little small town across America brings back some memories. And I have the unique perspective of actually having been to most of the places they talk about. Which is why lines like “We’re about two hours out of Tucumcari” hit me with the ‘you absolutely are fucking not >:[ (Now I know, like I kNOW, logically, it’s not feasible budget wise to film on location in all these places for this type of show bUT) The idea of your favorite monster hunting found family brothers in crime tv series actually showing the scenery from the places they’re hunting just gets my little geography nerd heart fluttering. And what a way to educate about the states bc there is so much more than the handful of state parks we see in textbooks. I mean we all see the jokes about Americans being uneducated about the geography of the world but honestly unless you do happen to be able to travel and see it yourself most of us are pretty clueless about our own country too. And I just think getting to see the diversity in the people and landscapes and infrastructure across the country is so important in terms of like, empathy and perspective you know? And it’s just fascinating to me because all of these little towns are exactly the same and yet wildly different and each one of them is somebodies normal? Like it’s their home and their elementary school and their grocery store and their local landmarks and their native flora and fauna and their best friend from high-schools house that they pass everyday but haven’t spoken to in years and there’s just millions of them across the country. And the biodiversity is insane I mean you’ve got the swamps and the coasts down south and the big old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss and the black rivers cutting through the woods, and the vast plowed fields in the I states with their massive barns and grain bins, then you have the grasslands and mesas and the canyons in west Texas and the forests and mountains and deserts in Arizona and the monolithic rock formations in the deserts of New Mexico and the hills in Oregon that are bigger than any concept of a hill you could imagine not to mention the Columbia river thundering it’s way out into the ocean and geez that’s not even a fraction of it there’s just so much to see. And even within states you have these massive changes in the landscape like it takes an entire day just to cross through Texas and it’s a while different world by the end of the day. But the opportunity to actually show a bit of that with every new hunt is wildly under appreciated imo, and obviously what’s done is done film wise but fic writers I’m looking at you 👀 . There’s so many spooky elements you can draw out of the landscape itself it’s just unbelievable. Like you remember that post that’s something like “Europe is spooky because it’s old but America is spooky because it’s big”? It fucking is and we need to use that more I think. So basically I’m saying Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives but with ghosts and monsters 😃.

Anyway more later bc my brain is mush these days and trying to string together a sentence is wearing me out y’all

Alright bear with me but do you have any idea how absolutely fucking baller Supernatural would have been if they had just leaned into the brothers on a perpetual roadtrip hunting down every spook of the week premise? Because I have some thoughts about it and honestly the first few seasons were such a fun watch, I mean you got the gothic horrors, the whodunit murder mysteries, the possessions and good old fashioned exorcisms, the creatures, the hauntings, the witches, the curses, etc… I mean even if you end up having the same type of spook the potential for different motives and backstories and scenarios were endless. Like Dead in the Water? The fucking lake is haunted? And Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead things? Grandma was doing hoodoo to protect her family from her dead sister? The Usual Suspects? Ghost is actually trying to warn people that the cop who murdered her is coming for them next?

[thecreaturecodex]

Dinosaur, Coelophysis

“Run, Coelophysis, run!” © Gabriel Ugueto, accessed at his Twitter here

[I’m going to be sprinkling in some prehistoric animals throughout the World Tour block, probably one per continent. Coelophysis I’ve always considered to be a big deal dinosaur, possibly because of how many specimens are known, partly because my family’s spent a lot of time in Arizona and New Mexico. It appeared in AD&D as “podokesaurus”, referring to a specimen of a similar animal that was discovered in Massachusetts and destroyed in a fire (but since paleontology in the first half of the 20th century was dominated by New Yorkers, was commonly referred to in the literature). Although there’s lots of dinosaurs in PF1e, there’s none that are CR 1 (at least not real dinosaurs; the pterosaur dimorphodon is in this CR), so I wanted to fill one in.]

Dinosaur, Coelophysis CR 1 N Animal This bipedal creature is lean and low to the ground, with a long neck and head on one end and a long tail at the other. Its arms are short and clawed, and when it opens its mouth, many small sharp teeth are visible.

Coelophysis are among the first of the carnivorous dinosaurs, and they are not at the top of the food chain. They are small predators of smaller game, hunting lizards, proto-mammals and insects. When prey is scarce, they will scavenge and steal scraps of the kills of larger animals, filling a niche similar to that of jackals or coyotes in a more mammal-dominated ecosystem.  They have incredibly keen eyesight; useful for both spotting potential prey and potential predators. Coelophysis do not hunt cooperatively, although they may congregate around scarce water sources in the deserts where they live, or accumulate into flocks in order to find mates.

A coelophysis is up to ten feet long, but most of that is their tail; they weigh between thirty and forty pounds on average. The same statistics can be modified to represent other small carnivorous dinosaurs. Add the advanced simple template to represent an ornitholestes; although these dinosaurs are shorter in length than a coelophysis, they are more robust and muscular. Add the giant simple template to reflect an animal like lillisternus or gojirasaurus.

Coelophysis as Animal Companions Starting Statistics: Size Small; AC +1 natural armor; Speed 40 ft.; Attack bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d2); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9; Special Qualities Improved Initiative as bonus feat, scent. 4th-Level Advancement: Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2; Special Qualities slink

Coelophysis       CR 1 XP 400 N Small animal Init +6; Senses Perception +8, scent Defense AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural) hp 13 (2d8+4) Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 Defensive Abilities slink Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee bite +4 (1d4), 2 claws +4 (1d2) Statistics Str 10, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9 Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 12 Feats Improved Initiative (B), Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 when jumping), Perception +8, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception Ecology Environment warm desert and plains Organization solitary, pair, gang (3-6) or flock (7-50) Treasure none Special Abilities Slink (Ex) A coelophysis gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity caused by moving away from or within the threatened area of a larger opponent.

[milesgaylsprower]

Family Reunion

Also readable on AO3.

Sometimes family reunions happen every year at grandma’s house. Sometimes they happen in the parking lot of some dumpy gas station in the middle of nowhere. For Mabel Pines, who hasn’t seen her brother in nearly a decade, it’s the latter.

              As far as Mabel was concerned, the bathroom she was standing in barely qualified as a bathroom. The tiles were grimy and slick, the mirror broken and graffitied, and, well, she tried to not take in the other details. The stench was enough by itself to make this place a biohazard, and that wasn’t saying anything about the spot of mold on the wall that had definitely winked at her when she came in. But hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. And in times like that, even a run-down gas station in the middle of nowhere was a better option than one of the numerous desert shrubs outside that provided relatively little shelter from the highway. Times like this made Mabel think though: why exactly did she think putting her headquarters in the middle of Arizona would be a good idea? Maybe it was the “middle of nowhere” aspect. After all, it was hard enough selling products with neon animals printed on them without mobs of little girls trying to get free stuff.

              When she had finally relieved herself (of being in that death trap called a bathroom), she returned to the affixed convenience store, clutching the bathroom key between a wad of toilet paper. She chucked it onto the clerk’s counter along with the toilet paper. Outside, a bit of motion caught her attention; an RV had just pulled into the station. As she approached the door to head back outside, she stopped mid-step and realized that she was really really hungry now. When was the last time she had eaten? Shrugging, she spun around on her heels and trotted off down one of the aisles to peruse the snack foods. Most of the food items available were covered with a fine layer of dust. The packaging was written in fonts that Mabel hadn’t seen since her childhood. She scanned the labels for something that looked like it contained the slightest amount of nutrition and wouldn’t kill her if she ate it. A familiar, bright pink label brought her to a halt.

              “Smile Dip, haha. Good times,” she said. Wasn’t this stuff still illegal? She couldn’t remember, but its dubious legal status wasn’t going to stop her from buying some anyway. She grabbed a few packs when the bell above the station’s door rang, though she couldn’t see if the RV owner had walked in or if maybe some poor lost soul had finally made it out of the building. She made her way further down the aisle towards a refrigerated section stocked with cans of old soda and off-color milk. When she rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of a customer who was studying the selection of beverages. Just as quickly she ducked back behind the shelving, her hand clutched tight against her chest. Thudthudthud. Was that…

              She peeked around the corner and studied the man, who had his back turned to her, for any details she could pick out to be sure it was him. The long-sleeve plaid shirt had been sewn up in places with a lack of grace that only Dipper could manage. His jeans, caked with dirt and dust, called to mind scenes from their teenage years when he would go hunting for monsters in the woods. The hair she could see from beneath his hat looped and curled in an oh-so-familiar way. Then suddenly it hit her – that psychic connection, that intangible bond between twins, was thrust back into her consciousness after having laid dormant for years. Every nerve in her body was tingling; there was no longer any doubt in her mind.

              That slumbering psychic bond must have awoken in Dipper again as well, since he suddenly stiffened and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He thrust his hand into the cooler without looking and grabbed whatever drink his fingers wrapped themselves around. Then he turned and, without even the slightest glance in Mabel’s direction, covered the distance to the cashier in several long strides. He pulled out an assortment of bills and coins from his pocket (was that some Monopoly money Mabel just saw?) and slammed them onto the counter.

              “This should be enough,” Dipper said, still clutching his drink and already making his way out the door.

              Mabel crept out from behind the shelf and said, “Dipper?”

              Dipper tensed even more. “I don’t need any change. Or a receipt,” he said to the clerk.

              Mabel watched Dipper recede through the glass of the door. He was crossing the parking lot to the RV, getting faster with each step as he evolved from a “trying my best to look casual” walk to an “oh man I really screwed up” run. Memories drifted through Mabel’s mind, overlapping with the present scene as she once again watched her brother disappear from her life. No, not this time. This time it would end differently. Dipper might be enough of a jackass to drive away from his sister, but she wasn’t going to let him. She bolted through the door, still clutching the Smile Dip.

              “Hey, you have to pay for that stuff!” the clerk yelled.

              She tossed the snacks back into the store. “They’re out of date anyway!” she said.

              Dipper was already shutting the door to the RV as Mabel ran across the parking lot. “Dipper, don’t even think about starting that rusty bunch of garbage up!” She grabbed the handle of the door and tugged on it, but Dipper had locked it. Her stomach sank.

              “Dipper, open the door!”

              There was no response. She went to the one of the windows and stood on her tiptoes to look inside. If Dipper was in there, he was probably crouched down on the ground like a dork. Mabel returned to the door and wiggled the handle again, hoping that maybe she just hadn’t pulled hard enough the first time. When the door refused to open, she rested her forehead against it and sighed.

              “Dipper… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Why won’t you let me in?” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much…”

              Mabel felt too numb to move. Maybe if she waited long enough, she’d spontaneously develop telekinesis and would be able to open the door by herself. Before she even had the opportunity to discovery her latent psychic powers, the sound of faint footsteps came from inside, followed by a faint click from the door. Lifting her head, she stared at the door handle, waiting for something to happen. When the door remained shut, she reached her trembling hand out towards the handle and took hold. She pulled, gently at first, then harder when she felt no resistance. The door swung open, revealing the dimly lit interior of the RV. She ran her forearm across her face to wipe away the tears, then took a step inside.

              The dimly lit cabin called to mind scenes of Weirdmageddon: an absolute whirlwind of a mess that could have only been made by an omnipotent demon or her brother. Papers and notebooks were strewn across the floor, countertops – any surface that would hold them. Some of the papers had been taped up with pictures and maps in a sort of collage, with strings and thumbtacks connecting them in an incomprehensible web. Sitting on the kitchen table was what looked like some radio equipment and a small laptop that had been scorched at least once in its lifetime. One of the RV walls had been shot through a few times, though Dipper had patched it up from the outside (probably with duct tape). The one space that wasn’t overflowing with clutter was a small bed whose covers had been jumbled up to match the rest of the décor. Near the bed, tucked against the corner of a window, was a photo of Dipper and Mabel from their days at Gravity Falls.

              Mabel said, “Nice place you got here.” Real smooth.

              Dipper chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it does the job.” He was sitting on one side of the tiny kitchen table, clutching its side.

              Mabel stood there, soaking in the silence with her brother, until Dipper finally said, “You can sit. I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to.”

              “Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure,” Mabel said, moving to sit down in the seat opposite Dipper. She stopped when she noticed that the seat was cluttered with more folders and papers. “Should I-” she started to ask, miming the act of picking up the pile.

              “Yeah, just. Just move them where ever you find space,” Dipper said. He rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about the mess.”

              She gathered the papers up in her arms and let them fall to the floor with a resounding plop. “It’s alright,” she said, taking her seat. Again, the silence enveloped them as they tried to find interesting things to stare at in the RV. It was impossible to tell what exactly Dipper was thinking about, but Mabel had rehearsed this moment in her head for years. Each time it played out differently, but even with all that rehearsal and all of the variations she had conjured up, she was letting the silence between them stretch as long as the void in time that separated their collective lives.

              Mabel took a deep breath, sorting through the tough questions in her mind, and asked… “How have you been?” Great job, Mabel. Starting with the hard-hitting questions.

              “Oh. I’ve been, you know. Fine. But like, good fine. Busy.”

              “I can tell,” Mabel said, taking a look around the RV once more. Some of the things pinned up to the wall dredged up old memories, vaporous images that were all too easily obscured by the clouds of dust that had gathered on them after so many years: memories of journals, of other worlds, of unfamiliar creatures and growing pains and summer. “Looks like you’re still into monsters and ghosts,” she said, her eyes still scanning the cabin interior.

              Dipper forced a laugh out. “Ah, yeah. I guess that’s… sort of what I do? I hunt down paranormal things and… study them. It’s… you know… but hey, what about you? Big time CEO of a major company, that’s incredible!

              Mabel’s attention snapped back to Dipper. How in the world did he even know that? “Yeah, who knew that neon colors and cute animals would be such a hit with this generation?” she said with a shrug.

              “I’m proud of you,” said Dipper, either to his shoes or to Mabel. She was trying to figure out which it was.

              Dipper started to fidget with a pencil. As his arm moved about, his sleeve tugged upward and Mabel caught sight of a tattoo.

              “Hahaha, bro, is that a tattoo?” she said, a bit louder than she had intended.

              Dipper’s face turned red. “Oh. You saw that, huh?”

              “Lemme see, lemme see,” Mabel said, trying her best to lean over the table to get a closer look. The barrier between that had dissolved, if only for a little while, and it was just like old times again.

              Dipper hesitated for a moment before rolling up his sleeve. Red plaid receded and was replaced with a network of arcane lettering and geometric designs.

              Mabel frowned. “No offense, bro, but I was hoping you had gotten something a little less… weird.”

              “It’s… not really supposed to be fashionable,” he said. His voice got small as he said, “It’s for protection.”

              “Protection? From what?”

              Dipper swallowed hard and looked out the window. “There are things out there, Mabel. Dangerous things. Things that you and I can’t even comprehend.” He looked at Mabel, who nodded slowly as if to signal that she already knew this. Dipper said, “And someone has to protect us from those things! Because if someone doesn’t – if I don’t – then I…”

              “Is that what you’ve been doing this whole time?” Mabel interjected. “Is that why you left mom and dad? To go hunting for boogeymen and demons?”

              “No, Mabel, that’s not what… Mabel, I… you just don’t understand! I was doing this to protect you!”

              “Protect me? From what? Dipper, I’ve dealt with things that go bump in the night! I was there, remember?”

              “I just didn’t want you to get hurt!”

              “But I did get hurt, Dipper! You hurt me! Okay? You hurt me.” The tears returned without warning, tumbling down her cheeks and onto the table. “You promised me that nothing was going to tear us apart, but then you got up one day and left without even saying goodbye. Our parents were so worried, Dipper. I was so worried. Grunkle Ford spent so long looking for you but even he started to give up eventually. And then when Grunkle Stan… you didn’t even come, you weren’t even there.” She was trying to breathe normally to maintain at least some shred of composure, but could only manage a stuttered inhalation. She hated the stale air of the RV, hated this gas station, hated that her brother had done this and that there was no going back to the way things were before.

              “Mabel…”

              Mabel clutched her arms to her chest. The anxiety and catharsis that came with confronting Dipper shook her body. “I never understood, Dipper. I always thought that maybe it was my fault that you left, maybe I did something wrong and I didn’t know it. Maybe I wasn’t good enough. And I know I shouldn’t feel that way because I’m not the one who left. You disappeared from my life and you haven’t even said sorry. You never called to see how things were. I wondered where you were every day, if you were okay. And then I find you here, at this shithole of a gas station, and you tried to run away from me. You didn’t even want to say sorry.”

              “I’m sorry, Mabel. I felt like I had to do this. I wanted to do this. And I knew that everyone would try to stop me from doing it – except for you. You would have wanted to come along, and I didn’t want you getting hurt. I didn’t want this to end up like –”

              “Like Bill.”

              Dipper nodded.

              “Dipper, none of that turned out bad in the end.” Dipper opened his mouth to speak, but Mabel raised her hand to silence him. She continued, “I know it could have turned out bad, but it didn’t. We worked together in the end and we did what we always do… you know, be awesome. You’re right Dipper. Even though what you do is dangerous, I would have wanted to be there, by your side. You can’t do everything alone.”

              “I’m sorry, Mabel,” Dipper said again.

              Mabel was beginning to regain her composure, though her sniffles still punctuated the quiet tension that had settled between them. There was still so much Mabel had to say. There were things to share, stories to tell. Things that needed to be patched up. For the first time, Mabel realized the enormity of the task of rebuilding their relationship. From where she was sitting, it felt like an especially hopeless endeavor. Even if they did rebuild there was no guarantee that it would bring her any sense of closure or happiness. But today had been a first step towards mending things and Mabel wasn’t going to let that momentum go to waste.

              “Alright,” she said. “I’m going to help you.”

              Dipper blinked a few times. “What?”

              Mabel stood up and started closely examining the connections that Dipper had made between blurry photos and government documents. She took one of the strings between her finger and thumb and traced its path. “What are you looking for right now? You said you hunt paranormal things, you have to be doing something here.” She looked back at Dipper. “I’m going to help you look for it.”

              “What about your job?”

              She waved her hand in the air. “Please, they can manage fine without me. How hard is it to come up with those designs anyway? You could give a dog a packet of Smile Dip and they’d be able to do my job. Come on, what do you say? Mystery twins?”

              Dipper furrowed his brow for a moment, but then his expression softened. “Alright,” he said, a smile growing on his face. “Mystery twins.”

              “Yes!” Mabel said, punching the air. “Lay it on me, Dippin’ Sauce. What are we up against?”

              “Okay, Mabel. Have you ever heard of an omniscient extradimensional axolotl…”

[wanderlust-journal]

Sam Manicom travelled the world on his trusty 1992 BMW R80GS, with his partner Birgit on her 1971 BMW R60/5, for 8 years. He has been writing for various magazines around the world since 1996. Those titles include:  Motorcycle Sport & Leisure, Adventure Bike Rider, Motorcycle Voyager, Canadian Biker, Motorcycle Monthly, Motociclisimo, Motorcycle Explorer, Australian Road Rider, MCN and ADVMoto Magazine.

He is the author of 4 acclaimed motorcycle travel books. His first book was written as a result of readers’ letters to editors. ‘We like Sam’s articles. When’s he going to write a book?’  Until that time he’d been travelling with just new adventures in mind.

Over the last few years, I’ve got to know Sam Manicom through our talks while working at #OverlandExpoWest in Flagstaff, Arizona. I finally had a chance to ask him a few questions about his journeys and inspirations. 

What got you into travelling like you do?

A drunken moment in a bar on the tiny Channel Island of Jersey! Beer is a very dangerous thing, isn’t it? For sure it has the ability to dull the senses, but it can also open up a world of free thinking.

I was working on the island, which is tucked in the English Channel between the UK and France, and following a career path, as you are supposed to do as an adult.  I’ve travelled a lot during my life but had eventually settled down, thinking that perhaps it was time to grow up and to be sensible. After all, we are supposed to feather our nests for old age aren’t we. Besides that, developing a career was going to be a new challenge. I’d not really done it before, so why not see what it was all about.

I surprised myself at how well I did in my retail manager role. Taken on as a very junior manager, I advanced fairly rapidly through the ranks and had all the trappings of life that one is supposed to have with success. An apartment, a sports car, holidays abroad and so on. I think the keys were that people matter to me, I’m fairly organised, I find it easy to respect the people I’m working with, and I liked looking after customers.

Some say that selling is a hard-nosed business, but my attitude towards it was that customers needed help, not sales spiel. If a customer was in my store, they were either there looking for general knowledge, or there for a problem solving reason. I’m happy with the former; we all do it, its curiosity, window-shopping from the inside. As for the latter, my job was to make sure that the customer was listened to, and guided towards products that might be a solution to their needs.

My staff and I had fun and we were successful. The Jersey shop was the number four store out of hundreds of branches throughout the UK. But for me, there was something missing. I had itchy feet, and the itch was increasing dramatically each week. I worked on, telling myself that bunking off on another long trip was irresponsible. After all, I was 34; at the peak of my professional career.

One night in the pub over a bit of a solo celebration when the beers were slipping down rather wonderfully, my thoughts had turned to the itch. By the time I’d made it to the 4thbeer I’d realised some important points. Other than work I had no responsibilities, and I had savings. What a brilliant combination.

The next beer slipped down dangerously and I started to ponder that call of the road.  Perhaps I should push off on a new adventure. Would I ever be in this position of potential freedom again? I’d be giving up a lot though…

I’d actually spent most of my life travelling in one way or another. I was born and brought up in the Belgian Congo in Central West Africa. I was 10 years old when my parents decided that it was time to take my sisters and me to live in the UK. I think that was a really hard decision for them. Life had revolved around their work in the Congo for so many years. It certainly was odd for me to go from my usual attire of a pair of shorts and a great tan, to wearing full English school uniform; even a tie and a cap! I was known as Jungle Boy for quite a few years as I came to terms with life in England. I must have been quite a strange little lad as far as the other kids were concerned. A python? So what. But apples, chocolate bars and the Beatles? All new to me.

I made my first solo trip as a foray into mainland Europe, age 16.  I rode a brand new bicycle, that I’d worked doing odd jobs to save the money for. That first trip taught me that destinations don’t matter, other than as a plan. What matters is that you go, and that you appreciate the things and people you see and get involved with along the way. Back then I’d no idea that this was going to turn into a plan for life; value the moments.

On finishing school age 18, I’d no idea what I was going to do. Having been to multiple schools and spent most of my time trying to fit in with each new environment, and buzzing around on the sports field, my grades weren’t very good. University? With my grades, only a poor one and it’s just another school, isn’t it. I chose to work a retail management training course for three years with one of the UK’s leading department stores.

Of course, at the time I’d no idea how much the training, new skills and character building would stand me in good stead. I probably couldn’t successfully do what I do now had it not been for all of the training that was involved.

At the end of those three years, the open road was calling and I set off to spend a year hitch hiking around Europe. With that trip, life changed. It wasn’t hard to make this become a way of living. Work and travel; sometimes combining both. Many of the jobs were basic and low wage, but with each new job I learnt; about the role itself, myself, and the country I was in. I travelled as far as India and Australia. Over the next years I hitch-hiked, bused, trained, hiked, sailed and had a go at every form of getting around that I could. And then the career in retail management took over. The trouble was, at no time in my life had I felt as alive, as challenged, as amazed, as delighted and at times frightened, as when I was on the move in some different land. One of my favourite sayings is ‘Become a stranger in a strange land’.

As I was sitting drinking those beers, that saying was in my mind. I started to ponder the possibilities; where to go and how to go? What didn’t I like about the other ways I’d travelled? I loved hitch-hiking but I’d done that a lot. So what’s new? I’d really enjoyed the pace and challenge of bicycling, but yep, those head winds weren’t something I looked forward to. I also knew that I wanted the ability to cover more ground in whatever time I could make available. Cycling was out then, and so was travelling by bus or by train. Unable to stop, I’d zipped on past things, people and places that looked interesting.

My beery brain was hunting for a new way to travel. A way to solve the issues I was identifying, and give me new things to learn. Slowly my mind worked around to travelling by motorcycle. I knew I wanted to travel through Africa too. I wanted to see if my childhood memories about how things sound smelt and tasted were true. The only problem was, I didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle!

I handed in my notice to work the next morning. I had a bit of a hangover but I was convinced that I was doing the right thing. I then bought myself a little 125cc trail bike to learn on, and passed my test 6 weeks later. It wasn’t long before I’d made it to the edge of the Sahara. Sitting on my 800cc BMW motorcycle, I looked south over the sands and contemplated the point that quite likely I was a complete idiot! I mean, ride a motorcycle through Africa with just a few months experience? I must have been mad, but it was too late; I was there. And anyway, I’d told my mates in the pub what I was doing. I couldn’t deal with the loss of face if I turned back without even trying.

So the journey through Africa began. The original plan, if I dare call it that with things happening at such a pace, was to ride through West Africa. Just as I passed my motorcycle test, things went politically pear-shaped in Algeria, and all the borders in that part of Africa closed. No one had the remotest idea how long this situation was going to continue. I had a ticking clock in my mind. Because of the terrain and the extreme temperatures, there are only certain months of the year when it’s sane to travel across the Sahara. If I didn’t crack on I’d lose the opportunity.

The alternative route was through East Africa. The problem there was that Sudan had a North to South civil war going on, and Ethiopia had been at war within itself for the past 20 years. On the up side, some people were getting visas for Sudan, and the war in Ethiopia was just coming to an end. With nothing to lose, I set off with new rough plans in mind; I might as well try. After all, I’d given up my job, and sold just about everything I owned. What hadn’t occurred to me was that Mike, and Sally, who I’d met on the way, and I were to be the first people to ride motorcycles North to South through Sudan and Ethiopia for those 20 years. We’d struck it lucky. A window of opportunity had opened.

This was 1992. No Google, no GPS, no cell phones and no digital photography. If you wanted to find something out you went to the library or wrote letters. If you wanted to find the way, you hunted out the best maps you could, and you asked the way. Getting lost was a part of the journey, and instead of being a negative it simply opened up a world of the unexpected. Some of the best adventures happen on a road you hadn’t planned to be travelling.

19 fascinating countries and a year later, I decided that actually there was no good reason to head for home. There were plenty of reasons to carry on though. Travelling by motorcycle, in spite of being thrown in prison in Tanzania and 17 bone fractures in the desert in Namibia, was more than fulfilling my beery thoughts in the pub. Another favourite saying is ‘Stop worrying about the potholes and celebrate the journey’.

I booked passage for my bike and I to sail on a container ship across the Indian Ocean to Australia. And so, what turned out to be an eight year journey around the world began. My motorcycle by the way, is called Libby. That’s short for Liberty; it’s what she gives me. All these years later, she’s still my only means of transport in the UK. She does now have a younger sister getting me around in the USA on trips there. A 2013 BMW F800GS. That bike is still waiting for a name to grow. Who knows, it might be ‘Lucky’. For sure I know how lucky I am to have her, and the opportunity to explore more of the amazing land that is the USA.

What next? More travels but in shorter stints; I need just enough to keep scratching that itch and to give me material to write travel articles about. I also spend a fair bit of time doing travel presentations and book signings at motorcycle dealerships, libraries, clubs, schools and businesses. They are my opportunity to share the fun of the road, and perhaps even encourage others to head out and to explore for themselves. I’m keen that people really think about life, recognise the opportunities as they occur, and take advantage of them. This is such an invigorating thing, both at work and play. I fully accept that many people have responsibilities that will not allow them to head out into the blue for months even years at a time. I really value being around people like that who are accepting their responsibilities and making life zing as much as they can. I love it when people say such things as, “I’d love to travel, but I can’t, yet.” Adventures begin with dreams.

I think of myself as being a bit of an accidental author. I didn’t set out on my journey with the aim of writing magazine articles or books. With enthusiastic encouragement from others I thought I’d have a go. I’d kept a journal every day, so I had the facts and many of the descriptions. Long term travellers learn quickly about the risk of being on intake overload each day; it’s so easy to forget the dates, statistics, sights, sounds, smells, names and so on. The drama and the funny side to life do tend to stay in one’s mind though.

It would be a new adventure seeing if I could write a book, and so settled down to write my first; Into Africa. I was putting in 10-12 hour days working renovating houses and then after a quick shower and some food, I sat down to write. It took me two years. Learning everything about the publishing and print industries has been a side fascination and I’ll never forget the sensation of having my first printed copy in my hand; it’s a wonderful moment.I certainly didn’t expect the 5 star reviews my books have been collecting from kind readers and media reviewers.

Each of the four books takes the reader riding and exploring through a different section of the eight year journey and thankfully people seem to like them. ‘Thankfully’ because I wrote them as travel books, rather than specifically as motorcycle travel books, and I describe the sorts of things I like to read about as a traveller. Years later I read that authors should only write about things they know about and have a passion for.

I think of my books as being a way to share the fun of the open road with those who for the moment can’t head out on a long trip, with those who really don’t want to travel but love to read about it, and also as encouragement to those who think they don’t have the skills to travel in this way. I had few skills when I started, but I had an open mind, a strong curiosity, understanding of the value of respect and I’ve got a positive attitude to most things. It’s a great world and travelling by motorcycle, to my mind, is a superb way to see it.

Into AfricaTakes the reader on that first eye-opening year through the incredible continent that is Africa. There are challenges a plenty; it’s a genuine tale of the unexpected. Woven into this journey between Cairo and Cape Town are the riding, the people, wildlife, history, the disasters and the silver linings; there’s plenty of humour too.

Overland Magazine: ‘The word-pictures that bring a good travel book to life are all here; Sam’s perceptions of people, places and predicaments have real depth and texture, their associated sights, smells and sounds are evoked with a natural ease. Where other author’s detailed descriptions can sometimes get in the way, Sam’s style is engaging and well-tuned. I found myself in the midst of action rather than a mere fly on the wall.’

Under Asian Skies This is the story of just over 2 years travelling from Australia and New Zealand, up through SE Asia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and through Eastern Europe. This without doubt is the most colourful and culturally diverse part of the world I’ve been lucky enough to ride. Every day was an adventure.

Horizons Unlimited: ‘Sam has the skills of the story teller and this book easily transports you into three years of journey across Asia. He manages to bring the sounds, scents and heat of Asia to life without wordy overkill and he has obviously researched his historical facts carefully. In places Under Asian Skies is sad, and in others it’s outrageously funny – look out for his battle with the Sydney port officials and the bus ride in Indonesia. All in all this is a really good read, whether you have been across Asia, or are planning a trip. This is true travelling on the cheap and not your everyday story.’

Distant Suns My third book has me linking up with a German lass in New Zealand. Birgit agreed to ride with me, but to Africa first, and on her own bike. She rode out of Mombasa harbour in Kenya with just 600 miles of experience on a motorcycle! Over the next 3 years we rode together through Africa, and on up through South and Central America. These continents may be on the same latitude, but the contrasts in landscape, cultures and the peoples are huge. The Andes? Simply stunning. Oh and I’d not told Birgit what a disaster magnet I am!

Motorcycle Explorer: ‘An epic ride that almost becomes secondary to the events that happen and the very human element of travelling. Always evoking the emotions of others, because Sam never forgets to use his five senses in his tales. Leaving you immersed in the sights, sounds, touch, smell and taste of a journey of true human discovery.’

Tortillas to Totems? This book takes you travelling with us through the 3 countries that make up North America. Three neighbours that are so wonderfully different to each other, make travelling this part of the world a delight. North America was in fact the part of the world that surprised me the most. When you read this book you’ll find out all the reasons why I keep coming back.

ADVMoto Magazine: ‘What I enjoy most about Sam’s method is his way of describing the moment. You feel it, smell it… you freeze, you sweat, and you see what’s before him like you’re along for the ride. You are very much there. It’s a rather intimate, honest style that easily carries you from chapter-to-chapter. I highly recommend that you add Sam’s books to your reading list.’

Fall Presentation Tour 2019:

GO AZ Motorcycles Peoria AZSeptember 6th(Friday). On this, my second visit to GO AZ, I’ll be talking about the delights of travelling across Asia. I’ll also be book signing. 6pm start

BMW Motorcycles of North Dallas TX September (FRIDAY 13th!) Feel like risking it for a Presentation Evening and Book Signing? Start time is at 6pm. My multi-media presentation is about Incredible Africa!

Adventure Motorsports of NWF Pensacola FL September 21st (Saturday) Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing. Join us 5pm if you can – we will be starting the presentation at 5.15 pm.

Pandora’s European Motorsports Chattanooga TN September 24th (Tuesday) Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing – 6.30 to 9pm

Motorcycles of Charlotte NC October 2nd (Wednesday) – Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing. Doors open for food at 6.30pm and the presentation with be starting at 7.15pm

Overland Expo East VA October 11th to 13th in Arrington. I’ll be presenting, running Classes, in Round Table sessions and Book Signing.

If you would like to meet Birgit then please join us at Motorcycles of Charlotte and at Overland Expo East. She will be joining me for this section of the tour. 

Signed copies are available from Sam-Manicom.com with free UK delivery, and with free Worldwide delivery via the Book Depository.com https://www.bookdepository.com/author/Sam-Manicom

Sam’s 4 books are available as Paperbacks, Kindles and as Audiobooks. Sam narrates the books himself.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Store-Sam-Manicom/s?rh=n%3A341677031%2Cp_27%3ASam+Manicom

https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchNarrator=Sam+Manicom

https://books.apple.com/us/author/sam-manicom/id516565970

Facebook– Catch up with Sam via his two pages: Sam Manicom and Adventure Motorcycle Travel Books by Sam Manicom.

Twitter– You’ll find him on @SamManicom

Instagram– sammanicom.author

Website– If you’d like to learn more about his books and his presentation schedule please go to www.sam-manicom.com

Sam is Co-Host of Adventure Rider Radio RAW show. Hosted by Jim Martin, the show is recorded monthly with a panel of 5 highly experienced overlanders from around the world. Listeners submit topics for discussion. RAW has been described by listeners as akin to sitting around a giant kitchen table with the team, beers, wine and coffee in hand, discussing motorcycles and travel; there’s controversy, challenging ideas, top tips and plenty of banter!

https://adventureriderradio.com/arr-raw/

Sam says, “If you are a You Tube fan, have a hunt. There are various riding and interview clips to be found, including a recent chat with the phenomenal Ted Simon.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-658_CSkrA

He was the first Overlander Interviewed by Adventure Bike TV for their popular ‘Under the Visor’ series:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bToV6paAEXM

In 2017 Overland Magazine awarded him the‘Roho Ya Kusafiri Spirit of Travel’  award for his contribution to Overland and Adventure Travel:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Y1BKPbp_Y

In 2011, Sam joined the team of advisors working with travellers supported by The Ted Simon Foundation.

I had to learn about book writing the hard way – there were few people in the world of publishing whose knowledge I was able to tap into. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help other travellers get more out of their adventures, and to learn how to get their work published. We live in a stunning world that’s full of surprises, and what better way is there for a person to share those experiences than to write and publish a great book. The Ted Simon Foundation is the perfect platform to help this happen.

http://jupiterstravellers.org/

  In Interview with Sam Manicom Sam Manicom travelled the world on his trusty 1992 BMW R80GS, with his partner Birgit on her 1971 BMW R60/5, for 8 years. 

[morraalles]

{ joaquin phoenix / cismale / he/him } ☼― Desert sands and sunset hues, Arizona is home to the one and only { MATEO MORALES }.  HE is said to be a { FORTY FIVE YEAR OLD POLICE OFFICER }, living at Paraiso for almost { FORTY FIVE } years. They are known to be { THOROUGH } and { COMMITED } as well { VIOLENT } and { PATRONISING }. Rumor has it, they are { WORKING WITH THE COPS }. ―☾ { doc / 22 / she/her / gmt }

TW: Murder, Shooting, Guns, Alcohol Mention

FULL NAME  Mateo Morales

NICKNAMES Matt

GENDER Cismale

PRONOUNS He/Him

AGE 45

BIRTHPLACE Paraiso, Arizona

CURRENT LOCATION Paraiso, Arizona.

SEXUALITY Homosexual. 

LANGUAGES English, Spanish

ZODIAC SIGN Scorpio  

OCCUPATION Police officer

TRAITS - 

Positive - Loyal, loving, hard working, thorough, discreet, imaginative

Negative - Violent, impulsive, erratic, patronising, obsessive, exhausted 

Written Aesthetics: trembling hands, easily irritated, worn down by the monotony of routine, nauseating guilt, soft breeze at twilight, eyes dark from tiredness, long forgotten plans to escape, the sound of water boiling over, sleep is for the weak, going by unnoticed, 3am news bulletin, wrinkles in the corners of your eyes, sweet packets in the glove compartment, lonely cigarettes

TLDR; Worn out cop Mateo grew up in Paraiso, and had always intended to leave. His youth was spent tortured by an unrequited love, his best friend Jose. When Jose got married and took Mateo on a celebratory hunting trip, Mateo was overcome by jealousy and seized the opportunity of a moment alone with Jose’s wife to end her life. Mateo claimed to have lost her in the woods, becoming lost himself for days afterwards and no one has questioned him since. The crime haunts him, and he's constructed the image for himself of a hard working cop, in some effort to be at peace with his crime. These days he’s usually exhaustedly following the trail of the MC’s criminal activity, irritating his coworkers with his know-it-all attitude. 

BIO

Small-town boy, from a home full of love. Mum and dad were not rich but they got by, sending Mateo and his warm faced siblings out into the desert to entertain themselves, bikes scuffing up red dust, sticking to their ankles to be trailed in home later. His big brown eyes pointed to the sun as Mateo threw his head back laughing. A pile of them, energetic and itching to grow, to crack out of this town. He planned to drive one day and keep driving, speakers blasting tinny promises of somewhere else. 

Jose had always been Mateo's best friend, that man whose presence Mateo hung around for. His shoulders were strong, hands gentle. He was kind to everyone, in this town of people often too hardened. Mateo watched him grow alongside him, his body stretching out and folding into the soft shape of a man. Muted stares pointed at Jose’s body marked Mateo out as friends swam together by the creek, drinking beer and laughing. There were moments, the smallest defining moments, that let Mateo know it wasn’t entirely unrequited. Silent squeezes of a hand, that one drunken kiss mixed with slurred apologies. For the longest time Mateo told himself it was a friendship, a bond. As if that explains the way Mateo could be woken up by the mere thought of Jose’s name.

People dropped like flies into domesticity. Mateo worked hard to avoid it, getting his police training done at a sensible age, words full of promise exchanged with Jose at the bar kept him motivated. They were going to travel together. Maybe just to the two of them and the road would let things fall into place. Those red roads of dust neverending, Jose would be forced to look at Mateo properly, and finally realise. If they could just hold out till then.

Suburbia claimed Jose all too quickly. All starting with that girl and her shock white smile. She moved with mother’s warmth, all hips and honeysuckle scent. She looked at Jose with hunger, like she had a plan for him. She looked at him the same way Mateo did. These days Jose spoke less of travel, more of local spots and weekend plans. Her name stayed in his mouth, until they moved in together.

Mateo couldn’t realise this was his time to go it alone. But it was too late, unrequited teenage love had maligned into something stagnant.  An ugly obsession that bubbled under the surface in Mateo, bringing violence to his fingertips. He was left wandering, seemingly in circles, the same town he had for years, nothing to pull him away anymore. 

A sticky hot Sunday in June, Jose and his now-wife invited Mateo on a hunting trip. Mateo and a few friends went along, and Mateo spent the weekend the same way he’d always spent them with Jose, making sure no one noticed how long he stared.

Mateo wishes the situation had never arisen, he and her separated from the group, feet heavy snapping fresh branches. It was too easy for them to get lost, forest darkening as it swallowed the two of them. It happened in a very distinct set of moments. Mateo looked down at his gun, realizing how alone they were. Mateo watched her hands trace the edge of the leaves as she passed, and he thought about all the times the same hands have caressed Jose’s face. How she listens to his sleepy late night confessions, his concerns. She stands strong for Jose, which is all Mateo felt he was born to do.

It was over so quickly, a bullet to the head. Mateo took a deep inhale afterwards. It was just Mateo and Jose alone in the world again now. Space for things to settle into the way they should be. At last. Mateo was careful, using his experience in the worst way. He hid the body so no one would find her, and camped up in the forest for a few days. He returned later, bedraggled and confused, mumbling stories of beasts and chases, starving in the darkness. 

They presumed him too dehydrated to recall anything accurately. All he could recall for sure was that he lost her to the forest, heaving through sobs of fake grief. They searched for her for days. It was hard for Mateo to look at Jose through his mourning. If only Mateo could have explained this was for his own good, that this would end up well for him. For them. 

Things didn’t go to plan. Jose crumbled into the shell of a man, drinking and grieving at the same time. He certainly didn’t speak to Mateo anymore. Other people thought this was understandable, as Mateo was the last person to see her alive. Mateo thought this an injustice. 

It’s been 25 years since Mateo killed Jose’s wife. He’s remorseful now. He knows he was blinded by jealousy and he wants nothing from Jose. The only things that linger are the sounds of the gunshots that wake him with a start. Those too long looks from people that make Mateo feel like a suspect. A suspect in a crime that was never questioned, never even labelled a crime. He thinks about her a lot these days, what her life would have looked like, how happy she could have made Jose.

Mateo formed a life for himself still in Paraiso, doing the right thing every day as a worn out police officer. He holds himself highly, a man of esteem, not a man who would kill in cold blood. This self image is pervasive, the good cop, he clings to it desperately. It’s the only thing that tackles the horror that lines him. That trickles to the surface late at night. 

HC’s 

Years after the murder, Mateo started to think about his place in the world. He realised he was never leaving paraiso, and deep down he would probably have liked to settle down with someone. But he’d never allow himself that, a self inflicted prison sentence - justified. Occasionally it’s visible in flowers brought home and left to dry out, making the bed neatly as if someone might see it

Mateo exists on coffee and junk food

He has a soft spot for the cinema, and can be found there if he ever has a shift off.He’s demonised the activity of the MC and has endless energy to work against them

WC’s

Siblings? Hmu, maybe even a sibling who suspects his crime.

Old Friends? People who grew up with him, who knew Mateo and Jose long term 

Coworkers? Who have grown more and more annoyed at his ways over the years

[topfygad]

10 Tips for Planning a US Road Trip

Growing up with a steady diet of US television and cinema, it makes sense that I would be drawn to all things US.

My earliest travel daydreams were of someday making it to Disneyland (which I did in 2012). It has been an enduring love affair ever since

My first US road trip with a relatively modest affair: taking me from Couer d’Alene, Idaho to Portland, Oregon to American Falls, Idaho. Not the most glamorous of starts, I’ll admit.

2012 saw me making the drive along the US West Coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Along the way, we visited Yosemite and Monterey.

2015 saw me kick things up a notch with our five-week Great US Road Trip. Hitting Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, DC, Philadelphia, and more along the way, it was one for the books.

Most recently, my brothers, our partners, and I embarked on a two week Southwest US road trip. Over the course of a fortnight, we visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, and Joshua Tree.

As you can see, I’ve managed to build a fair resume when it comes to planning US road trips. With my imminent marriage to a US citizen, it seems fated that I’ll be making many more US road trips in the future.

I’ve picked up some handy tips and tricks along the way, so allow me to share with you my ten tips for planning a US road trip.

#10 – Get travel insurance

Healthcare in the US is expensive. Their broken healthcare system can mean you’re getting hit with a $1,000 USD fee just for walking in the door, so you don’t want to be caught with your proverbial pants down.

Ever since I broke my arm in Indonesia, I’ve been fastidious when it comes to arranging my travel insurance. The last thing you want is to fall ill or get injured and be on the hook for a hefty medical bill, trust me.

Thankfully, World Nomads travel insurance has fantastic rates for trips that include the US. They’re who I use for all of my trips, and who I recommend my friends choose when hitting the road.

Don’t let your trip be absolutely derailed by an accident. Get travel insurance, you idiot.

#9 – The cost of dining out

One of the things my brothers were super excited about when visiting the United States was the opportunity to eat all of the things.

From IHOP to colossal hamburgers to fried chicken to Mexican, they wanted to eat as much as humanly possible, much to the dismay of my waistline and my wallet.

You see, food only looks cheap in the United States. The large portion sizes and conservative prices can be very tempting, but there are two things that mean you’re not getting the deal you thought you were:

In Australia, tax is included in the menu pricing and tipping is replaced by a living wage, so it is easy to think you have found a bargain. However, once you factor in the 10-15% tax and the 18-20% for tip, you’re looking at Aussie pricing.

Saving Money on Food

Look, I get the temptation to eat out for every meal. Even at that price point, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck when eating out in the US.

Unless you’re made of money, however, you’re going to find your wallet shrinking faster than your appetite.

Far be it from me to recommend fast food, but you can avoid the tipping culture if you grab lunch at Taco Bell or Chipotle. I wouldn’t recommend it for every meal, but a $6 meal every now and then takes the sting off those $20 – $40 bills at sit down restaurants.

However, my #1 tip for eating on the cheap is a simple one: cook!

If you’re able to work a few Airbnb properties into your itinerary, you’ll likely have access to a full kitchen. Hit up a Trader Joe’s, stock up on delicious ingredients, and do a little home cooking. We did this in Flagstaff and Joshua Tree on our recent trip, mixing things up with homemade burgers, fajitas, and Thai green curry in between our meals out.

#8 – Get your visa early

If you’re from one of the 38 countries eligible for the fantastic ESTA visa waiver program, this couldn’t be easier! Simply log onto ESTA USA, fill out your application, and you’re all set!

The ESTA process often returns an answer inside an hour, but I always recommend my friends arrange this a week or two in advance to ensure there aren’t any hiccups. You don’t want to get turned away at the border!

Not Eligible for ESTA?

While not as smooth and painless as the ESTA visa waiver program, applying for a US visitor visa is still a relatively quick process.

As the visitor visa program can require interviews ahead of visa issuance, you’ll want to get a jump on these early!

#7 – National Park passes

The United States has a truly mind-blowing number of National Parks and State Parks. Just check out this list of US National Parks and you get the idea.

To my mind, the stunning National Parks that dot the US are every bit as appealing as the world-famous cities that more immediately spring to mind. Sure, I love Vegas, Austin, and New York, but I feel a similar level of excitement when you mention Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone.

If your US Road Trip is going to include more than 2-3 national parks, you’ll want to get an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. At just $80 USD for a year, this pass not only gives you access to every single national park but over 2,000 parks and recreation areas across the country!

Seriously, when parks are usually $25 USD to enter, this is a steal!

#6 – Renting a car

Unless you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a US citizen who happens to have a car handy, you’re going to want to rent a car for your US road trip.

There are so many factors to take into account when finding a car rental:

Mileage

Comfort

Size

Cost

Features

Start and end point

Wear and tear

Insurance

My 2015 US Road Trip saw the two of us sharing a black Mustang convertible and sticking to tarmac roads, but the recent trip saw seven of us piling into a spacious Chevy Pacifica and doing a little off-roading in the Arizona desert.

As you can imagine, we had very different requirements when shopping around for the two cars.

On the 2015 trip, we were starting in San Francisco and ending in New York, which added quite a bit to our costing. If you can return to the same point as your pick-up, you’re going to get a much better deal.

The make and model of your car, number of seats, length of your rental, and pick-up/drop-off locations are all going to be a factor in pricing.

And that’s before you realize that insurance is an optional extra. Seriously, when getting pricing on your rental car, be aware you’re likely looking at it doubling once you add insurance.

Finding a Rental Car

There is no shortage of sites where you can search for rental cars and shop around.

On our recent trip, we made use of Kayak.com to compare prices before visiting individual sites to hunt for better prices. Our 2015 trip saw us finding a much better price using a Chinese search engine than a US or Australian based one, so don’t hesitate to use a VPN to hunt for the best rate.

Wingman Level: 10.

#5 – Conflict resolution

No matter how close you are with your companions, there’s bound to be the occasional conflict.

Whether it’s arguing with my brothers about what to have for dinner or getting heated at Hogg for being an awful wingman, no road trip is without incident.

It was the 2015 trip that prompted me to write a guide on how to be a good road trip companion. I still stand by my points in this article today.

Seriously, go read that. Your travel buddies will thank you for it.

#4 – Tours vs. Self-Guided

Accommodation, car hire, food… these things all add up!

Once you also add in the cost of a few guided tours, you’re looking at a hefty bill for your US road trip.

While it might seem that skipping tours is a great way to save money, there are going to be some occasions where a guided tour will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Case in point: visiting LA in a day is a miserable experience. Californian drivers are the worst, and LA seems to be where the worst of them gather. Why deal with that if you don’t have to?

Similarly, tours such as my Carpe DC food tour and my haunted Vegas tour offered insight that I wouldn’t have found in a guidebook or blog.

On the flip side, there are certainly places where you can do it on your own and avoid the cost. You don’t need a guide to enjoy Yosemite or Walnut Creek Canyon, for example.

My advice? Find the places where you’re willing to splurge on a guided tour, factor those in ahead of time, and do the rest on your own.

#3 – Packing for your US Road Trip

Depending on the number of people tagging along for your US road trip, there’s going to be finite space for luggage. Don’t be that jerk whose oversized suitcase forces somebody else to ride with a laptop bag twixt their thighs!

The delightful Where is Nina has a great road trip packing list, but my own personal list is below.

4-6 t-shirts

1-2 long sleeved button ups

1 pair of jeans/trousers

3-4 pairs of shorts

1 pair of board shorts/swimmers

Toiletries (deodorant, body wash, razor, etc)

7 pairs of underpants and socks

Thongs/sandals

Comfortable walking shoes

A comfortable travel coat

The clothing will obviously depend on the climates you’re visiting, but the above list did me fine for the warmth of California & Vegas all the way to the sub-zero temperatures of Flagstaff.

If you’re only staying in hotels, you’ll need to either pack extra or shell out for laundry, but I always mix in a few AirBnBs to give me access to a washer/dryer.

For a few less essential inclusions:

Lastly, here are a few must-have apps that I swear by for any road trip, US or otherwise.

And, of course, you’ll want to listen to all of the Comes with Baggage.

#2 – Finding affordable accommodation

Accommodation in the US isn’t cheap, but there are certainly ways to save money on your US road trip.

First and foremost, I will always recommend Booking.com ahead of other price comparison sites like Expedia and Agoda.

Why? Booking.com offers free cancellation on many of their properties and they include taxes and resort fees in their total. Agoda leaves these as a nasty surprise you’ll need to pay when you check-in. Not cool.

It is also worth checking out Airbnb whenever you are having trouble finding something affordable in a given city. Not only can these be cheaper, but the access to a kitchen and laundry can be invaluable on a long trip.

Register with Airbnb here for a $30 USD credit for your first stay!

The itinerary in all of its squiggly glory!

#1 – Choosing the right route

The most important about planning a US road trip? The actual route!

Sites like Furkot are invaluable when it comes to mapping out a road trip. It’s more than just a map – it also suggests accommodation, rest stops, and attractions in the areas you’re driving through!

But where in the US will you go? How long do you have?

These are questions you’ll need to ask yourself ahead of your trip.

Got two weeks? I’d suggest focussing on a specific region or state. The Southwest is always a good option, covering California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. You could also focus on the Northeast (New York, DC, Philadelphia, and Boston), the South (New Orleans and its friends), or the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Canada).

If you have more time, that is when you can get ambitious. We traveled from San Francisco to New York across five weeks, heading through the southern states, but we could just have easily cut through the middle (hitting Denver and Colorado) or the north (hitting Seattle and Montana).

Your US road trip route is a very personal decision, but it is also going to be one of compromise. Was I overjoyed to be visiting the Grand Canyon a third time on my recent trip? Not particularly, but I knew it meant a lot to the other six in my group.

I’m sure they weren’t as excited for five days in Vegas as I was…

Looking for some inspiration? Wanderlust Crew has compiled a pretty good list of US road trip routes.

——-

A Massive Undertaking

Planning your dream US road trip can be a big task, but armed with the above tips, you’re off to a good start.

In a later post, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite US road trip routes for you to use as a jumping off point.

In the meantime, I would love your road trip planning tips or route ideas!

Featured image courtesy of Alexandre Lazaro

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source http://cheaprtravels.com/10-tips-for-planning-a-us-road-trip/

[travelinglifeshighways]

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Clear, 95°

“The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself.  The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features.  Language and illustration combined must fail.” - John Wesley Powell  

After the little hike at Horseshoe Bend it was only a couple hours’ drive to The Grand Canyon.  The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona.  Words like Grand, Massive, Oh Wow, and Impressive cannot truly describe The Grand Canyon.  Its massive size overwhelms the senses.  It is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet).

Grand Canyon Sign

The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation.  President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

Distant Canyons

 Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.  While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago (*Wikipedia)

Grand Canyon

On the South Rim side of the Park, there is no need to drive around in traffic.  Park your car or RV and ride the free shuttle buses around the village and out to scenic overlooks.  The drivers are funny and very helpful getting you to where you want to visit and offer great hints to get more out of your visit.  I am not sure what the North Rim has for services but know it is higher in elevation and more remote.

Grand Canyon toward East

Coming in from Page, Arizona through the east gate, the first stop on the eastern end of the South Rim is the Desert View Watchtower, built in 1932.  It is one of Mary Colter's best-known works.  It is 27 miles from Grand Canyon Village; the tower stands 70 feet tall.  

Desert View Watchtower

The top of the tower is 7,522 feet above sea level, the highest point on the South Rim.  It offers one of the few full views of the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River.  

Colorado River Below

It was designed to mimic Anasazi watch towers, though, with four levels; it is significantly taller than historical towers.

Desert View Watchtower interior

Mary Colter (April 4, 1869 – January 8, 1958) was an American architect and designer.  She was one of the very few female American architects in her day.  She was the designer of many landmark buildings and spaces for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad, notably in Grand Canyon National Park.  Her work had enormous influence as she helped to create a style, blending Spanish Colonial Revival and Mission Revival architecture with Native American motifs and Rustic elements; that became popular throughout the Southwest. (*Wikipedia)

Plaque on top of Tower

Desert View Watchtower gives you another “Oh Wow�� moment with the full view of the Canyon below.  As you look out for miles on end, the Canyon is before you to the west and the high plains of the Colorado Plateau are toward the east.  The vibrant colors of the Canyon, even in mid-day, gives a depth and saturation only dimmed by the slight smoke of the forest fires in Colorado several hundred miles away. 

Colorado Plateau

There were a couple of Navajo vendors inside the Tower who were giving cultural information while making their crafts.  They were doing wood and stone carvings with several work stations set up for visitors to watch them work.  Both were very informative and answered questions while they worked.

Grand Canyon - Another Oh Wow Moment

Driving the twenty five miles along the South Rim to the Grand Canyon Village, there are multiple places (overlooks) to stop for views and photo opportunities of the Canyon below.  At each pull out, several vehicles made a daisy chain caravan stopping for photos.  It was slightly funny to watch everyone get out, look for a couple minutes, snap a few pictures and head out to the next one.  This went on for the whole twenty five miles to the Village.

North Rim Horizon

Approaching the Village, it suddenly got really crowded as the Parks Service had quite a bit of road construction going on.  Several roads were being repaved so crews were directing traffic into single lane passes as the crews stripped the old pavement and filled in so the new surface could be poured and smoothed out.  Like most Government projects there were quite a few workers with many standing around, several operating heavy equipment, and several supervisors talking to each other.  It will probably be a long summer of work . . . maybe with the high temperatures and tourists all over the place it would be a great idea to work night shifts.  More work could be done with less people driving by, there would be cooler temperatures to work in, and you would be a little more productive in the process by getting more miles of pavement put down.  Oh well, that would be too easy, just an observation from years of construction projects.  (Rant over)

Getting to the Village Campground, finding a place to park, and waiting in line to talk with the Camp Registration office, it was slowly learned that I had not booked at that campsite.  With a little digging in the Parks computer system and me looking at emails from March it was discovered that when looking to book, everything was full and I had booked just off site at a campground with a similar name.  It was about this time that I really felt like an idiot but the lady assured me that it happens almost every day.

It was time to get back in the RV, turn around, hit traffic again and find the way to the Park entrance and drive a mile down the road to the new campground.  This one was expecting me so check-in went smoothly and it was time to set up for another night in paradise.

As I was setting up the RV for the night I could hear that familiar “Whup, whup” sound of helicopters flying about.  The campsite was along the return path of flight seeing helicopters on their way back to the airport about a half mile away.  They must be doing a great business as there were choppers returning to the airport in sets of six or eight returning about the same time with the process repeating about every twenty minutes or so all afternoon.  The campground had two elk that grazed across from the RV and five to ten more were further back in the campground.  I believe they live there and stay in the area as several people said they were there every morning and afternoon eating till the sun went down.

It was about six hundred feet to walk to the shuttle bus stop outside the campgrounds so it was easy to make our way back to the park to view the sunset.  The bus driver, Trey, was entertaining and talked about the smoke in the Canyons today. He said he had property in Durango, Colorado and knew all about that fire.  It was started by the narrow gauge railroad that operates in the area and that the fire was still not close to being contained.  He chatted with an Asian family who was also on the bus.  He gave specific directions once getting off the bus on the fastest way to get to the Canyon rim for the best photo shots in the area.

The sun was just setting, giving an orange glow to the western horizon.  The walls of the Canyon to the east were highlighted by the Alpenglow of the sun and gave nice details between light and shadow on the cliff face. 

Afternoon Sun

There were several overlooks in this area around the Village and all were full of people snapping photos of every cliff and overlook. 

Afternoon Vistas

At one glance I could see about forty phone screens illuminated, held high taking photos or selfies on one ledge overlook. 

Sunset 1

It was kind of humorous seeing everyone running around trying the get that great shot of the sunset or the Canyon walls all aglow.  You could hear the quiet voices of many different languages talking, a true international gathering of people celebrating the same thing, a beautiful sunset. 

Sunset 2

Everyone stopped in awe of another day’s passing into night, shadows, and darkness.

Sunset 3

The bus driver also told us about the Grand Canyon Star Party that is held each year in June.  Due to its dark skies and clean air, Grand Canyon offers one of the best night sky observing sites in the United States.

Evening Star

Grand Canyon Star Party

For eight days in June, park visitors explore the wonders of the night sky on Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and with the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix on the North Rim. Amateur astronomers from across the country volunteer their expertise and offer free nightly astronomy programs and telescope viewing. Through the telescopes you might view an assortment of planets, double stars, star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies by night, and perhaps the Sun or Venus by day. At the 2018 Star Party, Jupiter and Saturn will be evening highlights, but you might find an astronomer pointing a telescope at Venus in the early evening. Mars will rise just after 11 pm for those staying late in to the evening. (NPS information)

There were between fifty and seventy-five telescopes set up in the rear parking lot of the Village Visitors Center for the public to view the heavens once darkness set in.  As the sun’s glow on the horizon was quickly diminishing the planets and stars were appearing across the night sky.  Most telescopes were set up to view Venus and Jupiter as those were visible as soon as darkness set in.  It was great seeing Jupiter and four of its moons so clearly through several telescopes.

We waited for this one man to set up his eight or nine foot tall telescope so we could view whatever he was going to point too.  It was funny because he had trouble locating the North Star so he could calibrate his telescope but I and another by-stander showed him where it was.  He spent about twenty minutes zeroing in his instrument before he was ready to view the stars.  When he was finally locked on to his target it was a star nebulae cluster.  It was beautiful, having the appearance of something like the Milky Way.  You had to climb up on a ladder to get a view through the lens of his telescope.

It was a beautiful high desert evening, cooling off nicely once the sun dropped below the horizon.  It probably dropped 10 degrees in about thirty minutes or so.  The bus driver reminded everyone that the last shuttle from the Visitors Center left at 9:30 so stargazing had to be put on hold but it was hard to leave then as the stars were just beginning to pop out all over the heavens.

Walking across the parking lot where all the telescopes were set up, looking west there was a sudden burst of exhilaration from the crowd as a shooting star appeared to the right and fell in a beautiful greenish arc across the sky to the left.  It was if the astronomers had ordered this beautiful light show.  The crowd continued in an excited state for several minutes hoping another one would fall.

Taking the shuttle bus back, we had the same driver, Trey.  Two young men (boys really) about twenty years old started to get onto the bus toting their bicycles.  Trey said to them loud enough for anyone on the bus to hear, “Does it say anywhere that bicycles are allowed “In” the bus?”  They stepped back off and started to go to the rear of the bus when he called out again to them, “I’ll give you a hint, not that way guys!”  They stopped, turned around and went to front of the bus where a large bike rack was attached to the bumper.  The boys, looked at it, looked at each other puzzled wondering how to attach their bicycles.  Trey got off the bus and happily showed them how to operate the simple hold downs for quick loading and unloading of the bikes.

As he spoke about bicycles being allowed “In” the bus, this Hindu family just cracked up and was excitedly talking back and forth while the bicycles were loaded on board.  As the two young men entered the bus, the family continued talking excitedly; they seemed amused that the boys were finally able to get on.  Their son who was about nine or ten started asking Trey all kinds of questions about the Park, the Canyon, many types of animals and more.  Trey told the mom and dad they needed to get this young boy some books as he “had wheels and was going somewhere with his life!”  He asked the boy why he knew so much about the Grand Canyon and the area.  The little boy answered, “I Googled it!”

A little comedy, beautiful sunset, the Heavens opening up with stars, and seeing a meteor fall close by, made for a very memorable day Traveling Life’s Highways.

[pattersondonaldblk5]

Stop Letting Silicon Valley Dictate Your Future

For those in tech, the allure of what most consider the tech capital of the country — Silicon Valley — is real.

  But according to real estate website Redfin, last year saw more people move out of San Francisco than any other city in the United States. When a group of San Francisco venture capitalists went on a three-day tour through the Midwest to find promising startups, they quickly realized why. Once outside the bay area, home prices dropped precipitously, and even old manufacturing towns had amenities such as upscale shopping and farm-to-table eateries.

  Still, it’s inarguable that Silicon Valley has seen its share of success in the field, so it makes sense that many such cities hope to attract startups and investors by billing themselves as the “next Silicon Valley,” giving themselves nicknames such as the Silicon Prairie, in the case of the Midwest, or the Silicon Desert in Arizona. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the reality, of course, is that these cities are sabotaging their own cause.

  An Uphill Battle

  It makes sense that cities around the country would look to Silicon Valley with envy, considering there’s record job growth, record wealth — seemingly record everything when it comes to recent decades in the tech field. City leaders everywhere might do anything to try to replicate that formula and bring that amount of growth and opportunity to their own area, even if it involves a silly nickname.

  The problem is, it’s impossible to become the “next Silicon Valley,” and history explains why. The financial industry has been clustered into a tiny area in New York City for more than a hundred years, and it’s only become more prominent in that time. The film industry has been in Los Angeles since the early 1900s, and that area will remain the hub of the industry indefinitely.

  Companies choose to overlook real estate prices and salary demands in Silicon Valley because of the strong contingent of talent. As a result, talent moves to the area, and more companies follow, bringing further growth and innovation to a region already ripe with it. This cycle wasn’t built in a day, and it may never again be replicated at the same level — in part because of a key ingredient: investor dollars.

  According to a report from Wealth-X, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 15 percent increase in the number of billionaires on the planet. Of the 2,754 individuals whose net worth resembles a phone number, 74 of them call Silicon Valley home. It now has the third-highest concentration of billionaires on the planet, behind only New York (with 103) and Hong Kong (with 93).

  A Different Approach

  Instead of trying to blend in with Silicon Valley, leaders need to make sure their cities stand out. Here’s a handful of things to consider along the way:

  1. Don’t attract talent; create it yourself.

Companies and regions always want to talk about attracting talent — that is, bringing it to them. But there’s a strong chance that plenty of talent and potential is already in your area; sometimes it’s simply a matter of developing individuals’ skills.

  Underemployment exists: While the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in April of 2018 as 236,000 people left the labor pool, underemployment remains at 8.2 percent. That just means cities need to invest the time and resources into training, cross-training, or retraining talent to craft it into what the market needs.

  Take a hard look at what opportunities exist in your area. Do many companies offer apprenticeship programs for people who may have great potential but not a lot of qualifying credentials? Are there government-funded job training programs with proven track records of success? Making sure initiatives like these exist is key to developing homegrown talent.

  2. Know what makes your city, specifically, strong.

When you’re on the job hunt, you become acutely aware of your strengths in order to best market them. The same goes for when you want to market your city to talent and the economy overall — you have to know what separates you from others in the best way.

  In Detroit, for instance, progress in the self-driving arena has outpaced Silicon Valley, reclaiming its dormant reign of the automotive market. Ford and General Motors are behind the wheel of this growth, each making billion-dollar investments to acquire the right talent. Ford purchased Argo AI for $1 billion in an effort to have self-driving cars in the next three years — Detroit has its ability to leverage that and become not the Silicon Valley of the Great Lakes, but its own entity.

  Going further, Phoenix has a low cost of living, low tax rate, and “community support” for small businesses and startups. Whenever possible, local leaders center messaging designed to attract talent to the area around these perks. A partnership between Alphabet’s Waymo and rental company Avis will bring a fleet of almost 600 self-driving Chrysler minivans to Phoenix, and residents will be the first members of the public to experience the cars.

  Point being: There’s undoubtedly value in what your city contributes to the economy as a whole — identify it and take every chance to shout about it.

  3. Stay ahead of the tech curve.

There’s no sense in making your entire strategy a game of keeping up with the Joneses, but you still have to keep a close pulse on the tech field and what innovations it’s bringing to every other corner of the economy. Look again at what makes your city stand out, and prioritize learning about what new tech tools and concepts people are putting out.

  Machine learning, for instance, is transforming many industries, and the measurable improvements it brings to healthcare is a perfect example. As technology is integrated into the healthcare industry, cities should put resources in place that attract these and other companies to lay the groundwork for becoming a future hub.

  The obsession with becoming the next Silicon Valley is rooted in the desire to attract the best and brightest talent. What companies and government officials need to realize is that, while Silicon Valley may never be replicated, they can cultivate and grow the talent that’s already there.

https://ift.tt/2tfi5Qj

[mariaaklnthony]

Stop Letting Silicon Valley Dictate Your Future

For those in tech, the allure of what most consider the tech capital of the country — Silicon Valley — is real.

  But according to real estate website Redfin, last year saw more people move out of San Francisco than any other city in the United States. When a group of San Francisco venture capitalists went on a three-day tour through the Midwest to find promising startups, they quickly realized why. Once outside the bay area, home prices dropped precipitously, and even old manufacturing towns had amenities such as upscale shopping and farm-to-table eateries.

  Still, it’s inarguable that Silicon Valley has seen its share of success in the field, so it makes sense that many such cities hope to attract startups and investors by billing themselves as the “next Silicon Valley,” giving themselves nicknames such as the Silicon Prairie, in the case of the Midwest, or the Silicon Desert in Arizona. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the reality, of course, is that these cities are sabotaging their own cause.

  An Uphill Battle

  It makes sense that cities around the country would look to Silicon Valley with envy, considering there’s record job growth, record wealth — seemingly record everything when it comes to recent decades in the tech field. City leaders everywhere might do anything to try to replicate that formula and bring that amount of growth and opportunity to their own area, even if it involves a silly nickname.

  The problem is, it’s impossible to become the “next Silicon Valley,” and history explains why. The financial industry has been clustered into a tiny area in New York City for more than a hundred years, and it’s only become more prominent in that time. The film industry has been in Los Angeles since the early 1900s, and that area will remain the hub of the industry indefinitely.

  Companies choose to overlook real estate prices and salary demands in Silicon Valley because of the strong contingent of talent. As a result, talent moves to the area, and more companies follow, bringing further growth and innovation to a region already ripe with it. This cycle wasn’t built in a day, and it may never again be replicated at the same level — in part because of a key ingredient: investor dollars.

  According to a report from Wealth-X, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 15 percent increase in the number of billionaires on the planet. Of the 2,754 individuals whose net worth resembles a phone number, 74 of them call Silicon Valley home. It now has the third-highest concentration of billionaires on the planet, behind only New York (with 103) and Hong Kong (with 93).

  A Different Approach

  Instead of trying to blend in with Silicon Valley, leaders need to make sure their cities stand out. Here’s a handful of things to consider along the way:

  1. Don’t attract talent; create it yourself.

Companies and regions always want to talk about attracting talent — that is, bringing it to them. But there’s a strong chance that plenty of talent and potential is already in your area; sometimes it’s simply a matter of developing individuals’ skills.

  Underemployment exists: While the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in April of 2018 as 236,000 people left the labor pool, underemployment remains at 8.2 percent. That just means cities need to invest the time and resources into training, cross-training, or retraining talent to craft it into what the market needs.

  Take a hard look at what opportunities exist in your area. Do many companies offer apprenticeship programs for people who may have great potential but not a lot of qualifying credentials? Are there government-funded job training programs with proven track records of success? Making sure initiatives like these exist is key to developing homegrown talent.

  2. Know what makes your city, specifically, strong.

When you’re on the job hunt, you become acutely aware of your strengths in order to best market them. The same goes for when you want to market your city to talent and the economy overall — you have to know what separates you from others in the best way.

  In Detroit, for instance, progress in the self-driving arena has outpaced Silicon Valley, reclaiming its dormant reign of the automotive market. Ford and General Motors are behind the wheel of this growth, each making billion-dollar investments to acquire the right talent. Ford purchased Argo AI for $1 billion in an effort to have self-driving cars in the next three years — Detroit has its ability to leverage that and become not the Silicon Valley of the Great Lakes, but its own entity.

  Going further, Phoenix has a low cost of living, low tax rate, and “community support” for small businesses and startups. Whenever possible, local leaders center messaging designed to attract talent to the area around these perks. A partnership between Alphabet’s Waymo and rental company Avis will bring a fleet of almost 600 self-driving Chrysler minivans to Phoenix, and residents will be the first members of the public to experience the cars.

  Point being: There’s undoubtedly value in what your city contributes to the economy as a whole — identify it and take every chance to shout about it.

  3. Stay ahead of the tech curve.

There’s no sense in making your entire strategy a game of keeping up with the Joneses, but you still have to keep a close pulse on the tech field and what innovations it’s bringing to every other corner of the economy. Look again at what makes your city stand out, and prioritize learning about what new tech tools and concepts people are putting out.

  Machine learning, for instance, is transforming many industries, and the measurable improvements it brings to healthcare is a perfect example. As technology is integrated into the healthcare industry, cities should put resources in place that attract these and other companies to lay the groundwork for becoming a future hub.

  The obsession with becoming the next Silicon Valley is rooted in the desire to attract the best and brightest talent. What companies and government officials need to realize is that, while Silicon Valley may never be replicated, they can cultivate and grow the talent that’s already there.

https://ift.tt/2tfi5Qj

[joannlyfgnch]

Stop Letting Silicon Valley Dictate Your Future

For those in tech, the allure of what most consider the tech capital of the country — Silicon Valley — is real.

  But according to real estate website Redfin, last year saw more people move out of San Francisco than any other city in the United States. When a group of San Francisco venture capitalists went on a three-day tour through the Midwest to find promising startups, they quickly realized why. Once outside the bay area, home prices dropped precipitously, and even old manufacturing towns had amenities such as upscale shopping and farm-to-table eateries.

  Still, it’s inarguable that Silicon Valley has seen its share of success in the field, so it makes sense that many such cities hope to attract startups and investors by billing themselves as the “next Silicon Valley,” giving themselves nicknames such as the Silicon Prairie, in the case of the Midwest, or the Silicon Desert in Arizona. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the reality, of course, is that these cities are sabotaging their own cause.

  An Uphill Battle

  It makes sense that cities around the country would look to Silicon Valley with envy, considering there’s record job growth, record wealth — seemingly record everything when it comes to recent decades in the tech field. City leaders everywhere might do anything to try to replicate that formula and bring that amount of growth and opportunity to their own area, even if it involves a silly nickname.

  The problem is, it’s impossible to become the “next Silicon Valley,” and history explains why. The financial industry has been clustered into a tiny area in New York City for more than a hundred years, and it’s only become more prominent in that time. The film industry has been in Los Angeles since the early 1900s, and that area will remain the hub of the industry indefinitely.

  Companies choose to overlook real estate prices and salary demands in Silicon Valley because of the strong contingent of talent. As a result, talent moves to the area, and more companies follow, bringing further growth and innovation to a region already ripe with it. This cycle wasn’t built in a day, and it may never again be replicated at the same level — in part because of a key ingredient: investor dollars.

  According to a report from Wealth-X, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 15 percent increase in the number of billionaires on the planet. Of the 2,754 individuals whose net worth resembles a phone number, 74 of them call Silicon Valley home. It now has the third-highest concentration of billionaires on the planet, behind only New York (with 103) and Hong Kong (with 93).

  A Different Approach

  Instead of trying to blend in with Silicon Valley, leaders need to make sure their cities stand out. Here’s a handful of things to consider along the way:

  1. Don’t attract talent; create it yourself.

Companies and regions always want to talk about attracting talent — that is, bringing it to them. But there’s a strong chance that plenty of talent and potential is already in your area; sometimes it’s simply a matter of developing individuals’ skills.

  Underemployment exists: While the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in April of 2018 as 236,000 people left the labor pool, underemployment remains at 8.2 percent. That just means cities need to invest the time and resources into training, cross-training, or retraining talent to craft it into what the market needs.

  Take a hard look at what opportunities exist in your area. Do many companies offer apprenticeship programs for people who may have great potential but not a lot of qualifying credentials? Are there government-funded job training programs with proven track records of success? Making sure initiatives like these exist is key to developing homegrown talent.

  2. Know what makes your city, specifically, strong.

When you’re on the job hunt, you become acutely aware of your strengths in order to best market them. The same goes for when you want to market your city to talent and the economy overall — you have to know what separates you from others in the best way.

  In Detroit, for instance, progress in the self-driving arena has outpaced Silicon Valley, reclaiming its dormant reign of the automotive market. Ford and General Motors are behind the wheel of this growth, each making billion-dollar investments to acquire the right talent. Ford purchased Argo AI for $1 billion in an effort to have self-driving cars in the next three years — Detroit has its ability to leverage that and become not the Silicon Valley of the Great Lakes, but its own entity.

  Going further, Phoenix has a low cost of living, low tax rate, and “community support” for small businesses and startups. Whenever possible, local leaders center messaging designed to attract talent to the area around these perks. A partnership between Alphabet’s Waymo and rental company Avis will bring a fleet of almost 600 self-driving Chrysler minivans to Phoenix, and residents will be the first members of the public to experience the cars.

  Point being: There’s undoubtedly value in what your city contributes to the economy as a whole — identify it and take every chance to shout about it.

  3. Stay ahead of the tech curve.

There’s no sense in making your entire strategy a game of keeping up with the Joneses, but you still have to keep a close pulse on the tech field and what innovations it’s bringing to every other corner of the economy. Look again at what makes your city stand out, and prioritize learning about what new tech tools and concepts people are putting out.

  Machine learning, for instance, is transforming many industries, and the measurable improvements it brings to healthcare is a perfect example. As technology is integrated into the healthcare industry, cities should put resources in place that attract these and other companies to lay the groundwork for becoming a future hub.

  The obsession with becoming the next Silicon Valley is rooted in the desire to attract the best and brightest talent. What companies and government officials need to realize is that, while Silicon Valley may never be replicated, they can cultivate and grow the talent that’s already there.

https://ift.tt/2tfi5Qj

[aracecvliwest]

Stop Letting Silicon Valley Dictate Your Future

For those in tech, the allure of what most consider the tech capital of the country — Silicon Valley — is real.

  But according to real estate website Redfin, last year saw more people move out of San Francisco than any other city in the United States. When a group of San Francisco venture capitalists went on a three-day tour through the Midwest to find promising startups, they quickly realized why. Once outside the bay area, home prices dropped precipitously, and even old manufacturing towns had amenities such as upscale shopping and farm-to-table eateries.

  Still, it’s inarguable that Silicon Valley has seen its share of success in the field, so it makes sense that many such cities hope to attract startups and investors by billing themselves as the “next Silicon Valley,” giving themselves nicknames such as the Silicon Prairie, in the case of the Midwest, or the Silicon Desert in Arizona. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the reality, of course, is that these cities are sabotaging their own cause.

  An Uphill Battle

  It makes sense that cities around the country would look to Silicon Valley with envy, considering there’s record job growth, record wealth — seemingly record everything when it comes to recent decades in the tech field. City leaders everywhere might do anything to try to replicate that formula and bring that amount of growth and opportunity to their own area, even if it involves a silly nickname.

  The problem is, it’s impossible to become the “next Silicon Valley,” and history explains why. The financial industry has been clustered into a tiny area in New York City for more than a hundred years, and it’s only become more prominent in that time. The film industry has been in Los Angeles since the early 1900s, and that area will remain the hub of the industry indefinitely.

  Companies choose to overlook real estate prices and salary demands in Silicon Valley because of the strong contingent of talent. As a result, talent moves to the area, and more companies follow, bringing further growth and innovation to a region already ripe with it. This cycle wasn’t built in a day, and it may never again be replicated at the same level — in part because of a key ingredient: investor dollars.

  According to a report from Wealth-X, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 15 percent increase in the number of billionaires on the planet. Of the 2,754 individuals whose net worth resembles a phone number, 74 of them call Silicon Valley home. It now has the third-highest concentration of billionaires on the planet, behind only New York (with 103) and Hong Kong (with 93).

  A Different Approach

  Instead of trying to blend in with Silicon Valley, leaders need to make sure their cities stand out. Here’s a handful of things to consider along the way:

  1. Don’t attract talent; create it yourself.

Companies and regions always want to talk about attracting talent — that is, bringing it to them. But there’s a strong chance that plenty of talent and potential is already in your area; sometimes it’s simply a matter of developing individuals’ skills.

  Underemployment exists: While the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in April of 2018 as 236,000 people left the labor pool, underemployment remains at 8.2 percent. That just means cities need to invest the time and resources into training, cross-training, or retraining talent to craft it into what the market needs.

  Take a hard look at what opportunities exist in your area. Do many companies offer apprenticeship programs for people who may have great potential but not a lot of qualifying credentials? Are there government-funded job training programs with proven track records of success? Making sure initiatives like these exist is key to developing homegrown talent.

  2. Know what makes your city, specifically, strong.

When you’re on the job hunt, you become acutely aware of your strengths in order to best market them. The same goes for when you want to market your city to talent and the economy overall — you have to know what separates you from others in the best way.

  In Detroit, for instance, progress in the self-driving arena has outpaced Silicon Valley, reclaiming its dormant reign of the automotive market. Ford and General Motors are behind the wheel of this growth, each making billion-dollar investments to acquire the right talent. Ford purchased Argo AI for $1 billion in an effort to have self-driving cars in the next three years — Detroit has its ability to leverage that and become not the Silicon Valley of the Great Lakes, but its own entity.

  Going further, Phoenix has a low cost of living, low tax rate, and “community support” for small businesses and startups. Whenever possible, local leaders center messaging designed to attract talent to the area around these perks. A partnership between Alphabet’s Waymo and rental company Avis will bring a fleet of almost 600 self-driving Chrysler minivans to Phoenix, and residents will be the first members of the public to experience the cars.

  Point being: There’s undoubtedly value in what your city contributes to the economy as a whole — identify it and take every chance to shout about it.

  3. Stay ahead of the tech curve.

There’s no sense in making your entire strategy a game of keeping up with the Joneses, but you still have to keep a close pulse on the tech field and what innovations it’s bringing to every other corner of the economy. Look again at what makes your city stand out, and prioritize learning about what new tech tools and concepts people are putting out.

  Machine learning, for instance, is transforming many industries, and the measurable improvements it brings to healthcare is a perfect example. As technology is integrated into the healthcare industry, cities should put resources in place that attract these and other companies to lay the groundwork for becoming a future hub.

  The obsession with becoming the next Silicon Valley is rooted in the desire to attract the best and brightest talent. What companies and government officials need to realize is that, while Silicon Valley may never be replicated, they can cultivate and grow the talent that’s already there.

https://ift.tt/2tfi5Qj

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Vegas Edge Jets; Ekman-Larsson; Klefbom; Forward Shot Rates – May 17

Vegas played its first-ever home Conference Final game and managed to skate away with a 4-2 win. They started off flying as Jonathan Marchessault broke in alone and deked to the backhand on Connor Hellebuyck just 35 seconds into the game. Mark Scheifele would square things early in the second period with a goal of his own but James Neal took advantage of a Hellebuyck stickhandling gaffe second later to make it 2-1. Alex Tuch would add a goal and that’s all the Golden Knights would need even with Scheifele adding his second.

Game 3 between Vegas and Winnipeg had just about everything. We had nice goals, nice (and some lucky) saves, a few big hits, and… tickling?

TICKLE TICKLE pic.twitter.com/hFJJPa5d5k

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 17, 2018

That wasn’t all from Marc-Andre Fleury, though. With the Jets pressing hard in the third period, he robbed Scheifele twice with a pair of top-notch saves:

HOLY MOLY WHAT A GOALIE pic.twitter.com/UYHHF7GZT8

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 17, 2018

Something about Fleury making sliding saves in the playoffs…

Both teams traded chances in this one. It seemed like the Marchessault line was getting an odd-man rush every other shift while Mathieu Perreault blew it on a nearly-wide open net and Patrik Laine clanked iron just minutes apart in the second period. And, as mentioned, it was basically all Winnipeg in the third. Had the Hockey Gods been a little less fickle, this game could look wildly different.

I suppose that’s the best part of this series. Sure, each team is getting lucky in their own respects, but they’re creating the opportunities and conditions for that luck. They’re creating chances and getting to the net using their speed and skill. Something, something good to be lucky.

This should be a a wonderful series to watch as a neutral hockey fan.

*

A report from Craig Morgan at Arizona Sports indicates that the Arizona Coyotes and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are in discussions for a contract extension. Not that it’s a surprise they’re discussing it, but the fact that terms are reported would at least indicate to me that they’re getting close.

OEL turns 27 this summer and has one year left on his current contract.

There had been some rumblings over the last year that Arizona may look to move Ekman-Larsson but outside of a lopsided, blockbuster package, this avenue always made the most sense. He’s a number-1 defenceman currently in his mid-20s. As long as he doesn’t turn into Brent Seabrook they should be fine.

Assuming Arizona signs Jakob Chychrun next year as his ELC runs out, that gives the Coyotes a top-4 of Ekman-Larsson, Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, and Chychrun through the 2020-2021 season, along with Antti Raanta. With Clayton Keller looking like a gamebreaker, and a bevy of prospects to come, the future is indeed bright in the desert. Don’t discount them short-term, though. If their depth can fill out a bit this season, they’ll make noise in the West.

Those with OEL shares in cap leagues, start budgeting to add at least $2.5-million after the 2018-19 season. Whether he’s worth it for you depends on roster construction.

*

An interesting little tidbit:

"Is there potential for a Klefbom swap out to Buffalo, maybe along with that pick? I'm spitballing a lot of stuff here but my overriding sentiment is, I believe the Oilers will be aggressive in hunting some of the big names…" https://t.co/dNIFSwKpn2

— dellowhockey (@dellowhockey) May 16, 2018

That is in reference to Ryan RIshaug of TSN saying that it appears the Oilers may be looking for a major shake-up.

What they actually end up doing, well, we have another month or so to wait and see. They need depth, they need scoring, they need defencemen. One trade isn’t going to do it. On the other hand, leave it to Peter Chiarelli to trade Oscar Klefbom following a season where he played injured the entire year and had his performance suffer because of it. I want Chiarelli as a GM in my fantasy leagues. 

*

A couple days ago in these Ramblings there was a discussion about league-wide shot rates, their increase over the last couple years, and how this affects fantasy leagues. As Cam pointed out in his Ramblings yesterday, power plays and penalty kills are a part of the rise in goal scoring. That’s a fascinating topic that should get a lot of coverage this summer. For all the fans bellowing “shooooot” with their team on the PP, the players were more efficient than they have been in decades with the man advantage. Maybe they know what they’re doing.

Either way, the discussion on goal scoring is going to be set aside from my perspective for a little bit. This will be a continuation of shot rates league-wide and as promised, we’re going to dive down to the player level. Today will cover forwards. As usual, data from Natural Stat Trick.

As mentioned in those Ramblings on Tuesday, shot rates at five-on-five at the team level have increased by a significant margin. Read those Ramblings for a little primer.

Here’s the thing: there hasn’t been a commensurate rise in average shot rate among forwards. In 2013-14, the average forward had an individual shot attempt rate per 60 minutes at five-on-five of 12.352. This past season, that number was 12.416. That’s a rise of about one half of one percent. In 2014-15, when we had a five-year low of league-wide shot rates, the average individual shot attempt rate per 60 minutes at five-on-five among forwards was 12.007. As mentioned, this year’s average shot rate was 12.416. That’s a rise of about 3.29 percent.

Long story short, the rise in league-wide shot rates has led to more goals, but the rise in average shot rates among forwards has not been in lock-step with the league. In fact, the shot rates in 2017-18 are very similar to what they were in 2013-14.

League-wide conversion rates have gone up, though. In 2017-18, forwards scored on 5.382 percent of shot attempts. Back in 2013-14, that conversion rate was 5.229 percent. It might not seem like a huge difference, but keep in mind that we’re talking about tens of thousands of shot attempts. For example, on the 71 583 shot attempts forwards took in 2013-14, if we apply he 2017-18 conversion rate of 5.382 percent, it yields an extra 109.6 goals. That’s a lot of goals.

What does this mean for fantasy? Of course, goals and shots are devalued because they are more prevalent than they have been in years. Moreover, goaltending in fantasy is as important as ever. That’s a problem. Everyone knows how much volatility there is in goaltending. Pekka Rinne was average-to-bad for a half-decade and this year he’s a Vezina finalist. Carey Price was as dominant as we’ve seen from a goaltender this century for a four-year stretch and in 2017-18 he would have been a poor backup goalie. The examples go on and on but fantasy owners know the deal with goalies.

Depending on perspective, this is a problem or an opportunity in the fantasy game. For example, the top-5 goalies by ADP on ESPN (Holtby, Price, Murray, Bobrovsky, and Talbot) finished with the following season-end ranks on ESPN’S Player Rater among goalies only: 33rd, 74th, 42nd, 6th, and 43rd. No goalie with an ADP among the top-5 goalies actually finished as a top-5 goalie. If we expand to the top-10 by ADP, we add Jones, Dubnyk, Rinne, Rask, and Quick. Only Rask, Rinne, and Quick finished among the top-10 goalies. In other words, four goalies drafted in the top-10 by ADP on ESPN finished as top-10 goalies. They’re horrific investments.

It’s something to be covered deeper as the summer wears on but it’s probably time to treat goalies in fantasy hockey as if they were running backs in fantasy football: avoid drafting them early and stockpile them in the mid-to-late rounds. Just a thought.

That was a bit of a goalie tangent but whomst among us hasn’t gone off on a goalie tangent once in a while.

The last part to cover is shot volume among forwards.

The average number of shots on goal at five-on-five by a forward in 2013-14 was 79.26. This past season, it was 83.53. Given that we know shot attempts have gone up over the last four years, this is not a surprise. What is a surprise the distribution of those shots.

In 2017-18, there was an explosion of middle-of-the-road shot totals. Each season from 2013-14 through 2016-17 saw between 130-135 forwards post between 100 and 149 shots. Last year, the number of forwards jumped to 158. The jump in forwards posting 100-150 shots in 2017-18 compared to the seasons 2013-14 through 2016-17 was 16.14 percent. On the other hand, the number of forwards that posted 150 or more didn’t climb nearly as much. In 2017-18, there were 54 forwards to manage at least 150, representing an increase of 13.43 percent. As explained in yesterday’s Rambings, the middling totals are becoming more abundant. The elite totals are as well, just not at the same rate.

All this is only at five-on-five and power-play production is a huge factor in fantasy performance. It’s just to point out that we should be coveting the guys that can put up elite shot rates more than we have in recent seasons. The automatics like Alex Ovechkin and Vladimir Tarasenko are obvious but don’t forget guys like Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Skinner, or Brendan Gallagher. Power-play minutes have to be factored in before final determinations are made, but guys like that are important to finishing atop shot totals in your fantasy league.

Just as a small aside: this is what the distribution of forward shot totals for each of the last five seasons looks like. You’ll notice how the elite shot totals (over 220) of even two years ago don’t exist anymore but there is a higher density in the ~130-200 range. Also, the curve from 2017-18 shifted right from 2016-17, which shows the general increase in shots:

Let’s summarize the last couple Ramblings:

Shot rates at five-on-five across the league are increasing and forward shot rates are increasing with it.

Not only are shot rates increasing, but conversion rates are as well. A lot more studying needs to be done into why but this is bad news for goalies.

The increased shot rates mean more volume at all levels but we are seeing a larger increase in middling totals than we are elite totals.

This is but one small piece of the puzzle we’ll be putting together all summer trying to figure out how to best allocate draft picks come September and which players we should value. As promised, tomorrow we will focus on defencemen and how their shot and goal rates are changing.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-vegas-edge-jets-ekman-larsson-klefbom-forward-shot-rates-may-17/

[junker-town]

Jaron Brown out to prove he is reliable fantasy receiver with Seahawks

The former Arizona Cardinals wideout signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks in the first week of free agency. We break down the fantasy impact. 

The Seattle Seahawks are restocking their receiving corps after the departure of tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Paul Richardson. The Seahawks signed former Arizona Cardinals wideout Jaron Brown in the first week of free agency to help fill the void left behind. Brown joins former Carolina Panthers tight end, Ed Dickson as the newest additions to the offense. The fifth-year receiver is expected to start alongside Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin when the 2018 season gets underway.

Brown is coming off a career-high year with the Cardinals in 2017. He caught 31 passes for 477 yards and four touchdowns in the desert last season. The undrafted free agent is two seasons removed from a torn ACL injury that sidelined him most of the 2016 season.

Fantasy impact: The Cardinals buried Brown on their roster the past few seasons. He has a chance to breakout now that he is higher on the depth chart. Brown is a big target and can work well on the outside opposite Lockett. Fantasy owners that are on the hunt for a sleeper receiver should keep their eye on Brown next season. He will have a lot more opportunities to expand his role in Seattle.

[topfygad]

10 Tips for Planning a US Road Trip

Growing up with a steady diet of US television and cinema, it makes sense that I would be drawn to all things US.

My earliest travel daydreams were of someday making it to Disneyland (which I did in 2012). It has been an enduring love affair ever since

My first US road trip with a relatively modest affair: taking me from Couer d’Alene, Idaho to Portland, Oregon to American Falls, Idaho. Not the most glamorous of starts, I’ll admit.

2012 saw me making the drive along the US West Coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Along the way, we visited Yosemite and Monterey.

2015 saw me kick things up a notch with our five-week Great US Road Trip. Hitting Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, DC, Philadelphia, and more along the way, it was one for the books.

Most recently, my brothers, our partners, and I embarked on a two week Southwest US road trip. Over the course of a fortnight, we visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, and Joshua Tree.

As you can see, I’ve managed to build a fair resume when it comes to planning US road trips. With my imminent marriage to a US citizen, it seems fated that I’ll be making many more US road trips in the future.

I’ve picked up some handy tips and tricks along the way, so allow me to share with you my ten tips for planning a US road trip.

#10 – Get travel insurance

Healthcare in the US is expensive. Their broken healthcare system can mean you’re getting hit with a $1,000 USD fee just for walking in the door, so you don’t want to be caught with your proverbial pants down.

Ever since I broke my arm in Indonesia, I’ve been fastidious when it comes to arranging my travel insurance. The last thing you want is to fall ill or get injured and be on the hook for a hefty medical bill, trust me.

Thankfully, World Nomads travel insurance has fantastic rates for trips that include the US. They’re who I use for all of my trips, and who I recommend my friends choose when hitting the road.

Don’t let your trip be absolutely derailed by an accident. Get travel insurance, you idiot.

#9 – The cost of dining out

One of the things my brothers were super excited about when visiting the United States was the opportunity to eat all of the things.

From IHOP to colossal hamburgers to fried chicken to Mexican, they wanted to eat as much as humanly possible, much to the dismay of my waistline and my wallet.

You see, food only looks cheap in the United States. The large portion sizes and conservative prices can be very tempting, but there are two things that mean you’re not getting the deal you thought you were:

In Australia, tax is included in the menu pricing and tipping is replaced by a living wage, so it is easy to think you have found a bargain. However, once you factor in the 10-15% tax and the 18-20% for tip, you’re looking at Aussie pricing.

Saving Money on Food

Look, I get the temptation to eat out for every meal. Even at that price point, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck when eating out in the US.

Unless you’re made of money, however, you’re going to find your wallet shrinking faster than your appetite.

Far be it from me to recommend fast food, but you can avoid the tipping culture if you grab lunch at Taco Bell or Chipotle. I wouldn’t recommend it for every meal, but a $6 meal every now and then takes the sting off those $20 – $40 bills at sit down restaurants.

However, my #1 tip for eating on the cheap is a simple one: cook!

If you’re able to work a few Airbnb properties into your itinerary, you’ll likely have access to a full kitchen. Hit up a Trader Joe’s, stock up on delicious ingredients, and do a little home cooking. We did this in Flagstaff and Joshua Tree on our recent trip, mixing things up with homemade burgers, fajitas, and Thai green curry in between our meals out.

#8 – Get your visa early

If you’re from one of the 38 countries eligible for the fantastic ESTA visa waiver program, this couldn’t be easier! Simply log onto ESTA USA, fill out your application, and you’re all set!

The ESTA process often returns an answer inside an hour, but I always recommend my friends arrange this a week or two in advance to ensure there aren’t any hiccups. You don’t want to get turned away at the border!

Not Eligible for ESTA?

While not as smooth and painless as the ESTA visa waiver program, applying for a US visitor visa is still a relatively quick process.

As the visitor visa program can require interviews ahead of visa issuance, you’ll want to get a jump on these early!

#7 – National Park passes

The United States has a truly mind-blowing number of National Parks and State Parks. Just check out this list of US National Parks and you get the idea.

To my mind, the stunning National Parks that dot the US are every bit as appealing as the world-famous cities that more immediately spring to mind. Sure, I love Vegas, Austin, and New York, but I feel a similar level of excitement when you mention Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone.

If your US Road Trip is going to include more than 2-3 national parks, you’ll want to get an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. At just $80 USD for a year, this pass not only gives you access to every single national park but over 2,000 parks and recreation areas across the country!

Seriously, when parks are usually $25 USD to enter, this is a steal!

#6 – Renting a car

Unless you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a US citizen who happens to have a car handy, you’re going to want to rent a car for your US road trip.

There are so many factors to take into account when finding a car rental:

Mileage

Comfort

Size

Cost

Features

Start and end point

Wear and tear

Insurance

My 2015 US Road Trip saw the two of us sharing a black Mustang convertible and sticking to tarmac roads, but the recent trip saw seven of us piling into a spacious Chevy Pacifica and doing a little off-roading in the Arizona desert.

As you can imagine, we had very different requirements when shopping around for the two cars.

On the 2015 trip, we were starting in San Francisco and ending in New York, which added quite a bit to our costing. If you can return to the same point as your pick-up, you’re going to get a much better deal.

The make and model of your car, number of seats, length of your rental, and pick-up/drop-off locations are all going to be a factor in pricing.

And that’s before you realize that insurance is an optional extra. Seriously, when getting pricing on your rental car, be aware you’re likely looking at it doubling once you add insurance.

Finding a Rental Car

There is no shortage of sites where you can search for rental cars and shop around.

On our recent trip, we made use of Kayak.com to compare prices before visiting individual sites to hunt for better prices. Our 2015 trip saw us finding a much better price using a Chinese search engine than a US or Australian based one, so don’t hesitate to use a VPN to hunt for the best rate.

Wingman Level: 10.

#5 – Conflict resolution

No matter how close you are with your companions, there’s bound to be the occasional conflict.

Whether it’s arguing with my brothers about what to have for dinner or getting heated at Hogg for being an awful wingman, no road trip is without incident.

It was the 2015 trip that prompted me to write a guide on how to be a good road trip companion. I still stand by my points in this article today.

Seriously, go read that. Your travel buddies will thank you for it.

#4 – Tours vs. Self-Guided

Accommodation, car hire, food… these things all add up!

Once you also add in the cost of a few guided tours, you’re looking at a hefty bill for your US road trip.

While it might seem that skipping tours is a great way to save money, there are going to be some occasions where a guided tour will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Case in point: visiting LA in a day is a miserable experience. Californian drivers are the worst, and LA seems to be where the worst of them gather. Why deal with that if you don’t have to?

Similarly, tours such as my Carpe DC food tour and my haunted Vegas tour offered insight that I wouldn’t have found in a guidebook or blog.

On the flip side, there are certainly places where you can do it on your own and avoid the cost. You don’t need a guide to enjoy Yosemite or Walnut Creek Canyon, for example.

My advice? Find the places where you’re willing to splurge on a guided tour, factor those in ahead of time, and do the rest on your own.

#3 – Packing for your US Road Trip

Depending on the number of people tagging along for your US road trip, there’s going to be finite space for luggage. Don’t be that jerk whose oversized suitcase forces somebody else to ride with a laptop bag twixt their thighs!

The delightful Where is Nina has a great road trip packing list, but my own personal list is below.

4-6 t-shirts

1-2 long sleeved button ups

1 pair of jeans/trousers

3-4 pairs of shorts

1 pair of board shorts/swimmers

Toiletries (deodorant, body wash, razor, etc)

7 pairs of underpants and socks

Thongs/sandals

Comfortable walking shoes

A comfortable travel coat

The clothing will obviously depend on the climates you’re visiting, but the above list did me fine for the warmth of California & Vegas all the way to the sub-zero temperatures of Flagstaff.

If you’re only staying in hotels, you’ll need to either pack extra or shell out for laundry, but I always mix in a few AirBnBs to give me access to a washer/dryer.

For a few less essential inclusions:

Lastly, here are a few must-have apps that I swear by for any road trip, US or otherwise.

And, of course, you’ll want to listen to all of the Comes with Baggage.

#2 – Finding affordable accommodation

Accommodation in the US isn’t cheap, but there are certainly ways to save money on your US road trip.

First and foremost, I will always recommend Booking.com ahead of other price comparison sites like Expedia and Agoda.

Why? Booking.com offers free cancellation on many of their properties and they include taxes and resort fees in their total. Agoda leaves these as a nasty surprise you’ll need to pay when you check-in. Not cool.

It is also worth checking out Airbnb whenever you are having trouble finding something affordable in a given city. Not only can these be cheaper, but the access to a kitchen and laundry can be invaluable on a long trip.

Register with Airbnb here for a $30 USD credit for your first stay!

The itinerary in all of its squiggly glory!

#1 – Choosing the right route

The most important about planning a US road trip? The actual route!

Sites like Furkot are invaluable when it comes to mapping out a road trip. It’s more than just a map – it also suggests accommodation, rest stops, and attractions in the areas you’re driving through!

But where in the US will you go? How long do you have?

These are questions you’ll need to ask yourself ahead of your trip.

Got two weeks? I’d suggest focussing on a specific region or state. The Southwest is always a good option, covering California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. You could also focus on the Northeast (New York, DC, Philadelphia, and Boston), the South (New Orleans and its friends), or the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Canada).

If you have more time, that is when you can get ambitious. We traveled from San Francisco to New York across five weeks, heading through the southern states, but we could just have easily cut through the middle (hitting Denver and Colorado) or the north (hitting Seattle and Montana).

Your US road trip route is a very personal decision, but it is also going to be one of compromise. Was I overjoyed to be visiting the Grand Canyon a third time on my recent trip? Not particularly, but I knew it meant a lot to the other six in my group.

I’m sure they weren’t as excited for five days in Vegas as I was…

Looking for some inspiration? Wanderlust Crew has compiled a pretty good list of US road trip routes.

——-

A Massive Undertaking

Planning your dream US road trip can be a big task, but armed with the above tips, you’re off to a good start.

In a later post, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite US road trip routes for you to use as a jumping off point.

In the meantime, I would love your road trip planning tips or route ideas!

Featured image courtesy of Alexandre Lazaro

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[topfygad]

10 Tips for Planning a US Road Trip

Growing up with a steady diet of US television and cinema, it makes sense that I would be drawn to all things US.

My earliest travel daydreams were of someday making it to Disneyland (which I did in 2012). It has been an enduring love affair ever since

My first US road trip with a relatively modest affair: taking me from Couer d’Alene, Idaho to Portland, Oregon to American Falls, Idaho. Not the most glamorous of starts, I’ll admit.

2012 saw me making the drive along the US West Coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Along the way, we visited Yosemite and Monterey.

2015 saw me kick things up a notch with our five-week Great US Road Trip. Hitting Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, DC, Philadelphia, and more along the way, it was one for the books.

Most recently, my brothers, our partners, and I embarked on a two week Southwest US road trip. Over the course of a fortnight, we visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, and Joshua Tree.

As you can see, I’ve managed to build a fair resume when it comes to planning US road trips. With my imminent marriage to a US citizen, it seems fated that I’ll be making many more US road trips in the future.

I’ve picked up some handy tips and tricks along the way, so allow me to share with you my ten tips for planning a US road trip.

#10 – Get travel insurance

Healthcare in the US is expensive. Their broken healthcare system can mean you’re getting hit with a $1,000 USD fee just for walking in the door, so you don’t want to be caught with your proverbial pants down.

Ever since I broke my arm in Indonesia, I’ve been fastidious when it comes to arranging my travel insurance. The last thing you want is to fall ill or get injured and be on the hook for a hefty medical bill, trust me.

Thankfully, World Nomads travel insurance has fantastic rates for trips that include the US. They’re who I use for all of my trips, and who I recommend my friends choose when hitting the road.

Don’t let your trip be absolutely derailed by an accident. Get travel insurance, you idiot.

#9 – The cost of dining out

One of the things my brothers were super excited about when visiting the United States was the opportunity to eat all of the things.

From IHOP to colossal hamburgers to fried chicken to Mexican, they wanted to eat as much as humanly possible, much to the dismay of my waistline and my wallet.

You see, food only looks cheap in the United States. The large portion sizes and conservative prices can be very tempting, but there are two things that mean you’re not getting the deal you thought you were:

In Australia, tax is included in the menu pricing and tipping is replaced by a living wage, so it is easy to think you have found a bargain. However, once you factor in the 10-15% tax and the 18-20% for tip, you’re looking at Aussie pricing.

Saving Money on Food

Look, I get the temptation to eat out for every meal. Even at that price point, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck when eating out in the US.

Unless you’re made of money, however, you’re going to find your wallet shrinking faster than your appetite.

Far be it from me to recommend fast food, but you can avoid the tipping culture if you grab lunch at Taco Bell or Chipotle. I wouldn’t recommend it for every meal, but a $6 meal every now and then takes the sting off those $20 – $40 bills at sit down restaurants.

However, my #1 tip for eating on the cheap is a simple one: cook!

If you’re able to work a few Airbnb properties into your itinerary, you’ll likely have access to a full kitchen. Hit up a Trader Joe’s, stock up on delicious ingredients, and do a little home cooking. We did this in Flagstaff and Joshua Tree on our recent trip, mixing things up with homemade burgers, fajitas, and Thai green curry in between our meals out.

#8 – Get your visa early

If you’re from one of the 38 countries eligible for the fantastic ESTA visa waiver program, this couldn’t be easier! Simply log onto ESTA USA, fill out your application, and you’re all set!

The ESTA process often returns an answer inside an hour, but I always recommend my friends arrange this a week or two in advance to ensure there aren’t any hiccups. You don’t want to get turned away at the border!

Not Eligible for ESTA?

While not as smooth and painless as the ESTA visa waiver program, applying for a US visitor visa is still a relatively quick process.

As the visitor visa program can require interviews ahead of visa issuance, you’ll want to get a jump on these early!

#7 – National Park passes

The United States has a truly mind-blowing number of National Parks and State Parks. Just check out this list of US National Parks and you get the idea.

To my mind, the stunning National Parks that dot the US are every bit as appealing as the world-famous cities that more immediately spring to mind. Sure, I love Vegas, Austin, and New York, but I feel a similar level of excitement when you mention Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone.

If your US Road Trip is going to include more than 2-3 national parks, you’ll want to get an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. At just $80 USD for a year, this pass not only gives you access to every single national park but over 2,000 parks and recreation areas across the country!

Seriously, when parks are usually $25 USD to enter, this is a steal!

#6 – Renting a car

Unless you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a US citizen who happens to have a car handy, you’re going to want to rent a car for your US road trip.

There are so many factors to take into account when finding a car rental:

Mileage

Comfort

Size

Cost

Features

Start and end point

Wear and tear

Insurance

My 2015 US Road Trip saw the two of us sharing a black Mustang convertible and sticking to tarmac roads, but the recent trip saw seven of us piling into a spacious Chevy Pacifica and doing a little off-roading in the Arizona desert.

As you can imagine, we had very different requirements when shopping around for the two cars.

On the 2015 trip, we were starting in San Francisco and ending in New York, which added quite a bit to our costing. If you can return to the same point as your pick-up, you’re going to get a much better deal.

The make and model of your car, number of seats, length of your rental, and pick-up/drop-off locations are all going to be a factor in pricing.

And that’s before you realize that insurance is an optional extra. Seriously, when getting pricing on your rental car, be aware you’re likely looking at it doubling once you add insurance.

Finding a Rental Car

There is no shortage of sites where you can search for rental cars and shop around.

On our recent trip, we made use of Kayak.com to compare prices before visiting individual sites to hunt for better prices. Our 2015 trip saw us finding a much better price using a Chinese search engine than a US or Australian based one, so don’t hesitate to use a VPN to hunt for the best rate.

Wingman Level: 10.

#5 – Conflict resolution

No matter how close you are with your companions, there’s bound to be the occasional conflict.

Whether it’s arguing with my brothers about what to have for dinner or getting heated at Hogg for being an awful wingman, no road trip is without incident.

It was the 2015 trip that prompted me to write a guide on how to be a good road trip companion. I still stand by my points in this article today.

Seriously, go read that. Your travel buddies will thank you for it.

#4 – Tours vs. Self-Guided

Accommodation, car hire, food… these things all add up!

Once you also add in the cost of a few guided tours, you’re looking at a hefty bill for your US road trip.

While it might seem that skipping tours is a great way to save money, there are going to be some occasions where a guided tour will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Case in point: visiting LA in a day is a miserable experience. Californian drivers are the worst, and LA seems to be where the worst of them gather. Why deal with that if you don’t have to?

Similarly, tours such as my Carpe DC food tour and my haunted Vegas tour offered insight that I wouldn’t have found in a guidebook or blog.

On the flip side, there are certainly places where you can do it on your own and avoid the cost. You don’t need a guide to enjoy Yosemite or Walnut Creek Canyon, for example.

My advice? Find the places where you’re willing to splurge on a guided tour, factor those in ahead of time, and do the rest on your own.

#3 – Packing for your US Road Trip

Depending on the number of people tagging along for your US road trip, there’s going to be finite space for luggage. Don’t be that jerk whose oversized suitcase forces somebody else to ride with a laptop bag twixt their thighs!

The delightful Where is Nina has a great road trip packing list, but my own personal list is below.

4-6 t-shirts

1-2 long sleeved button ups

1 pair of jeans/trousers

3-4 pairs of shorts

1 pair of board shorts/swimmers

Toiletries (deodorant, body wash, razor, etc)

7 pairs of underpants and socks

Thongs/sandals

Comfortable walking shoes

A comfortable travel coat

The clothing will obviously depend on the climates you’re visiting, but the above list did me fine for the warmth of California & Vegas all the way to the sub-zero temperatures of Flagstaff.

If you’re only staying in hotels, you’ll need to either pack extra or shell out for laundry, but I always mix in a few AirBnBs to give me access to a washer/dryer.

For a few less essential inclusions:

Lastly, here are a few must-have apps that I swear by for any road trip, US or otherwise.

And, of course, you’ll want to listen to all of the Comes with Baggage.

#2 – Finding affordable accommodation

Accommodation in the US isn’t cheap, but there are certainly ways to save money on your US road trip.

First and foremost, I will always recommend Booking.com ahead of other price comparison sites like Expedia and Agoda.

Why? Booking.com offers free cancellation on many of their properties and they include taxes and resort fees in their total. Agoda leaves these as a nasty surprise you’ll need to pay when you check-in. Not cool.

It is also worth checking out Airbnb whenever you are having trouble finding something affordable in a given city. Not only can these be cheaper, but the access to a kitchen and laundry can be invaluable on a long trip.

Register with Airbnb here for a $30 USD credit for your first stay!

The itinerary in all of its squiggly glory!

#1 – Choosing the right route

The most important about planning a US road trip? The actual route!

Sites like Furkot are invaluable when it comes to mapping out a road trip. It’s more than just a map – it also suggests accommodation, rest stops, and attractions in the areas you’re driving through!

But where in the US will you go? How long do you have?

These are questions you’ll need to ask yourself ahead of your trip.

Got two weeks? I’d suggest focussing on a specific region or state. The Southwest is always a good option, covering California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. You could also focus on the Northeast (New York, DC, Philadelphia, and Boston), the South (New Orleans and its friends), or the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Canada).

If you have more time, that is when you can get ambitious. We traveled from San Francisco to New York across five weeks, heading through the southern states, but we could just have easily cut through the middle (hitting Denver and Colorado) or the north (hitting Seattle and Montana).

Your US road trip route is a very personal decision, but it is also going to be one of compromise. Was I overjoyed to be visiting the Grand Canyon a third time on my recent trip? Not particularly, but I knew it meant a lot to the other six in my group.

I’m sure they weren’t as excited for five days in Vegas as I was…

Looking for some inspiration? Wanderlust Crew has compiled a pretty good list of US road trip routes.

——-

A Massive Undertaking

Planning your dream US road trip can be a big task, but armed with the above tips, you’re off to a good start.

In a later post, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite US road trip routes for you to use as a jumping off point.

In the meantime, I would love your road trip planning tips or route ideas!

Featured image courtesy of Alexandre Lazaro

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