9 PB&Js may not be enough
Packing a good lunch or two is an excellent start to a road trip. It cuts down on costs (at least $23, based on our return trip), and helps move the trip along, when you can pull out a sandwich instead of stopping to buy something. Packing a lunch is also good for your health. One may quibble about the health benefits of a PB&J, but it’s certainly better for me than what I might be tempted to get: burgers, fries, Dorito’s…
Unfortunately, when your travel partner is a very large man who exercises a lot, 9 sandwiches don’t last as long as you might expect.
Next time we’ll pack more.
Those review sites actually work
Online reviews of our hotel complained about check in. These were a few weeks old, I figured it was a one-time fluke with complainy people. Or that there was a special event that overwhelmed staff. Nope. We got checked in relatively quickly, but when our room keys didn’t work, we had a long wait to get into our room.
On the other hand, we used an online site to pick a restaurant. The #2 ranked restaurant for the city was right around the corner from our hotel, and we had a great time. Thank you, reviewers, for getting us to a great dinner.
State Parks are a great deal
One of my goals for this trip was to visit some state parks, which we did. We exercised, breathed some country air, saw beautiful natural sights. Not counting gas, we spent $26 over 2 days in the parks; this was much cheaper than our hotel or either of our dinners. I think going was a great deal.
Visiting family is probably a good idea
Though the goal of the trip wasn’t to see family, we were visiting an area close to my in-laws. So of course we invited them out to dinner while we were in the area. We hadn’t realized quite how bad my brother-in-law’s health situation is, so we are very glad we went to their neck of the woods for our vacation. We are not sure how many more times we will be able to see him.
Car trips can bring you closer together
Life has been very busy here in the Physician in Numbers household: work, family, work, blogging, work. I’ve spent lots of evenings tied to the computer. It was lovely to have several hours to talk to Mr. PiN. We talked about family, future travel plans, politics, what retirement might look like. I had downloaded a ton of podcasts, and didn’t play even one. We only turned on the radio in the last few hours of our return trip.
We aren’t ready for another road trip
A road trip can be a quick, inexpensive way to get away.
At the beginning of the trip–setting out on a beautiful sunny day–we were very excited to be going somewhere.
It was wonderful to be out of town, untethered from the computer and my pager. We visited a new city, ate 2 great dinners, saw sights.
But–the trip home exhausted us. We did tons of driving this spring, and we haven’t quite recovered. I think future trips will probably be by plane in the foreseeable future, even if that means we spend more money.
There’s no place like home
I cannot express how happy I was to return home after this trip. It was exciting to be away, but the comforts of home (my own bed! home cooked meals! my front porch!) are considerable.
I love going on a little adventure, but I feel very lucky to have a home to return to that I love. Which is probably a good thing, since I spend roughly 90% of my time living here. I suppose living a life one never needs a vacation from is an amazing thing.
How was your summer vacation (if you took one)?