How to travel slow?

[skyl4rk]

What are some tips on traveling slow and seeing things, meeting people and relaxing on a van tour?

We are headed toward Lake Superior tomorrow and I need to resist the urge to drive, drive, drive. 

Do you stop at downtown areas and walk around? Look for historic markers? Do you use apps to find interesting places? Stop at hiking trails?

 

[AWhitey]

I always like to stay off interstates if I am in no hurry. State roads often go thru many smaller towns which should expose you to more things that might draw your attention. Safe and enjoyable travels!

 

[rvwandering]

Do you stop at downtown areas and walk around? Look for historic markers? Do you use apps to find interesting places? Stop at hiking trails?

Yep, all of these things will help you travel slow. We like museums so we stop at all of the small town museums that we find. Most of the time the volunteers are retired and ready to tell you everything about their town.

Look for trails in parks and along waterfronts. Wander around the towns. I like to use tripadvisor to find things to do. Even the smallest towns often have something of interest.

 Your van is stealthy enough that you don't have to worry about rushing to get to a campsite. Have a good time!

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

My preferred method for leisurely travel is to travel with out a map or GPS. If I know my end destination is say South West from my starting point, I'll only take secondary roads (no highways) that go either South or West. This puts me through lots of small towns that I'd normally never see and I always see things in my travels that I like to stop and check out. Pawn shops, museums, restaurants, hiking trails, yard sales, classic cars, lakes,streams, or rivers....as I almost always travel with my canoe, so I can kill a day exploring new bodies of water, photography, and people watching is another one of my favorites in new areas, etc etc.

 

[cyndi]

roadtrippers has a planning tool. You can filter the options according to your interests
https://roadtrippers.com/?gclid=Cj0...24T_EX3J3-b-XBKsFvBZauGuGwpfpvp6Z4aAglt8P8HAQ

Roadside America has a tool tofind the quirky landmarks along your route or in the cities and towns you pass through
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

When I am taking the long slow ride back east or out west, I sometimes travel with a theme such as ghost towns, waterfalls, national parks.

If I'm in a hurry to get cross country (meaning I have to get from the east coast to the west coast in a month or so) I travel 3 days and rest for 3 or 4 days

 

[Almost There]

Take the backroads, stop at every historic marker and scenic outlook. Pull in to any and all rest areas! Drive below the speed limit and pull over to let others pass you. Only drive no more than 4 hours a day before you quit for the day.

The best yet way to travel REALLY, really,really slow!

Take up geocaching....  

Seriously, I know someone (no names mentioned to protect the not so innocent :angel: ) that took 3 days to get from Portage MI to Port Huron MI because they had to stop constantly to find just one more geocache!

I hesitate to think how long it could take to do a cross country trip this way!!

I like earthcaches the best and don't like puzzle caches cause I can never solve the darn things, but that's just me.

Go to geocaching.com, create a free account and start playing! All you collect for your efforts are smilies on your personal map and a whole lot of interesting places you've been to.

And then when you get here, you can go geocaching with MEEEE!!

You could also look at Waymarking.com for some neat and nifty categories of things you might want to see while on a road trip!

 

[SUV_RVing]

Hot springs are a great places to slow down for a bit. And +1 for Roadside America. I love that site. I also recommend getting a good state atlas. I love my GPS as much as the next guy, but a paper atlas is a great way to look at potential routes between two places and see what points of interest are located along each route.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Being old fashioned, I look for guidebooks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Texas-...F8&qid=1475002733&sr=1-1&keywords=weird+texas

and use it to plan my itinerary.

 

[TrainChaser]

I train my vehicles to look for interesting things for me.

We will be just driving along, and my rig sees a sign that says something like Enclosed Butterfly Habitat, Maryhill Stongehenge Replica, Cliff Dwellings, Museum of Cats, Oregon Vortex & House of Mystery, Natural Bridges, Monster Museum, House of Dragons, etc, and it heads right for it.

I don't usually stop for things like casinos or amusement parks, and the rig quickly learns that.

And, like the ohters said, get off the interstate.

 

[highdesertranger]

I usually go for natural features or prospecting locals such as, Devils Gate, Crack in the Ground, Last Chance Canyon, Oro Fino, Poker Brown Gap, Bonanza Gulch, Jarbidge, Secret Pass, Whiskey Flat, Hangtown, Happy Camp(formerly Murderers Gulch), Black Water Well, Silver Peak, Dog Town, Sweet Water, Tea Kettle Jct, etc. well you get the idea. highdesertranger

 

[skyl4rk]

Tomorrow morning I will pay my respects at this monument: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/50296

 

[rvwandering]

:-D I think you have the idea now skyl4rk! Let us know what else you find along the slow road.

 

[rvpopeye]

All you had to do was not push down with your right foot so hard.............

 

[skyl4rk]

You have to be very alert and look for places that might be interesting. And you have to make a quick decision sometimes, the turn offs fly by if you don't brake and turn as soon as you see something that might be interesting.

 

[Almost There]

Ahhh, you're driving too fast if the turn offs 'fly by'!

Besides, that's the navigators' job to look out for advertising and roadside billboards that show impending signs of something interesting.

Course, it's also the drivers' job to listen to the navigator....  

And in the event that you miss a turn off, there's always this approach - 'tourist, tourist, now doing a u-turn to go back!!!

 

[skyl4rk]

I am learning how to travel slow. We are currently doing a turtle crawl tour of Florida. This method might work for long distances as well, such as crossing the US. This is my method:

sleep in
stay warm under the blankets till the sun warms things up
make coffee
enjoy your coffee while watching nature
make a good breakfast
eat breakfast
clean up, do hygiene stuff
walk for a while to get your exercise

clean and organize the van
check your vehicle and tires
check your water, trash, dump, laundry, propane, fuel and food status
go through your gear, organize your stuff
maybe stay another day if it's nice

start your drive
stop at all interesting spots
stop for lunch
take a nap
take side roads to see if there is anything interesting there
be ready to change your plans
stop and walk around in interesting places
talk to people you see, ask what is interesting in the area
dump trash and tanks, get water
stop at a store and get something tasty for dinner
take care of any other chores and maintenance

find a place to make dinner
eat dinner
relax
stay where you are or find an overnight spot

plan the next day
look for an overnight spot about 50 miles in the right direction
identify points of interest to check out
have an alternate overnight spot in mind
sleep well

 

[akrvbob]

I do it a little differently, but obviously, there is no right or wrong way to do it--just different personalities.

I'd rather drive longer for a day or two, then stop and sit longer. For every day I drive, I sit one or two. That way less time is spent setting up camp/breaking camp.

I also have a dog and I think it may be better for him to spend more time out free. We'll go for longer walks that way and see more of that specific spot.

Once I'm driving, I keep driving. Once I'm sitting, I keep sitting.

 

[bullfrog]

I'm finding I travel too slowly as I get older. I got in the habit of seeing everything there was to see at each place I went, usually staying the 14 day limit and as long as the weather stayed good up to 6 months in the area. Then I started taking seasonal jobs to get to be around the locals to learn even more and started making friends I didn't want to miss doing things with. For the last several years I've been camping in southern Utah and I may not live long enough to see the north west!

 

[LoupGarou]

Having time!

No rush to get somewhere, no rush to return.

 

[speedhighway46]

When I was a young boy my father taught me, "Never stand up when you can sit down; and never sit down when you can lay down!"

I've been retired now for 18 years, and try to do as the Eagles taught,

"Take It Easy"

Life is good.