Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with trip

Ideas for a USA trip

trashcan — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:45:00 -0800

I am planning on going to America for 3/4 weeks next year during July. We want to see as many of the amazing places/sites as we can in that period. So far, the sorts of places we have in mind: (more inside!) Include:

New York - 3 days
Washington
Grand Canyon
Niagara Falls
Chicago
Mount Rushmore
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
California (walt disney)

We dont mind flying, driving, train, etc but would like some ideas on where to go - major sites only and how best to travel.

Once in a million places, like we have been tipped off to stay at the Mandalay in Las Vegas greatfully appreciated.

We don't need to head to florida as have done that previously.

Thanks for the ideas.

TC

Anti-Snooze Tunes for Driving Late at Night

ginagina — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:55:27 -0800

My love lives a little over an hour away. What are some songs/albums that can keep me awake on the long sad drive home? Right now I've used up all my System of a Down albums. I like things that I can sing along with, think: The Faint, Muse...no death metal.

Thank you and rock on!

Where should we go fore our trip?

um_maverick — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:06:55 -0800

I have the week of 9/29 off between ending one job and starting the next. I want to take a quick golf trip with a friend - 3 or 4 days, 18-36 holes a day. Where should I go? Additional pertinent details inside. I'll be leaving from Boston, my friend from NYC. We have enough frequent flier miles to get anywhere we can get to on Delta or American, and enough Starwood points to stay at any Westin/Sheraton/etc. Main requirements for the trip include a plethora of (hopefully cheap) golf options, similarly cheap food and non-golf entertainment, and warm (but not scorching) early-October weather. In addition to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and various Florida retirement communities, what should we consider? Closer is better, but we're willing to fly for good times.

As always, thanks!

Siblings in Boston

rhapsodie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:32:29 -0800

My brother and I will be meeting in Boston on Wednesday for a week vacation. What things are Must-See or Must-Do or Must-Eat? I am an attached straight female in my late 20s, flying from Alaska. My brother is an attached gay male in his mid 30s, flying from San Francisco. We both came into some airline miles and will be meeting in Boston on Wednesday for a week. Neither of us have been to Boston. We have a vacation rental apartment about 3 miles from downtown and will not be renting a car. We both are somewhat artsy, love photography and will be bringing our dSLR cameras with us everywhere.

We have a general list of things that might be fun to see and do, and I've checked other Boston AskMe threads, but what are the things we should see and/or do while in Boston that we would regret not seeing/doing this week?

Where to stay, and what to do in the Gold Coast?

chunking express — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:31:25 -0800

Where to stay, and what to do in the Gold Coast? My wife and I are traveling to Australia in a few weeks. We were going to spend a few days in the Gold Coast. We were thinking of staying at the Legends Hotel for the trip. It looks to be in the touristy city centre. Does anyone from the area know if this is a good idea?

More generally, if anyone has any ideas on things we should definitely see while there, please speak up.

Recording decent audio with a lousy digicam

SamuelF — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:56:06 -0800

We're taking a road trip from Boston to Michigan this weekend, and would like to record some video along the way, just for fun. Problem is, we've got a cheap digicam with a lousy built-in mic. How can we record audio (two people talking, mostly) on the übercheap? Our digicam - Aiptek A-HD - has enough trouble recording audio normally, but it's completely useless in a car. Everything gets drowned out by engine noise and static. There's no jack for an external mic, so I'd need some kind of external recorder that I can dump to a computer to sync with the video in post. Quality isn't a huge concern, and I'd like to keep it as cheap and simple as possible. Any digital audio recorder + cheap mic pairs? Recording advice? I'm completely inexperienced at this whole thing, so any information will be valuable. Thanks!

Advice for cross country moving and road-trip

Rustbeard — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:50:45 -0800

Some general/all around advice and tips from experienced/veteran movers and road trippers to help me with my move across the country would be extremely helpful. So I just got a job out in Northern California and I will be moving there from New England. I've never made a big trip like this before, I've lived on the pretty much in the Northeast my entire life. I've also never really made a big road trip like this before either.

I was going to use Pods but the don't deliver to the town I'm heading to and I don't want to do Uhaul; so I'll be just packing up my SUV (and putting the rest in a storage unit) and driving out there probably by myself.
Some things I would like to know are what are some vital things that people bring on road trips? Such as I assume bring an extra cannister of gas since I assume there are long stretches without gas stations and a SUV isnt that great for conservation.
I've had some friends recommend sleeping in Walmart parking lots or bringing a tent. Others just go to Motel 6 when they can find one.
As well as some decent sites to see, I'll be traveling across route 80 which I hear can get pretty boring
Thanks

What to do in Ireland?

saraswati — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:04:31 -0800

What not to miss on a trip to Ireland? I've recently been forcibly ejected (read: dumped) from a 6 year relationship. Realizing that being drunk all the time is turning out to be a short term solution at best, I want to get away and spend 1 or 2 weeks in Ireland. What kinds of things should I pack into my itinerary?

Some potentially relevant things about me:

- I'm 23 and male.
- I prefer slower paced cities and rural areas over big cities. I'm probably looking to spend a day, maybe 2 in Dublin.
- I'm especially interested in history and art.
- I'm doing this soon, like within the next month.
- Within reason, cost is not a concern.

Also welcome are opinions on whether it's even a good idea to go on a solo trip after being romantically eviscerated.

weekend trip from Boston?

lalalana — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:40:51 -0800

My boyfriend, our two small dogs, and I would like to take a weekend trip in the Boston area soon... We want cost-effective, swimming opportunities, quaintness, dog-friendly, nature... Any suggestions? It's a been a crazy summer for work, and we just want to go somewhere relaxing with the dogs. We also want somewhere CHEAP if at all possible. I know it's the season, so cheap is not the easiest, so any places that aren't necessarily big tourist destinations would be fine.

Saw this one, but emphasis on cost-effectiveness and dog-friendliness rather than commute...

Help troubleshoot and enhance my move / road trip from Lawrence, Kansas to Eugene, Oregon.

Derive the Hamiltonian of... — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:27:01 -0800

Help me troubleshoot and enhance my roadtrip / move to Eugene, Oregon. I will soon depart Lawrence, KS for adventures that will eventually leave me in Eugene to begin graduate studies with UO. I'm going to outline the planned itinerary in the hopes that the hive mind can suggest areas to visit at our planned stops, beautiful or interesting routes to take between them, and interesting pit stops to make. Also, warnings of potential trouble spots or situations will be greatly appreciated. The Participants:

A mated pair of chemical engineers and myself. We all love the outdoors, interesting technology, interesting architecture/engineering (especially anything energy efficient, otherwise green, or enormous), anything that will increase our nerdlore, and any delicious food of almost any variety. We're all in very good shape, although my 270 lb ass will not be running up any mountains.

The Vehicle:

A 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit, so no unimproved roads.

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Leave Kansas and pick up two friends at Denver International, thus officially beginning the road trip. Drive to Great Sand Dunes National Park and set up camp. We're thinking about stopping at Garden of the Gods on the way down. I'm kinda torn between driving down on 29 so that we can see Garden of the Gods and driving out on 70 and then down on 24/285 to get some awesome mountain highway action in.

Day 2:

A hurried attempt at acclimation for days 3 to 4. Play around on the Dunes and see other interesting things in the area. So far, besides the Dunes, I know of Zapata falls, although I cannot remember the exact location.

Day 3:

Get up very early, drive to the Mt. Blanca/Ellingwood trailhead, and pack in to Lake Como. Set up camp and enjoy the lake, trees, and canyon walls. I should mention that I've done the Blanca/Ellingwood combo before and that we are all experienced hikers. I'm not enthusiastic about doing this two days after getting to altitude, but this is the portion of the trip I'm most sure of. One question; on my previous trip, we were in Jeeps and easily made it to the beginning of the serious incline before we got out and started hiking. Are there spots on the sandy, car-navigable part of the road where I will be able to pull over and park without going into the bushes and rocks? 14ers.com seems to indicate so, but I want to be sure that I'm not going to have to park within sight of the highway.

Day 4;

Summit Blanca and Ellingwood, head back to the vehicle, and drive off into the midday sun. Head out to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and make camp. For the drive to Gunnison, we're currently set for doing 285 to 114 to 50, but 149 looks really fun and twisty.

Day 5:

See what we can in Gunnison during the early morning, drive to Arches National Park, see what we can in a few hours, and drive to Great Basin National Park to camp for the night. This is a very rushed portion of the trip, but we want to have several days in SanFran later on and are constrained by plane tickets.

Day 6:

Drive from Great Basin to Grass Valley, CA, where we will apparently be hanging out at some awesome bathing holes near some awesome waterfalls.

Day 7:

Drive from Grass Valley to San Francisco and crash with friends. We will be staying at an apartment in what my friend calls the McBaker Heights neighborhood, although I'm not sure whether that name is colloquial. The intersection of Baker and Golden Gate gives you a general area. My understanding is that the area requires some sort of special neighborhood permit and has no off-street parking, so I need to figure out a safe arrangement for parking my car. Non-exorbitant garage parking would probably be fine. We'll reach SF on a Saturday afternoon, so I'm hoping to avoid doomtraffic.

Days 8 – 9:

San Francisco! Oh, what shall we see?!? Our friends in the city have plans already, but suggestions would be great. Bonus points for godlike sushi and any other kind of interesting ethnic food.

Day 10:

Drive up the coast to Redwood National Park. We're not sure about the route yet, although we would love some awesome coastal highway action. We also aren't sure of what portion of the massive park to camp in.

Day 11:

Drive to Crater Lake, check it out, drive to Eugene and crash at the co-op I'll be living in. Any suggestions for awesome places to eat dinner or night scenes to check out?

Day 12:

Get the other two to Portland for a 10 am flight.

I needz a routz.

sully75 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:32:41 -0800

I'm driving from Houston to Seattle. I'd like suggestions for good things to see along the way. I'm helping my friend move from Houston to Seattle. We're driving a minivan, definitely, and a moving van (maybe). Can you suggest any particular route or things that we should definitely not miss? I've been to Colorado briefly and San Francisco even more briefly but otherwise I'm 100% a Yankee. I'll probably not go this way again anytime soon.

The more direct route the better (for gas consumption), but we can make a couple of detours.

Looking for things to see and do in northern Newfoundland and Labrador.

March Hare — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:30:29 -0800

Looking for things to see and do in northern Newfoundland and Labrador. I'm driving through the Atlantic provinces to Newfoundland next week. I've done the drive before, but this time I'm going to take some time and drive up the northern peninsula and maybe even take the ferry over to Labrador.

Does anyone have suggestions for things to see and do, other than the obvious like L'Anse aux Meadows?

Am I doing it wrong?

prefpara — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:23:29 -0800

Help me trip less. Maybe it's nothing, but I think there might be something weird going on with the way I walk. Most of the time, I walk normally. However, every now and again, I will take one step in an unremarkable series of steps and land on the outside of my foot (on the ankle). This causes me to look really stupid as I lurch forward, which I don't care about, and sometimes it really hurts, which I do care about. It happened yesterday, and I nearly fell down a flight of stairs. It doesn't seem to be connected to how quickly I'm walking or what shoes I'm wearing.

Is this just something that happens to everyone, or do I need to learn how to walk properly? Or do I just have weak ankles?

Plan our cross-country road trip!

CommonSense — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:47:21 -0800

Where MUST we stop on a road trip from the Bay Area (CA) to Baltimore (MD)? My fiancee and I will get married in November, in California. Afterwards, we'll throw some junk in her car, and drive from there (the East Bay, just across from San Francisco) to Baltimore (where I live, and will be carrying her, against her will but alas, for the sake of love).

She's got a fun car to drive (Acura TL -- it's an automatic, but I'm done giving her a hard time about that), and that's good, because I know she's going to make me do about 94-95% of the driving. I know we can just generically do the I-80 to I-70 thing all the way here, and that there's even some decent scenery along that path (mainly out west), but surely there's a more fun, more scenic way to do it?

I'm open to being torn away from this "optimal" route. For instance, I'm already pretty sure I want to throw Chicago into the mix. St. Louis is good, too -- I have friends there who'll offer us free lodging, and it'll be good to see them after a while. But I've wondered about the beauty of Montana for the longest (hear good things about Glacier National Park!), though I've also heard Utah's natural beauty is not to be missed. Geography demands I pick one or the other, though.

I've heard great things about the farthest northern reaches of Wisconsin and Michigan's UP. Idaho's supposed to be really pretty in parts. The Dakotas, from what I can tell, have an amazing, idiosyncratic beauty. (Me living in Baltimore, and her living in California, we'd actually find the "utterly mind-numbingly boring, flat" nature of the Great Plains to be an utterly fascinating change of pace.) I hear Central Nebraska is fascinating, in its own unique way.

So, in any event, I'd love to hear some recommendations about how we can transform this otherwise mundane "let's haul the rest of your crap into our new home" trip into an adventure, in and of itself. Hey, we're already going to be raped on gas, to the extent that it'll COST as much as an exotic vacation, so I figure we might as well make the trip BE a destination in itself!

FWIW, this will happen in November, just before Thanksgiving, so yeah -- certain parts of the continent might be kind of inhospitable, weather-wise. But let's assume otherwise, for the sake of argument.

Many thanks, fellow travelers!

if i had waited ten more exits the gas would have been 10 cents cheaper!

kidsleepy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:31:58 -0800

How can I find the cheapest gas along a route? I know how to find the cheapest gas in my area code or city, but I'm going on a 6-hour round trip this weekend and would like to figure out where to stop along the way for the best gas prices. Are there any websites out there that will let you plug in a starting city and destination city? Or perhaps a google maps plug-in? Ideally the results would be limited to gas stations within a few miles of a highway exit (or whatever route you choose).

get behind the thrift store

msconduct — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:51:07 -0800

i'm heading to birmingham, alabama from new orleans to see tom waits at the alabama theater next thursday (yea!). my compadre & i would like to hit some thrift stores along the way. anyone have any good recommendations for thrifty places along i-59 between these two cities? thanks. bonus for anyone who can recommend a good hotel/motel that doesn't cost an arm & a leg. and thanks to ScottUltra who posted this link to the thrift store directory in a previous question.

How to fairly split costs on a roadtrip

biwa-shu — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:51:04 -0800

What's the fairest way to split gasoline and other costs between riders on a roadtrip? We will travel in Japan, and there are many variables in our trip, but I imagine the same information could be used in light of the rise in gas prices in north america!

-One person will incur costs traveling by train to our start point.
-We will travel by toll road.
-We will pick one person up along the way, incurring costs when we exit from the toll road. Does that rider pay the entire cost? Is he responsible for his share of our entire toll burden, or only the cost from his point of pickup?
-Also, should all riders split gasoline evenly, or only depending on how far they travel (eg: we split gas 3 ways until we pick up our 4th rider, then split it 4 ways)?

Because I own the car, I am interested in collecting as much money as I can--I have to think about oil, wear and tear, and cleaning time. Would it be fair to split the entire cost of our trip between all the riders evenly?

Don't stop in Gary, Indiana.

ben242 — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:56 -0800

I'm going on a road trip from NYC to Chicago, then to DC, then back to NYC. I have plenty of time for stopovers and I'd like to see more than I-80. What should I stop to do during this trip? I've already been warned not to stop in Gary, Indiana.

I'm a foodie and would totally dig a side-trip that involves finding the best [food] in [place].

Photography is a serious hobby for me, so suggestions in this vein are welcomed.

I'm a city guy, born and raised. Things that are way off the beaten path are fascinating to me. Interpret this any way you like.

What to do at night in a small hotel room in a small country town?

b33j — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:13:46 -0800

My husband and I are going on a road trip this weekend and have plenty of places and things to do during daylight hours. It's just the two of us (yay, no kids!) and we'll no doubt chat all day during the drives, hikes, sightseeing. We need something to do between checking in and going to sleep. I'd like an activity that's cheap, and involves the both of us. Nights are in prebooked hotels in very small country towns (that is, we don't have the option to keep driving until we need to sleep). We don't drink. One laptop between the two of us, with no guarantee of internet access. Apart from the obvious bedroom romps, what the hell else do we do during the night time? Normally at home, we (introverts) work (online), study(online), interact with the kids, he plays WOW (not installed on my laptop). Not big TV watchers.

We're Australian, married 17 years, 40+, travelling through Central NSW.

Looking for Fun Camera or Computer Projects during a Cross Country Drive

hworth — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:55:38 -0800

I'm looking for instructions, guides, or suggestions of something fun to do with my camera or laptop during an upcoming cross-country drive. In a week and a half I'll be driving from St. Louis to Southern California. I have a MacBook with OS X Tiger and a Canon Powershot SD 750. I have 5 2gb memory cards for the camera.

I wanted to do something fun with the camera or isight while on the road. Rigging up the laptop on my front seat to shoot a time-lapse video from the isight seems like the easiest option, but I'm wondering if anyone has any more interesting/complicated suggestions.

I would be happy to invest the time to learn any sort of program or skills with the camera or computer, but not looking to spend more than 50 bucks for any additional supplies. If anyone has any links to cool projects online, I'd be happy to copy someone's cool idea with my own trip as opposed to doing something original.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to set up my laptop on my passenger seat to keep it safe and secure? I'd hate to slam on the brakes and have it smash into the dashboard.

Wikipedia offline on a mac?

ooklala — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:45:07 -0800

How can I read Wikipedia offline on my mac (bonus points for portable and cross-platform)? I am going on a long trip (3 months) on which I will not have internet. I want to be able to have wikipedia with me when I go. I am aware of the many options for Windows (WikiTaxi seems to be the best) but I know no good up-to-date ones for Mac. I have no real coding ability (a smidge of processing...) and want something moderately easy to use.
I have tried (and failed at using) ksana4wiki.

Where to go in Europe?

alona — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:23:02 -0800

EuropeFilter: Two teens about to spend up to 10 days in Europe. Suggestions on where to go and how to keep it cheap? So we're 17, he's finished high school and I'm just before my senior year, and we're planning a 7-10 day trip in Europe in mid to late August. I know it's the most expensive season to travel but we really have no other time. Our parents are paying airfare (yay for parents) but as for me, I'm paying for everything else. That includes lodging, food, travel within Europe, entrance fees to various places and various other expenses. A rough estimate tells me I'll have betwen $700 - $1000 USD (not much. but if needed I know I can get more).
We're not completely sure about where we're going to be yet. We were thinking of doing a few days in Amsterdam, a few days in Ghent, Belgium (which I've heard is far more interesting for young people than Bruxelle) and then something like two days in Paris (because it's the most expensive).
We've both already been to London, so that's not necessary, and we both really want to go to Amsterdam. From there, we'd like places that aren't incredibly far (we don't want to waste time on travel) and preferably as cheap as possible.
Advice on which places are a must-see in any city is much appreciated as well :)

Crossing America..

bobbyone — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:16:11 -0800

Me and three friends are flying out to drive across America, mainly following the old Route 66. I have two main questions: 1) What's worth seeing on this route? 2) What should we be wary of? Also, any other advice is more than appreciated.

Help my son & I do NYC right

pman78 — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:07:04 -0800

Dad and almost 15 yr. old son will be visiting NYC from Fri. May 30th-Mon June 1. He's the sporty type so museums and MOMA type things aren't turning his crank. What are the 'don't miss', the 'should try and take in' and the 'at your own risk' things we should do/avoid ? As a 14th birthday present he was allowed to choose a trip anywhere in North America so I want to make his first ever visit to NYC memorable. Staying at a friend's place in Hoboken. He's mentioned Spamalot and the Mets (any tix ideas?), he's into cool clothes, music, comedy and sports. Any tour/restaurant/event advice you can provide? Appreciate the help.

California dreamin'

fcoury — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:22:49 -0800

I will be doing a very anticipated trip to California for the first time. Please advice with good tips! Hi,

I am going to the US on September, and I would like all advice I can get on planning my trip.

It will have two "parts":

On the first part, I will be visiting the IBM team I work with on Boulder, Colorado. I'd like tips for what should be seen on the whereabouts of Boulder and Denver. I will stay there for about 5 to 6 days only and will work 8h a day for 5 days.

After that period, I will be catching a flight to California. Here I have two questions: what would be the cheaper way to fly from Colorado to California? On what city should I start?

My idea for the second part is to have a roadtrip, stopping in must-see cities, staying for the night, then leaving in the morning. I want to drive all the way from California to Las Vegas. I will have 15 to 20 days on that part of the trip. Is that feasible?

I am really into getting to know the American way of life, like small cities, eating at BBQ, Hamburger and Dinner places on the roadside, besides maybe stopping on a amusement or theme park along the way. I am thinking about Six Flags or something like that. Any tips on that?

Also, please consider I am 29 years old and I am on a budget. I'd like to spend some time on budget hotels and motels but I would also spend some nights on good hotels that are worth the money.

Any tips or at least pointers to places on the internet where I can find further advice would be awesome.