Seven blogs to check out before your next road trip
Nick DiUlio
Before you pack your bags and gas up the family car for spring or summer getaways, you might want to check out these seven outstanding road trip blogs. They include advice on everything from quirky roadside attractions to affordable lodging and unique eateries across the country.
1. Trunkations
From the authors of “Roadside America,” a book that outlines how to drive cross-country entirely on back roads, comes this road-tripping blog that will surely lead you to some of the country’s most unique sites. Trunkations focuses mostly on rare and obscure roadside attractions on paths less traveled, but it also provides plenty of practical tools like maps, road-trip tips and accommodation recommendations.
Best Road Trip Ever is your guide to thousands of hand-picked, offbeat roadside attractions, travel destinations and eateries. The blog is conveniently broken down into four regional categories (Northeast, South, West and Midwest) and provides thousands of entries from a handful of road-trip travel writers. What’s more, the blog offers links to download two road-trip apps, so you can take this entertaining and informative blog with you when you hit the open road.
3. This blog, which is run by a father-and-son team, gears itself toward the adventurous, off-road types, with journeys as far-flung as Mexico and the Arctic Circle. Not only does this two-generation duo post lots of photos, videos and stories from their travels, but they also provide a lot of fantastic tutorials on vehicle repair and off-road modifications for those DIY folks.
Whether you’re planning a short weekend getaway or a multimonth trek across the country, this blog (and its corresponding forum) is a must-read before you start the ignition. Not only does it offer trip-planning tools like maps, a fuel-cost calculator and recommended road-trip books, but the road trip forum is a collection of questions, answers and anecdotes from seasoned road trippers and newbies alike. And if you don’t know where to go yet, make sure you click on the “Trips & Ideas” tab for a wealth of suggestions, ranging from day trips to yearlong journeys.
5. Not all family blogs are created equal. What really sets this particular road-trip blog apart is that it’s edited and written by a handful of actual families who actually love to take trips together every chance they get. Topics run the gamut, from tips on how to save money for a road vacation to writing about clever ways you can turn any road trip into a fun and educational experience for kids. The blog also features updates on lodging deals across the country as well as a comprehensive calendar of festivals and other events. This is a great one-stop source for all you need to know about hitting the open road with the family.
One of the great perks of spring and summer road trips is the opportunity to watch baseball at dozens of stadiums. If America’s Pastime is your thing, Ball Park Digest is your guide to everything you need to know about seeing it live. And it’s not just about major-league parks. Ballpark Digest also provides extensive information about minor-league and college parks, as well as information on everything from buying tickets to adapting to local fan etiquette.
7. World Hum
For a collection of the web’s best travel writing, check out World Hum. Regular features include interviews with travel writers, first-person travel narratives, regularly updated lists of favorite and unusual destinations, and hundreds of photo essays and video logs from around the world. World Hum focuses on the destination and the journey. Blog editor Jim Benning says: “We explore how travel changes us, how it changes the way we see the world and how travel itself changes the world.”
