Traveling the Highway

Movies glamorized the phrase "road trip" into a spontaneous exciting adventure, but those who've traveled the highways on vacation mostly dread it. Regardless of the impending dread, more and more of us are hitting the road rather than the airways, like our parents and grandparents use to do, for affordability. The cost of flying is just too high for an entire family. Making traveling from point A to point B; from home to our desired destination and back stuck in a vehicle a necessary evil.
We don't utter an excited, "Road trip!" We envision "road weary." We just can't stand the idea of endless hours of highway, knowing at some hour everyone in the car will be miserable. Although planning ahead will help, no amount of games, books, music and scenery can thwart the inevitable fatigue and frustration. I know, from the countless trips we've taken from South Florida to North Florida (7-9hrs) or from South Florida to Upstate New York (more that 24hrs). I can't change the distance or the fatigue that comes with it, but as I have in the past I can recommend things that will make it a little easier.
I can't stress enough the value of good books on CD, if the whole family can agree on one or two. You can pick them up at your local library or stop at a Cracker Barrel Store and rent them. You can return it to any of their stores throughout the country when you're finished and you only pay around $3.50 per week. This tip has eased the distance for my family immeasurably. Trust me, time will fly. If you can't agree on a book, drivers take precedence. Children, depending on their ages, can use headphones with portable players.  Of course, it goes without saying to have games and snacks at the ready and to take those stretch your legs breaks. Don't try to "drive straight through." Yes, we've all done it at least once. Miserable is the only way to describe it and you end up passing out from exhaustion when you arrive.
When it comes to long trips, ideally I would recommend breaking your trip up and finding something exciting to check out along the way; a one or two day side adventure. However, with limited time a side trip is not always possible. If your goal is to get to point B as quickly as possible, iExit is for you.

My new favorite travel recommendation is the App, 'iExit'. Road travelers don't often plan their stops. We like to go as far as we can (especially that first day) before stopping for the night. That leads to searching for a place to crash for a few hours before moving forward. Obviously this is not the ideal time for trying to find affordable lodging or even sustenance; you're in brain fatigue. You can still search for hotels in the area ahead through various search engines and websites, but iExit had the foresight to make it a lot easier. Simply put, iExit tells you what's ahead when driving on the interstate. It's all about right off the road ahead and no further out. So you're not seeing what's six miles out or popular downtown, but rather what's right around the next few exits. iExit also claims their app, "contains over 2,500 nightly hotel deals with rates cheaper than you'll find anywhere online. Never overpay for a hotel off an exit again." I haven't tested this thoroughly, but I have found it to be true on the occasions I've used the app. The app also tells you what food, gas, banking, car repair, etc. are up ahead right around the exit. I love this app!

Life Altering Adventure

...and so it begins, a railway journey through Africa

All the planning, all the stressing over which route to choose is over. Your life is about to change forever — You will not return home the same person who left.

Source:bbs.zhnews.net

Once you feel the unmistakeable tug of the train leaving the station your already heightened adrenaline will swell to a restless excitement. The anticipation of things to come will be nearly irrepressible. Soon you'll want to run from window to window, but savor each moment. Tame your euphoria.
The route ahead is not a straight one; not a get there quick route. It's a twisted turning route over and around impenetrable obstacles. Although getting from point A to B may be how it started, the views form the train would not be ignored and word spread of an irresistible journey.
At nearly every turn there are breathtaking views, along seemingly endless coastlines, past sweeping vistas, through mountain ranges, over deep gorges, or past the most magnificent waterfalls. You are on a journey that will imprint your life. At times you may feel like your in the middle of a new migration toward the Ark. The opportunities you'll have here will not present themselves again in any other land or on any other train. In the end you will know you have experienced extraordinary and nothing will ever be the same.

“To see ten thousand animals untamed and not branded with the symbols of human commerce is like scaling an unconquered mountain for the first time, or like finding a forest without roads or footpaths, or the blemish of an axe. You know then what you had always been told -- that the world once lived and grew without adding machines and newsprint and brick-walled streets and the tyranny of clocks.” ~ Beryl Markham 

Far Far Away

Photograph by Ande Truman

Everything is possible, but where do possibilities begin...with a slumbering white lion and a train, of course. After all, the journey of a lifetime has to start with a BIG dream ~ Dream of Africa.

While you're at it, why not start with its furthest edge. On the southernmost end of the African continent. Here mountain ranges mark the last stronghold, before this rugged land gives way to the sea. Cliffs rise like fortress walls, while enormous boulders stand sentry guarding the shoreline, unwavering against the thieving sea. Not one, but two oceans battle for more ground here. This vibrant land, South Africa,  rises spectacularly, as if it were the last vestige of land at the edge of the world.

South Africa: a land far, far away...

It should be said, while a visit to South Africa will be incredibly memorable for its beauty, this is a land deeply scarred. It is a country still trying to resolve its rocky past; a country riddled with controversy and upheaval, but through it all settlers and travelers continue to come for its spectacular beauty. The wounds of the past are glaringly evident in Cape Town, where we begin this journey. Here a huge percentage of South Africans still live in poverty. The road is long both behind, and ahead of this country, but the possibilities are great. I keep a favorite quote by Maya Angelou on the home page of this blog. It is perhaps no more suitable than here. It reads, "Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."* South Africa will hopefully become a place where all its citizens are treated and cared for equally well. Awareness is key.

Arriving in Cape Town ~

Groot Constantia Estate

As you can imagine, at this point, after the long flight, anticipation for the spectacular train trip ahead will be almost unbearable. You'll eagerly await the call, "All aboard," like mice waiting for the Pavlov's bell to ring. However, before you hop the train, give yourself a day or two to rest and explore this bustling, colorful city; a day or two to get acquainted with this country and its people. After all, this is your once-in-a-lifetime journey, so, arrive early. Why not? It is your big dream.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

There are vineyards here and beautiful botanical gardens…museums, mountain ranges and oceans…penguins and, yes, even white lions. Bordered to the North by Table Bay, to the West by Signal Hill and the Atlantic, and to the South by Table Mountain National Park, it's not a place that is, "just as good as any," to start the trip of a lifetime, it is an extraordinary place to start.

The Old Biscuit Mill Market

Cape Heritage Hotel built in 1771 or the Vineyard Hotel, are both lovely places to choose as a base. South Africa's unique flavors can be found at any number of restaurants, but to truly experience an abundance of South African flavors and goods visit the markets: Greenmarket Square for traditional African arts and crafts, V&A Market on the Wharf known for fresh, organic or homemade, or at Saturday's ritual the Old Biscuit Mill. If flora is your thing don't miss Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden which boasts over 22,000 indigenous plant species, and was the first botanical garden to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There's a one of a kind "steampunk" coffee shop called Truth and more than one world class winery.
Cape Town is said to be one of the most photogenic cities in the world, so of course exploring it should be included in a trip of a lifetime to Africa.

Truth Coffee Shop

Cape Heritage Hotel

*Tourism does help support South Africans, but it's not enough. While visiting this amazing part of the world consider finding other ways to help South African's in need.

How Travelers Pick a Hotel

Southwest Florida

I can't believe how many times I come across websites for great places to stay with little or no descriptive or visual reference to what there is to see and do in the area, as if people pick hotels for the sake of seeing hotels. No matter how high the thread count of your sheets, no matter the quality of your down, or how perfect your decor, it is almost always secondary to your surroundings. 

It's what's on the outside that counts!

St. Augustine, FL

Want to seal the guest deal? Impress potential guests with your connection to your area. Show them your "out" fits their ideal. Your rooms may be the most magnificent, but guests could buy 300 thread count sheets and down comforters and stay home for the price of a couple nights stay. What makes them desire to sleep in your sheets is the setting or proximity to things they want to see and do. 

Of course they've researched the area, but dazzle them with your love of your surroundings or entice them by enhancing their perception of the area with your knowledge. Show off your best inside and out so guests know your the place and the people they want to help make their trip extraordinary. They'll pick you for your desire to enhance their stay through attention to every detail!

Tarpon Lodge view of Matlacha Pass, Pine Island, FL

Things to do in Tallahassee, FL - Maclay Gardens