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Road tripping the USA and what to expect in 2021

Have you wanted to go on a road trip this year, but not sure what to expect?

Well, I am here to tell you all about my recent road trip from Nashville, Tennessee to Connecticut. I passed through four states and truly enjoyed the road trip, although fully realize and recognize that I much prefer flights over longer road trips, or maybe the idea of a shared driver would be much more gratifying.  

My itinerary started by flying from Los Angeles, California to Nashville. 

I spent four days in Nashville, and then decided it would be more advantageous to road trip to Connecticut to see my family, then hop another flight. Why not see states that I have never seen before right?

I picked up my rental car at BNA (Nashville airport) and packed up the car and headed to Chattanooga, TN. I spent a night there, as my final destination was Atlanta, Georgia, and knew I would be tired from four days in Nashville, so best to split the trip in half.

The the beauty of the was hotel I stayed in was less than $100.00. I am not sure if it’s the southern prices or I just got lucky, but it was a glorious thing to show up hours before a nights stay and just swipe my card (building traveler miles and points-ask me how) and have an available room. 

Now keep in mind your situation may vary slightly and you may not have the flexibility that I had, but if I can road trip, so can you.

I had never driven over multiple states over varying days and without a real solid plan I managed to do it. I also didn’t have any children, additional humans or kids in tow, so also, keep that in mind.

I stopped for a night in the Atlanta area and from there I traveled onwards to Asheville, North Carolina as I had heard so many great things about this small charmed city. I heard it had a hometown feel, yet had great Restaurants and nearby beauty. 

On my drive to Asheville, NC I figured why not make a stop in another state that I hadn’t been to. It was raining cats and dogs, figuratively, not literally, but I made the trek anyways. I stopped in Greenville, South Carolina and spent about one and a half hours walking around the downtown area. Despite the rain it was a fun little, friendly town. One of the really cool adventures to do in downtown is find the bronze mice statues. They are very small and originally started as a school project for a local youth, but became one of the cities known adventures.

I finally arrived in Asheville and to my delight the rain had cleared up. I ventured to the downtown area and grabbed a bite to eat. I was hoping to get into a local Spanish tapas Restaurant, but with no available reservations or walk-ups I ended up at the white duck taco shop. It was a great place to stop to have a bite to eat without the high price tag and no wait either.

The artists and storefronts around downtown Asheville, NC were really unique. Apparently, they are known for their artists and have an entire building dedicated to the local artists, so I highly recommend meandering through there, even for a visit.

One artist that I found to be so unique was one of the sticker artists found in a local shop, called Charmed. His work goes beyond stickers, but his work caught my eye, when I walked by the shop after dinner. Can we say hello, Golden Girls and Mister Rodgers. 

If you are reading this and you are not familiar with who either of those characters (from television)  are, you are certainly missing out on life, or simply too young to remember, so just meet your friend google and check them out. For more local places to visit in Asheville, NC, make sure you pick up the, ‘Go Local,’ directory that will give you a list on all the local eateries and shops and happenings around Asheville.

From Asheville, NC I headed up to Harrisonburg, Virginia, which was about a five hour drive from Asheville. It was a bit of a boring drive, but the reality is a lot of the northeastern/southern states have two-three lane roads through the country, pending where you are driving to. If you are taking main highways, then it might be a bit different route, but the way I took was a more peaceful route away from traffic and humans. I guess that happens when you I have spent 15 years in a place like Los Angeles, with 40 million people. 

I landed in Harrisonburg, VA and spent one night there. I of course realized that the well known university was there, so I had to visit the James Madison University campus.  I visited the campus and was glad I did as it truly was a beautiful college campus and the irony was I had applied to this university back in the day. From there I went to downtown Harrisonburg and walked around the city. As it happened to be cinco de drinko, also known as Cinco de May, people were out and about grabbing food and drinks at the local water holes. 

Harrisonburg, Virginia was a quaint town that was great for a college town and nearby you will find lots of fun nature and exhibits. Luray Caverns and the various caverns around the area would be great to explore for solo travel or even with your family. Another fun stop was  the Route 11 Potato chip factory, which I detoured to on my way to Connecticut. Even if you are not a fan of potato chips, it really was a fun detour off the beaten path.

I then ventured the eight hours up the 65 north to the 84 east and arrived at my destination in Connecticut without any traffic issues or any problems and it was a glorious trip. The one piece of advice I have for anyone road tripping right now, to make the most of your cash/cards and funds is to fill up gas every time you hit a half take. This is due to the ever changing and increasing gas prices throughout the USA. Also, a few tips and tricks, make sure you subscribe to this website and you will learn how I travel and book hotel stays for free too.