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by Caitlin Moriarity
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Anywhere
But Here
How to De-Plane People
need vacations, to de-stress, relax and recharge. Don't let
anyone tell you otherwise. But with the new restrictions on
baggage, who wants to fly? I mean, not being able to bring
freaking bottled water on a plane seems pretty insane to me.
Savvy traveler that I am, I've compiled a list of alternative
ways to get away.
ROADTRIPPING
This is one of my favorite ways to travel. Now, don't mix up
roadtripping and car travel. Car travel is getting from point A
to point B in the shortest amount of time possible, and it's
exhausting and boring. Roadtripping is an adventure, you and
your car and the open road. Throw a dart at a map to pick your
destination, throw some clothes in a bag and you're gone. Stop
at all those weird roadside attractions you always pass by when
going from here to there.
Unfortunately there's a lack of hostels outside of major
cities in the U.S., as I found out when I drove 40 West,
shadowing the old Route 66. I hope to see that change. In the
meantime, if you can't find a hostel, pick up one of those books
of traveler's coupons you find at rest stops -- the coupon
usually gives you a greater discount than even booking online
through Orbitz, Hotels.com, or similar sites.
But there are some hostels, so be on the lookout! For
example, the hostel in Taos, New Mexico, is close to natural hot
springs, perfect for soaking sore driving muscles.
Closer to Missouri are the Eagle Home Hostel in Wisconsin,
located in the Kettle Moraine State Forest and adjacent to the
National Scenic Ice Age Trail. Great for hiking and biking
enthusiasts, and close to area horse stables. Or if you head
south, you can hit Galveston, Texas, the state's historic first
city, with a hostel right on the beach.
THE TRAIN
Anyone who's been to Europe can tell you what a marvel the train
system is over there. Fast, efficient, and inexpensive,
backpackers do well to invest in railpasses. Well, despite what
you may think, we've still got passenger trains here, as well.
And you don't have to pack away liquids in "checked
luggage," either. There's no insane line through a metal
detector, and you don't have to shut off your electronics.
For workaholics and Web junkies, there's an added bonus:
Internet access. Amtrak's Capitol Corridor route (San Jose,
Calif., to Sacramento) has built wireless service onto their
trains, and Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area is outfitting
its route and trains with Wi-Fi as I type this. Can the rest of
Amtrak be far behind?
In the meantime, you can take a train from St. Louis (yes, it
still has a working train station) up to Chicago for a weekend
and not have to worry about checking luggage or the long drive.
All my advice about roadtripping aside, the stretch between
Springfield, Ill., and the outskirts of the Windy City is pretty
barren and boring.
And Chicago has a great hostel (which unfortunately charges
for parking, another good reason not to drive). The hostel is
situated in a cool old loft building from 1886, provides
activities like free walking tours and cheap sailboat rides on
Lake Michigan. If tours aren't your style, you can still walk to
popular sights such as the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Grant
Park and the Art Institute.
In fact, last year Gateway Council offered a cool weekend
trip which included roundtrip train tickets, two nights at the
hostel, a weekend bus/train pass covering all your intracity
traveling, and even a couple of tasty meals.
So next time your feet start itching and your wanderlust
bubbles to the surface, remember that you've got transportation
options that do not include 3 hours in a line and random body
searches. Happy traveling!
Caitlin Moriarity is a freelance editor and
writer who has been hooked on travel since a semester studying
abroad in college. You can read her other travel writing at www.tropeofirony.com.
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