Road trip
09/08/25 02:10
We began taking road trips early in our marriage. Shortly after our first wedding anniversary, we moved from Montana to Chicago to attend theological seminary. Moving to Chicago involved a round trip and a one-way trip. Then we’d make one or two round trips every year. We stayed with relatives and friends to avoid he cost of motels on most of those trips. Sometimes, when the weather permitted, we camped. We didn’t own a camper or a tent in those days, but we would rig up a tarp and figure out ways to sleep and prepare meals in campgrounds. Occasionally, we would stay in a motel, but such a luxury was rare.
Over the years, business travel resulted in many nights spent in motels and hotels. Often, the cost of our stays was covered by the church as we attended necessary meetings. However, we have generally preferred camping and have owned several campers over the years, including tents, a tent trailer, a pickup camper, and a travel trailer.
This trip, however, we are traveling light, at least compared to our usual mode of travel. We have our small car and are combining some nights in motels with nights staying with friends and family. Because we don’t stay in motels very often, we have been surprised and are experiencing sticker shock over the price of a night in a motel. I used to think that a night in a bargain motel would cost around the same amount as a full tank of gas for our car. Granted, we used to drive bigger cars with bigger gas tanks. Still, with the current price of gas relatively high, we are finding that motel rooms are running about four times the cost of filling the tank in our car. We’re early in our trip, and we’ll probably spend two or three more nights in motels before we get home. We may find a bargain that will bring down the average cost, but it is clear that we need to be willing to pay a bit more for a night in a motel than we had expected.
We live in a time of inflation, and there are lots of costs that are going up. And we know that one of the things about getting older is that we can remember farther back to times when prices were lower. I can remember lots of conversations with elders over the years when I have been told how inexpensive something was before my time, and I try to avoid complaining about prices too much, especially when I am around young people. I probably have told our grandchildren that I can remember when the cost of gas was 19.9 cents per gallon, but such numbers are generally meaningless to them. I can also remember when Motel 6 signs advertised rooms for $19.95, and the signs weren’t electronic and couldn’t be changed without having a new sign made. And they would leave the light on for you. Yes, I can remember the advertisements narrated by Tom Bodett.
The people who own and work at motels deserve fair wages and they have a lot of expenses that need to be covered before they can profit. I shouldn’t begrudge them for charing what their believe their service is worth. Staying in a motel or hotel is a luxury, and I don’t expect to have the safety and comfort offered by a motel without paying a reasonable cost. Although we love to travel, we prefer to stay with family and friends. Furthermore, even with the costs of motels and meals in restaurants, this trip will cost less than if we were driving our truck and pulling our camp trailer. There is plenty of sticker shock with a night in a campground these days. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, campgrounds have become significantly more expensive. Some of the campground resorts charge at least half of the price we paid for the motel room where we are staying.
We are lucky to have enough discretionary money to take a road trip.
We have friends and relatives who seem surprised that we enjoy traveling the way we do. Some of my family members have declared that they hate to drive through Seattle traffic. Others have said that they don’t like to travel hundreds of miles by car. I don’t see the travel we are doing as a burden. I enjoy driving. I like to cover hundreds of miles in a day. I like to see new scenery. Sometimes traffic and other drivers can be frustrating, but I am pleased that I can still safely navigate heavy traffic and know how to get around in cities and open country. And even with prices that are a bit higher than expected, I don’t mind spending an occasional night in a motel.
Still, I don’t think we are done camping. We probably will downsize to a smaller recreational vehicle before too much longer. However, we prefer the meals we cook to those eaten in restaurants most of the time. We are not fans of fast food. Since we are not in a rush on this trip, we are seeking out meals in independent cafes and restaurants and prefer to stay in little “mom and pop” motels that are often located on back roads away from the Interstate. Even though we will be making miles on the Interstate in the next couple of days, we still prefer traveling on the back roads, and we’ll find plenty of two-lane highways on this trip.
It is all an adventure, and we are lucky people to have each other to share the adventure. And, who knows, maybe we’ll find a real bargain tonight after we’ve put a few more miles behind us.
Over the years, business travel resulted in many nights spent in motels and hotels. Often, the cost of our stays was covered by the church as we attended necessary meetings. However, we have generally preferred camping and have owned several campers over the years, including tents, a tent trailer, a pickup camper, and a travel trailer.
This trip, however, we are traveling light, at least compared to our usual mode of travel. We have our small car and are combining some nights in motels with nights staying with friends and family. Because we don’t stay in motels very often, we have been surprised and are experiencing sticker shock over the price of a night in a motel. I used to think that a night in a bargain motel would cost around the same amount as a full tank of gas for our car. Granted, we used to drive bigger cars with bigger gas tanks. Still, with the current price of gas relatively high, we are finding that motel rooms are running about four times the cost of filling the tank in our car. We’re early in our trip, and we’ll probably spend two or three more nights in motels before we get home. We may find a bargain that will bring down the average cost, but it is clear that we need to be willing to pay a bit more for a night in a motel than we had expected.
We live in a time of inflation, and there are lots of costs that are going up. And we know that one of the things about getting older is that we can remember farther back to times when prices were lower. I can remember lots of conversations with elders over the years when I have been told how inexpensive something was before my time, and I try to avoid complaining about prices too much, especially when I am around young people. I probably have told our grandchildren that I can remember when the cost of gas was 19.9 cents per gallon, but such numbers are generally meaningless to them. I can also remember when Motel 6 signs advertised rooms for $19.95, and the signs weren’t electronic and couldn’t be changed without having a new sign made. And they would leave the light on for you. Yes, I can remember the advertisements narrated by Tom Bodett.
The people who own and work at motels deserve fair wages and they have a lot of expenses that need to be covered before they can profit. I shouldn’t begrudge them for charing what their believe their service is worth. Staying in a motel or hotel is a luxury, and I don’t expect to have the safety and comfort offered by a motel without paying a reasonable cost. Although we love to travel, we prefer to stay with family and friends. Furthermore, even with the costs of motels and meals in restaurants, this trip will cost less than if we were driving our truck and pulling our camp trailer. There is plenty of sticker shock with a night in a campground these days. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, campgrounds have become significantly more expensive. Some of the campground resorts charge at least half of the price we paid for the motel room where we are staying.
We are lucky to have enough discretionary money to take a road trip.
We have friends and relatives who seem surprised that we enjoy traveling the way we do. Some of my family members have declared that they hate to drive through Seattle traffic. Others have said that they don’t like to travel hundreds of miles by car. I don’t see the travel we are doing as a burden. I enjoy driving. I like to cover hundreds of miles in a day. I like to see new scenery. Sometimes traffic and other drivers can be frustrating, but I am pleased that I can still safely navigate heavy traffic and know how to get around in cities and open country. And even with prices that are a bit higher than expected, I don’t mind spending an occasional night in a motel.
Still, I don’t think we are done camping. We probably will downsize to a smaller recreational vehicle before too much longer. However, we prefer the meals we cook to those eaten in restaurants most of the time. We are not fans of fast food. Since we are not in a rush on this trip, we are seeking out meals in independent cafes and restaurants and prefer to stay in little “mom and pop” motels that are often located on back roads away from the Interstate. Even though we will be making miles on the Interstate in the next couple of days, we still prefer traveling on the back roads, and we’ll find plenty of two-lane highways on this trip.
It is all an adventure, and we are lucky people to have each other to share the adventure. And, who knows, maybe we’ll find a real bargain tonight after we’ve put a few more miles behind us.
