What's Working and What's Not

I promised when writing the planning posts at the beginning of this process to provide an assessment later of what worked and what didn't work. We've been on the road for two weeks now, roughly half of our trip, and I think it's time to pass along some of what we've learned.

First, getting the Garmin Nuvi was the single smartest decision we made. While it has led us astray a few times -- remember, trust but verify! -- it has been an invaluable tool on this trip. We get pretty much anywhere we want to go with confidence and efficiency. It is helpful moving from town to town, and it is helpful moving around town once we are staying there. Its database of restaurants, gas stations and lodging is not perfect but it is very useful. My observations: there are a lot more gas stations than the Nuvi knows and hotels/motels change names and affiliations a lot (e.g. moving from a Best Western to America's Best Value).

Our restaurant gift cards are working great because everywhere we go there are Chili's, Applebees, and Olive Gardens. But my plan to consolidate stays with one or two hotel Rewards Programs is not working AT ALL. The high end chains are rarely where you need them to be -- only the budget chains are in the kind of small towns you find enroute -- and the budget chains don't have many deals. AAA membership does help us get good rates, though often you can negotiate a better rate than AAA by checking online for promotional rates. Look into http://www.tripadvisor.com/, which has links to multiple travel sites like Expedia for pricing.

So now our strategy now is to delay the hotel choice to the last minute, call around and make the best deal we can as we drive into town. Only in very special places, like here in Carmel, do we plan more than one day ahead.

Speaking of Carmel, we are staying at a place called the Dolphin Inn, part of the 'Inns by the Sea', and we are really enjoying it. Good rates, nice people, great location!