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Helpful Websites
R oad Trip!
Summer travel time brings great lasting memories.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
F
or some, the term “road
trip” elicits memories of
long-ago family travel in
a seatbelt-less station wagon
that stopped frequently for
bathroom breaks and was
littered with stale chips and
crayon pices. Add an exclama-
tion point and “road trip!” may
bring thoughts of a Florida-
bound Spring Break drive with
teenage friends and limited
funds.
Today’s new-age journeys
come with factory-installed
DVD players, wi-fi, satellite
radio featuring everything
imaginable and apps to find
hotel bookings, food and gas
stations.
Many become road trip-
pers through a desire to save
money. Some look to see the
country close-up and on their
own schedule. Others want to
visit multiple attractions or
just do something a little dif-
ferent.
ABOVE: Patty Scanlon Cohen,
E. Michele Levine Samson, Pam Silvi
Varilone and Peggy Klann Broderick
at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
For my husband, Michael,
and me, annual drives to
Florida are destination-
focused. Trading security lines
and flight delays for window
sightseeing and a way to
have our own car during our
extended stays is just one of
the reasons we do it. SUV trip-
ping is also a way for us to
journey with our oversized,
set-in-his ways, older black
pug, who travels in his equally
oversized, luxury, pillow-
topped car bed. Journeying
with Brutus means pet-friend-
ly hotels, stopping at rest
stops with dog relief patches
of grass and the understand-
ing that only one human can
leave the car at a time.
But still, we look forward to
our 20-hour, 1,200 mile-plus
Florida-bound trips, locked
away with talk and music,
fully charged devices, stacks
of newspapers, a book light,
sandwiches and Diet Coke —
and special doggy Xanax for
Brutus for “just in case.”
According to AAA, we are
hardly alone in our choice of
transportation mode, with
79 percent of family travel-
ers planning road trips this
year, up 10 percent from last
year, despite higher gas prices,
especially now after Hurricane
Harvey.
BASEBALL ON THE ROAD
Since 2009, Rabbi Michele
Faudem’s family has been
gearing up for road trips with
the specific focus of attending
minor league baseball games
throughout the country.
“I love baseball. I love driv-
ing. I love seeing new things
and meeting new people,”
said Faudem, who created the
vacations for her sons Tal, 18,
Ari, 16, and Lev Ershler, 14.
“Our country is so beautiful
and there is so much to see
in it. I love the time in the car
and on the road with my kids.”
The trips always include
Faudem and whichever of the
boys are not at camp. They
have been joined at times
by her Jerusalem-based rela-
tives: parents, Arlene and Burt
Faudem, and brother, Joshua
Faudem. Her husband, Jeffrey
Ershler, doesn’t always go
along, but he does make the
hotel reservations for those
who do.
“Minor league parks are
smaller, family-friendly and
personable and really give the
kids — especially when they
were younger — the opportu-
nity to meet the players and a
sense of independence,” said
Faudem of West Bloomfield.
continued on page 14
12
September 7 • 2017
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• Roadtrippers.com: Hotels,
attractions, distances and gas
cost estimates
• Gopetfriendly.com: Lodging,
services, activities allowing pets
• Myscenicdrives.com: U.S.
scenic routes
• Tripit.com: Suggestions based
on distance, destination and
budget.
• Recreation.gov: Tours,
campgrounds, parks, national
monument tours, national park
and forest hikes, federal land
cabin rental
• AirBnb.com: Vacation rentals
• Gasbuddy.com: Crowd-
sourced list of gas prices
• AARP.com: Trip planning and
car rental discounts
• Discount hotel and car
booking sites include priceline.
com, orbitz.com, kayak.com,
expedia.com, trivago.com
Helpful Apps:
• Waze: Interactive GPS helps
avoid construction, high-traffic
roads and speed traps.
• Koshernearme: kosher
restaurant finder
• Skycatchfire: eateries,
attractions, shops,
campgrounds, hotels, gas
stations, car repair shops.
• Opentable: where to eat
• AAA Mobile App: Roadside
assistance, routes, construction,
detours, fuel prices, AAA-
approved hotels, campgrounds,
restaurants, sightseeing,
activities.
Tips:
• Tell someone where you’ll be.
• Fill gas tank, check oil, fluid
levels, battery and tires.
• Keep hard copies of hotel
reservations, addresses, maps.
• If lost, go to a rest stop or
shopping area; don’t stop on
the roadside.
• Leave the car for public
transportation or Uber/cabs in
busy cities.