The luxury of travel by car

Luxury is defined as something that is not necessary to my life, health, or subsistence, and something, too, that ministers to my comfort and pleasure, but when it comes to travel, “luxury” for some means traveling by air alone or, if by automobile, staying only at top-of-the-line hotels or motels and eating at the very best restaurants. If either of these travel options are those that satisfy your travel taste buds, then you may find my definition (which follows) totally off the mark. I will define “luxury” through a description of traveling by car.

I realize as I am writing this that the tough economic times we are currently experiencing means that some will consider any travel opportunity a luxury, and I respect that opinion. I am not just fully aware that my chances to travel are fortunate, but I am truly thankful for them as well.

My goal on this trip (March 2009) is Ft. Lauderdale and a cruise of the Southern Caribbean, but the cruise itself is not the subject of this essay, and if a cruise were the subject of interest with respect to defining “luxury,” there would be no discussion. Cruising is luxurious by any definition.

My “luxury” begins with several stipulations. The first is that I want to save money. A second stipulation is that I want to eat “well” — but, obviously, not expensively. And a third stipulation is that I want to travel at my own pace. That is, I take my time (and avoid flying because my wife hates to fly).

“Luxury” begins at home. I make enough coffee to take an additional 18-ounce mug full of coffee in the car; we don’t stop for coffee. I make lunches as well, and I take an electric car refrigerator so I can make lunches in motel rooms for the next day. A cheese sandwich with mayonnaise, mustard, and lettuce on pumpernickel bread and an additional peanut butter and jelly sandwich supplemented by fresh vegetables (carrots), fresh fruit (apples and grapes), and a cookie for dessert, make a nice meal that can be eaten while driving. Also, for dinner I have a quarter of a Tyson (already cooked) chicken, mustard potato salad, baked beans, and a tossed salad — which my wife and I eat at the small table in the motel room.

You begin to see, now, where my “luxury” is going.

The only stops on our days of car travel are for bathrooms and welcome centers. When entering a state where I will spend the night, I stop at the welcome center to pick up travel coupons. By departing in the morning by 8:30, I can stop in the afternoon by 3:30-4 p.m. Seven and one half hours of constant driving is sufficient, and stopping by 4 means I am among the first to stop and, thus, have a choice of rooms.

Stopping by 4:00 p.m. allows plenty of time to relax. If either my wife or I wanted to swim, the pool is always clean and devoid of anyone else. There is often fruit in the motel lobby, and around 5:00 p.m. there are fresh cookies in the lobby as well. This is time to read the newspaper, magazine, or a book that I carry, or to write an essay (as when this one was written).

I travel with a variety of CDs so I always have music in the car. This is a necessity, not a “luxury.” Having just burned more than 50 new CDs from the 500 or more long-playing records I collected 50 years ago, I had music I hadn’t listened to for a long time. With a six-disc CD player, each CD carrying close to 80 minutes of music, I could load the player in the morning and have enough uninterrupted music for a full day of driving.

Other “luxuries” included having my own pillow from home, carrying my own snacks (always having them available), and being in total control of my life. One problem of being dependent on others is the loss of control involved.

A good example of how control is lost occurred at the Hampton Inn in Hollywood, Florida — the place I chose to stay during the night before the cruise. I decided to leave the car at the motel as part of a cruise/park deal, rather than at the parking garage at the Port Everglades port. The cost at the port was $225 (plus tax), and the Hampton Inn charged $198 (plus tax), but the Inn included an overnight stay plus a free all-you-can-eat breakfast. It was a no-brainer, true, but that choice led to a loss of control.

By choosing to leave the car a the Hampton Inn, I was dependent on the Inn for transportation to and from the port. I had all morning of the day of the cruise at the Inn; however, I requested an earlier transit. Although the request was granted, it turned out that everyone heading for the port left at the same time on a bus that seated 60 people. There, waiting for the bus, were my wife and I with two overstuffed bags, two garment bags, two carry-ons (for pills and toiletries), and two fanny-packs — totally at the mercy of a driver and his assistant. (You just have to hope they know what they are doing, that luggage gets put into the correct compartment, and that luggage is removed at the right time. I don’t like the loss of control!)

As an aside, here, the transit from the Inn to the Port provided a new experience for my wife and me. Before leaving the Hampton Inn, the bus driver explained that he and his assistant would split the tips acquired on this trip, and they expected $2.00 per person for handling our bags. His assistant then proceeded down the aisle collecting the tips. Many couples, I noticed, gave him $5.00, not four — perhaps because they didn’t have dollar bills. Having been warned about the need for providing tips, and having cruised a number of times before, we were well prepared with dollar bills. I wonder what the bus driver and his assistant would do with someone who chose not to tip them or to tip them less than what they expected?)

The “luxury” of this Inn-Port transit was that no further handling of the bags was necessary. My wife and I were told that the next time we would see our bags would be on the ship at our room. A porter outside the bus (at the port) asked $2.00 per couple for taking the bags from the shuttle to the ship!)

The dictionary defines “luxury” as something that is not necessary to life, health, or subsistence, and something, too, that ministers to one’s comfort and pleasure. What is “comfort” or “pleasure” to one person certainly differs from what is “comfort” and “pleasure” to another, and my wife and I have our own definition of “luxury” when we travel by car. No, its not travel by air, and it’s not staying at the premiere hotels and motels, nor eating at upscale restaurants, but for us, whether we travel by car or by using our fifth-wheel, travel is, indeed, luxurious.

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“The world’s most luxurious destinations, luxury hotels and resorts, exclusive, secluded and exotic getaways, stylish escapes, and luxury cruises” — that’s what some advertisements say when you enter “luxury travel” in Google. But all travel need not be this luxurious. At Travelers’ Tales, Joel L. Widzer, “The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel,” offers a book full of tips called The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status—3rd Edition in which, according to the website, he “reveals his method for traveling in the lap of luxury without breaking the bank. Joel’s techniques are simple, proven, and available to even the infrequent traveler. Fulfill your travel dreams now! ” I have not read the book, and this website is an advertisement, however, it seems Widzer makes an emotional appeal aimed at my heart!

At suite101.com, Jennifer W. Miner has a great little essay, “Thanksgiving Travel Tips: Reduce stress and add luxury to your holiday travel plans,” that offers some specific travel suggestions — especially for those having to travel with other family members (children).

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Copyright March 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.