The further you travel into west Texas, the more you realize that any friends who warned you about spotty cell phone coverage and lack of wifi…weren’t exaggerating.
But that can actually be a good thing! Lack of text notifications, calls or temptations to hop online “for just a sec” aren’t an issue. And you can blissfully focus your full attention on your travel partner, family or just yourself without the distractions that take up too much of our time.
So please take my advice, and print out any maps, hotel contact and reservation information or anything else you would normally look up on your phone before you leave.
I keep all of my road trip info in a folder sorted in order of arrival: accommodation reservations/contact numbers/addresses, maps of routes I’ll take locally once I arrive in each town, and I pre-list out my “bucket list” of places that I want to see with some back ups in case I end up with extra time, or some of my top choices don’t work out. Then I check off items as they are visited, or fold down pages as we leave one town to visit the next. I don’t always need all of the information, but it has sure saved us on a few occasions over the years, and on a recent trip to Big Bend we relied on it pretty heavily.
The convenience of being able to ask your phone for directions is great, but I confess that I have a weakness for old fashioned maps, and experience with them can sure come in handy. If you just can’t manage working with all the papers, take screenshots of any maps and information you’ll need. As long as you keep your phone powered, you’ll be able to pull them up for reference.
Also, be sure to give a “heads up” to any family members who may try to contact you during travel days when your cell phone might not cooperate. Land lines DO work fine, of course, so they can always go old school and call the hotel office where you are staying to leave a message. Remember when that was the only way? No? Nevermind.
If any of the locations you are staying in are remote or a bit out-dated, you’ll want to make sure you keep any necessary items charged whenever possible. I’ve stayed in some old hotels (which I love) and found that they might only have one outlet…being used by the only light! That’s a bit of a challenge since we’ve all become so dependent on electronics.
On our trip to west Texas, my husband and I tried out a small power pack and were very impressed. This particular portable power station from NinjaBatt was so lightweight and worked like a charm. We used it to power our computers when we were uploading and editing photos at night, and to keep our phones charged for emergencies (on the chance we could get a signal). He also used it to power some of his portable ham radio equipment and liked how reliable and easy it was to use. I think he might end up stealing it from me. (It’s model SGR-PPS300-5 if you want to check it out.) It has enough outlets to power just about anything you’re carrying along, and even has its own light.
With a little preparation, challenges with your electronics won’t bother you a bit. And the trade off is worth it, because oh those wide open space views!
a signal). He also used it to power some of his portable ham radio equipment and liked how reliable and easy it was to use. I think he might end up stealing it from me. (It’s model SGR-PPS300-5 if you want to check it out.) It has enough outlets to power just about anything you’re carrying along, and even has its own light.
