Jaunted - Tag: Road Trips

Zzyzx: Exit Here at Zzyzx. Yes, Zzyzx

juliana — 2010-02-16T15:00:18-05:00

If you ever find yourself driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on the 15 Highway, chances are you're going to come across the strangest exit ever, Zzyzx. We've long thought this was a name just for the heck of it, like, "Hey, let's us the last three letters of the alphabet in any way that we can." And the truth is not far from that.

According to its Wikipedia page, Zzyzx is a former mineral hot springs site developed by Curtis Howe Springer in 1944, who was later arrested for misuse of the land and for violation of food and land laws. Basically, he made up the word Zzyxx and it's pronunciation ("zi-zix.")

Today, the land is part of the California State University and it's home to the Desert Studies Center. And no, there aren't any In-n-Outs at this exit.

PS. Don't the mountains look pretty?

Utah: Go Off the Beaten Path in Park City, Utah During Sundance

cmb — 2010-01-25T13:06:29-05:00

Most of the hipsters who attend the Sundance Film Festival spend the week on the slopes, in a movie theater, or mingling on Main Street, but there are some pretty cool, offbeat attractions just outside of Park City, UT that they're probably missing. Here's a look at a few of them:

Temple Square, Salt Lake City
Even if you're not Mormon (or a fan of Big Love) Temple Square is one of the most fascinating places you'll ever visit. Spread out over three blocks in downtown Salt Lake City, nearly 20 Mormon attractions, including the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle, and the Family History Library, are open to the public for tours daily.

Can Airstream Revive The RV Image For The Modern Traveler?

JetSetCD — 2009-12-07T16:29:40-05:00

Thank god the summer of the "staycation" has finished. Boy, was that depressing. So now with 2010 to look forward to, and hopefully a slew of actual trips for everyone, it could be worthwhile to check out the options in RV Travel, especially with icons like Airstream reentering the scene.

Thanks to see-sawing gas prices, the decreasing popularity of good old family vacations to national parks, and a drop in coolness, we're thinking that the days of the monster "King of the Road"-style RVs are coming to an end. Who wants to maneuver a gas-guzzling behemoth when Smart Cars and hybrids are flitting about, with trunk space enough for camping equipment? Instead of heading to "Wayne's RV World" then, how about just hooking a little trailer onto the back of your vehicle? Airstream is betting that this trend will come back in 2010, since they've just released two new models: the 16' Sport and the 30' Flying Cloud.

The Top Five Places To Have A Drive-Thru Christmas

kjb — 2009-12-03T09:59:37-05:00

Nothing beats paying some cash to check out Christmas lights. Well actually, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the season, but we’re suckers for some quality time behind the wheel where we can see a lighted dancing Santa. Here’s just five places where you’ll be glad you shelled out the cash for a little forced Christmas spirit.

· Winter Lights Festival - Gaithersburg, Maryland
About 30 minutes outside of Washington, DC—depending on traffic of course—sits a pretty good light display for those near our nation’s capital. Things run during the evening from December 4 through January 2 and the lights are only shut off for Christmas and New Year’s Day. Themed areas will get you in the mood for mistletoe especially Penguin Cove and Teddy Bear Land. It’ll cost you $12 per car during the week and $14 on the weekends. There are also times when you can walk through the displays as well as take a ride in an open air trolley—bundle up!

More drive-thru Christmas spirit after the break.

Los Angeles: Live From The 405: Traffic Is So Far, So Good

juliana — 2009-11-25T16:34:32-05:00

Making your way out of Los Angeles is never easy, not even on a Monday and especially not on Friday. And driving out of town before the holidays starts to fill us with anxiety the night before. But so far, so good on the 405.

We snapped this shot from the on-ramp from the 10 leading to the 405 and we're happy to report that we're all the way out in the valley with no problems. (Yes, we're using our Verizon Wireless card to file this story from the passenger seat.) Things may change when we hit the 5, which we'll then be cruising for most of the way up to Oakland.

The 5 is a crappy drive namely because its two lanes and it's just flat nothingness unless you get excited by driving by the massive cow patch and inhaling its smell. If we had more time, we'd take the scenic 101 which goes along the ocean. But sorry, turkey awaits. Oh and we just jinxed ourselves. Dammit we knew that would happen! Traffic is stop and go now. Argh!

Got your own holiday travel snapshot? Send it to us! Or drop it into the Jaunted Flickr Pool.

Related Stories: · All Holiday Travel coverage [Jaunted]

The Jaunted Guide To Surviving Holiday Car and Bus Travel

JetSetCD — 2009-11-25T14:17:31-05:00

Over the rivers and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go! Well, wherever you're headed, if you're taking a bus or driving a car to join the 38 million or so others who hit the roads at this time of year, you should leave to us here at Jaunted to see you through the insane travel rush. For a little quick reading with a dash of priceless travel tips, check out these Top 5 Stories To Help You Survive Holiday Car and Bus Travel:

· Our 5 tips for surviving budget bus travel, from past personal experience

· Leave it to the Brits for a great outsider's look at American highways

· Las Vegas-bound? This one's for you

· What to expect from a new Greyhound bus

· Budget bus travel can be enjoyable and fun, we swear!

[Photo: homer4k]

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tops Customer Survey, Thrifty Hits Bottom

kjb — 2009-11-25T09:04:32-05:00

If you’re renting a car this week to visit family and friends, you might want to consider giving Enterprise Rent-A-Car your business—at least you know they won’t criticize you like some of your relatives. The company best known for the ability to "pick you up" has come out on top in this year’s J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey. They must be doing something right as this is the sixth straight year they've taken home the victory when it comes to satisfaction among those renting from the airport.

Consumers were questioned over approximately the last year or so on several different areas including overall satisfaction, the rental car itself, and return process, among a few other criteria. Enterprise scored a solid 770 on their 1,000 point scale, but other rental car companies weren’t far behind.