Vacation tips

Well, we just got back from another grueling road trip, whereupon I have to get ready for an even more grueling trip abroad next week. (You will note that despite the grueling nature of said road trip, I managed to keep up my blogging pretty well, missing only one day, by my reckoning.) So, as the summer unfolds and many of us hit the road, let’s talk about vacation tips.

I like to patronize the independent businesses and roadside joints with a big EAT sign out in front, but those are sometimes hard to find in today’s interstate travel and sometimes one’s travel companions require certain standards of reliability. So let’s talk about chains and franchises.

BEST MOTEL CHAIN. Hampton Inn, for spacious rooms and really comfortable beds.

BEST CHAIN RESTAURANTS. Famous Dave’s, Longhorn, Chili’s

BEST CHAIN RESTAURANTS FOR BREAKFAST. IHOP, Bob Evan’s

BEST FAST FOOD. KFC, Long John Silver’s

BEST BATHROOMS. You tell me.

BEST TOURIST TRAPS. Missouri

These are not ex cathedra declarations, just my views so far. I am totally open to other suggestions. If you have other road trip tips (BEST GASOLINE STATIONS, BEST CONVENIENCE STORES, etc.), please let us all know.