There are dozens of ways to travel if that appeals to you. If you own a vehicle, you can drive it across the country to visit relatives or take that much-deserved vacation. You might go solo, or perhaps you want the whole family to come with you.
You can also fly, which gets you where you’re going faster than most other options. You can be on the other side of the country in about six hours, flying from coast to coast. You might also use an RV, bike, or many other options.
In this article, though, we’ll talk about some less conventional travel methods. We’ll also talk about some potential drawbacks and benefits of each one.
Tour Buses
Tour bus travel appeals to some people, and not so much to others. One nice thing about tour buses is that if you decide you want to take one to a destination, you don’t have to drive. If you’re not the most confident driver, handing over the duty to someone else might appeal to you.
You can also meet some friendly people on tour buses. The group seems to form a loosely-knit family unit for the days you are together. You might even meet some lasting friends that you stay in touch with long after the trip concludes.
If you’re single, you might find a new significant other while on a tour bus. You also have plenty of opportunities to see sights along the way. Many tour buses stop at natural wonders, like the Grand Canyon or Mount Rushmore.
You also might get on one that goes to Vegas or Atlantic City. Senior gambling junkets like this are very popular, so if you’re in that age group, this might be for you.
On the other hand, tour bus crashes do occur sometimes. You never know if the driver will fall asleep at the wheel or allow their smartphone to distract them.
At the moment, Covid-19 is also a concern. The pandemic is not over, and even if you’re fully vaccinated, you might feel like now is not the right time to check out a tour bus vacation for that reason.
Oceanic Cruises
If you love being out on the water, an ocean cruise might make sense. These cruises sometimes start in places like New York and let you sail off to the Caribbean or other exotic and desirable destinations.
On these cruises, you can get a luxury cabin if you can afford one. You can experience fine dining in one of the ship’s restaurants.
Some of these cruise ships also have veritable theme parks right there on the premises. There are swimming pools and even roller coasters or go-cart tracks on some of the largest and most elaborate ones.
As far as possible negatives, Covid-19 is a concern again. Some people don’t feel like now is the right time to mix with other individuals, even out on the water where you don’t necessarily have to crowd close together indoors.
You also might get seasick. You can always take medication to combat that, but some people are not comfortable out on the water, and nothing is ever likely to change that.
RV Traveling
RV travel splits the difference between camping and the traditional road trip. The road trip aspect comes from owning or renting a large vehicle and driving it along America’s byways and highways. You can also stop to camp at various sites around the country, though.
If you are a confident driver, you will have no problems maneuvering a massive vehicle such as this. You can easily take the whole family with you, and even some friends and neighbors if you like.
You can all enjoy stopping at roadside attractions and diners. You might park the RV and go for hikes in the woods, planning out a route so you can see and experience some natural and human-made wonders.
RVs are expensive, though, so buying one might not be in your budget right now. You can always rent one, but if you do, you may not feel so comfortable about driving it since you are probably not used to it.
RV rental or ownership isn’t a bad move these days, though, since the pandemic persists. If you drive an RV around the country, you can avoid direct human contact that’s essentially necessary with the other two options we’ve mentioned.
Take some time and think about whether any of these three sounds suitable for you.