As we say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024, it’s time to start planning my next adventures. I have a few ideas and have begun some initial planning. I am looking at several options and, in the weeks, ahead, some of them, for various reasons will fall by the wayside. Usually, I narrow my plans down to two or three viable adventures. Then it’s time to go about creating a timetable and locking them in.
One thing that I have realized is just how much times have
changed in recent years. Everything from where I stay to how I travel has
changed. Hotel, Restaurants and most any aspect of the Service Industry has changed
tremendously in recent years. When you get right down to it every aspect of how,
when, and where I travel has changed.
It is the popular belief that COVID caused all these
changes, but in reality, the reason for these changes is that more and more
people have not work ethic and basically just don’t take any pride in themselves,
so how can we expect them to take any kind of pride in a job.
As I look back on previous adventures, I came to the
conclusion that many of these changes have been caused by the Political Climate
in this Country. It is my opinion that Politics are responsible for most of the
negative things that we are seeing throughout the country. You are either
perceived to be far left or far right. The is no Middle Ground.
One other thing is people do not know how to mind their own
business and then get offended when they see something they don’t like or agree
with.
Back during my 2021, Dakota Adventure, I was having breakfast
in a Hotel in Indiana. I was sitting at a
table alone, Minding my own business. Suddenly, a lady approached me to tell me
that she found the shirt I was wearing insensitive and offensive. Wow, Really
My reply was a curt and dismissive, “I don’t care, trying
looking somewhere else and Leave me alone.”
She continued to push it by telling me that “I was “Triggering
her Anxiety.”
I again replied that “I could care less about her, or her
anxiety so please leave me alone.”
Just for the record, the t-shirt I was wearing simply said, “You
are so ugly, when you sit in the sand the cats try to cover you up.”
I have never been or worried about being politically correct
and I am too old to start now.
Another thing that has changed due to the political climate
is where I stay when traveling.
Back in 2018, I retired from my job that I had held for 43
years. When I retired one of the thing that I wanted to do was Travel. I kicked
off my retirement with a month-long adventure exploring Texas. During that trip I visited all the Major
Cities in Texas, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Amarillo and El Paso. I never thought
twice about visiting or staying in these cities.
I spent several days staying in and exploring these cities.
While I am always aware of my surroundings, I was never concerned about my
safety when walking about or traveling in these larger cities. Then, the
Political climate changed dramatically, and crime surged in cities across the
nation.
To make matters worse, inner-city politicians have
handcuffed the police which allows criminals to remain free to prey on their
citizens and visitor who visit their city. People who live in or visit any of
the major U. S, Cities these days must be concerned for their safety.
For safety reasons, I have chosen to forgo visiting most
large cities during my travels. If I do visit, I limit my time to daytime
visits and I am certainly well clear of the inner city by the time it gets
dark. I no longer book hotels in the city.
Back in 2018 and before, I often looked for hotels in the
city where I could easily drive to or take public transportation to the
attraction. During My 2018 Texas
Adventure, I stayed in Downtown Dallas and San Antonio. This allowed me easy
access to several attraction. In San Antonio, I could walk to The Alamo, and
enjoy all the Riverwalk has to offer.
Nowadays I do not even consider staying in the city, rather
I look for hotels well removed from the downtown area. Last year when I took a weeklong trip through
Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, I made it a point to book rooms in well
outside of the large Cities.
Rather Than stay in Chattanooga, I booked a room in
Cleveland, Tennessee, about 30 miles north of the city. Rather than staying in
Birmingham, I stayed about 40 miles away in Jasper, Alabama. The last time I
went to Nashville, I chose to stay in White House, Tennessee about 20-miles
north of the city.
In addition to staying outside of larger cities, there are
just some cities that are so crime ridden and nasty that I won’t visit at all.
I used to enjoy riding Amtrak into Washington, D. C. and spending a couple of
days visiting the monuments and museums. Not Anymore.
Washington is a cesspool of crime and criminal. It is not
safe to walk the streets in broad daylight, and you sure don’t want to get
caught on the street after day. Once in D.C. I could ride the Metro to just
about any place I wanted to go. Not anymore. Crime on the Metro is rampant, and
it is NOT a safe means of Transportation.
Places like, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco,
Philadelphia, New Yor City and Memphis are just a few cities that Have been
added to a fast-growing list of Cities to stay clear of. The politicians that
govern these cities are aiding and assisting the criminals and are basically
just as guilty as those committing the crimes.
Another thing that has changed over the years is where I
stay when Traveling. For years I was loyal to the Choice Hotel Brand. Comfort
Inn, Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn’s were all under the Choice banner. For the most part they offered clean, comfortable
accommodation at a very reasonable price.
They also had a very generous rewards program for members
and for more than 20-years I was a Choice Privileges Member. I racked up points
that allow me to book free nights. During my 2018 Texas Adventure, I was on the
road more than 30-nights. Of those 30+ nights, I enjoyed 14-free nights at
Choice Properties.
However back about 2014, I noticed a change in the quality
of customer service at some of the Choice Properties. This caused me to look at
other options. So, while Choice was still my go to accommodation, I also joined
the Holiday Inn reward program and began staying at Holiday Inn a few nights
each year.
I didn’t travel much during COVID, and when I returned to
the road, I discovered that Choice Properties had suffered a further decline in
not only customer service but the cleanliness and overall condition of the
property was by and large unacceptable.
So, Holiday Inn became my go to accommodation, and I stayed
only with Choice enough times as to ensure that I wouldn’t lose my Choice Privileges
Points. In 2023, after back-to-back bad stays at Choice Properties near
Huntsville, Alabama, and Cookeville, Tennessee I pretty much said goodbye to
Choice and Now Stay almost exclusively at Holiday Inn and at Hilton Properties.
I am a rewards member of both brands and plan to use them exclusively in my
future travels.
Finally, there have been tremendous changes in the
restaurant industry. Again, this is due
to the political climate and the aftereffects of COVID.
During COVID, many restaurants closed their dining room,
offering only take-out and delivery. When the Country Re-Opened after COVID
many restaurants found it difficult or impossible to hire enough employees to
all them to return to full service.
These staffing difficulties along with government mandates
concerning minimum wage made if difficult for restaurants to function normally
or even survive. Some small hometowns and fast-food restaurants have chosen to
reduce staffing and service. Because of minimum wage mandates, many fast-food
restaurants have discontinued inside counter ordering. Instead, they offer only
self-service kiosks where customers place and pay for their order. This allows
the restaurant to drastically reduce labor costs by hiring less people.
Several time during my travels in 2023, I made my way to a
restaurant only to find a sign posted at the door saying, “Closed today due to
Staffing Shortage.” And on my 2023 Canyonlands Adventure many of the McDonalds
and Taco Bell, had no counter service, only self-ordering kiosks.
In addition, the full-service restaurants like Cracker Barrel,
Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday, service is often slow due to staffing
shortages. Several Times last year, I found
that even though these full-service restaurants were open they were able to operate
at reduced capacity due to staffing issues.
As I look forward to
my 2024 Travel Adventures, I have no reason to expect that anything will change
for the better. If anything, the political climate where the Republicans will
further demonstrate they are not capable of governing, and the democrats demonstrate
that they want to turn this country into a socialist state.
The good old day where a person could travel free and
without fear are long gone. But I plan on continuing to travel and my 2024
adventures are taking shape. So, stay tuned.
