Do You Think Before You Go?

If you’re like us you’re on the road for the holiday, off to visit with friends and family.

At some point in your travels you have to stop to eat and drink, right?

As we drove down the road passing the signs for nearby eateries and attractions I realize once again how abundant and easy it is to settle for Anywhere USA and the stale, meaningless experience you get when you settle for a chain.

Not only is the experience less rich but your money doesn’t support the community you’re passing through.

According to the 350 Project:

• When you spend $100 in a national chain only $43 stays in the community, the rest leaks out to the national headquarters or suppliers which are located elsewhere
• When you spend the same $100 in a locally owned independent store $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.

With a little forethought we can plan our stops in communities that offer a local, authentic experience.  It’s not necessarily easy but if you think about it and do some planning and research you too can find some great experiences.  Keep your eye’s peeled because the authentic places might not be on the highway sign, or better yet, stop and ask some locals where they go.

Here’s a few on our route from Fayetteville, WV to Lancaster, PA:

• Fairmont, WV – Country Club Bakery is the home of the pepperoni roll
• Morgantown, WV – good coffee at the Blue Moose or grab a burrito at the Blackbear
• Cumberland, MD – historic downtown at the juncture of the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal.  Get some ice cream or a sandwich at Queen City Creamery or some wood fired pizza at Puccini’s.

Do you think before you go?  Do you seek a local, authentic experience even if it’s just a pit stop?

We made a pit stop in Cumberland, MD a few years ago.  Now we stop almost every time we pass through because there are so many rich, authentic things to do, see, eat, and drink.

Looking forward to seeing our family and friends in Lancaster, PA and maybe a stop at Central Market, the longest running local market in the U.S.  Then off to Allentown for a pit stop at Yocco’s.

Happy Holidays and safe travels!

Tags: authentic travel, cumberland md, fairmont wv, geotourism, green travel, morgantown wv, travel green appalachia

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Blog, Green Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.