❌

Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

I visited Scottsdale for the first time in the spring. I made 3 mistakes that I'm still thinking about months later.

The author in a cowboy hat and sunglasses stands smiling in front of cacti and an adobe building in Scottsdale
Business Insider's reporter visited Scottsdale, Arizona, in the spring and made a few mistakes.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

  • I traveled to Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, Arizona, for the first time in April.
  • The trip included neighborhood tours, fine dining, and luxury hotel stays.
  • I made a few mistakes, from booking to packing and planning, that I'll avoid next time I visit.

In April, I took my first trip to Arizona's desert oasis β€” the wealthy enclave of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, two Phoenix suburbs known for their high-end real estate and travel markets.

During my two-day whirlwind trip, I packed in neighborhood tours, fine-dining experiences, and two luxury hotel stays.

Months later, I'm still thinking about three mistakes I made when booking, packing, and planning the trip, which I'll avoid next time I want to escape to Arizona's millionaire hub.

When planning my itinerary, I didn't realize how far apart some stops were.
A map of the greater Phoenix area has pins over the author's destinations
A map of the greater Phoenix area highlights the author's stops around Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

Google Maps

When I mapped out my trip to Scottsdale, I didn't realize how large the town was.

Downtown Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are quite close together β€” 15 minutes or less by car, in my experience. However, I couldn't miss seeing the luxurious neighborhoods and fine dining in North Scottsdale.

When I booked my tours and reservations, I didn't realize North Scottsdale was about a 40-minute cab ride from the hub area.

I ended up traveling up and down Scottsdale multiple times a day. Next time, I'll plan to spend one full day in North Scottsdale to avoid wasting time and money on cabs.

When traveling to Scottsdale in the spring, I should have planned for dry, 90-degree Fahrenheit days.
The author stands on a balcony with pools, palm trees, and palm trees
The author regrets packing dark-colored clothing.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

For my spring trip to Scottsdale, I expected it to be warm, as the area is known to be throughout the year. So, I packed some cooling, quick-dry attire, like the Under Armour polo above, paired with pants made from a similar material.

It was warmer than I anticipated, and this dark navy outfit made me feel like a magnet to the sun.

The outfit was comfortable in the morning and evening, but I would have packed lighter-colored clothing if I had known I'd be battling 90-degree heat in the afternoons.

I also didn't realize that the heat in Scottsdale would feel drastically drier to me compared to the air I'm used to back home in New York.

I thought I could easily walk around all day in Scottsdale. I planned to spend most daylight hours exploring outdoors and walking from neighborhood to neighborhood. But I got dehydrated easily and ran through my 20-ounce plastic water bottle quickly.

Next time I visit Scottsdale in the spring, I'll pack a larger, insulated water bottle and break up outdoor activities in my itinerary with indoor ones to stay cool and hydrated.

Booking just one night in a mega-resort was my biggest regret.
A resort with pools and palm trees in front of a mountain with blue skies in the background
The pool complex at the Phoenician in Scottsdale.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Since I spent two nights in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, I booked one night in each town.

I stayed atΒ the Phoenician in Scottsdale, a 600-acre mega-resort with five pools, a three-story spa, and an 18-hole golf course.

I didn't save enough time in my itinerary for hanging out at the hotel.

I spent most of the day out and about, and by the time I got back to the Phoenician, I was too tired to sit down at the award-winning lobby bar or step into one of the pools.

Before I checked out in the morning, I had just enough time to explore the entire property on foot. I watched others play golf, tennis, and pickleball and longed for another night. This ended up being my biggest regret of the trip because I left feeling like I'd missed out.

After my stay, I realized that a mega-resort is worth the price only if I take advantage of all it has to offer. Since my trip was more about exploring Scottsdale than relaxing, there simply wasn't enough downtime to make it worth booking for just one night.

After getting a preview of the Phoenician's amenities, I'd love to stay again for at least two nights and plan to spend many waking hours there.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I've spent 400 hours road-tripping 2,800 miles around the US. These are the biggest mistakes I've made.

A road with trees on either side and mountains in the background on a cloudy day
The author has road-tripped through 30 states around the US and has some regrets.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

  • Road-tripping around the US can be awe-inspiring β€” if you avoid making mistakes.
  • I've traveled 2,800 miles on US road trips and had some regrets.
  • In the future, I will spend fewer daily hours on the road and rely less on stops for caffeine.

Road trips can be amazing, awe-inspiring, and annoying.

I'd know β€” I've spent 400 hours traveling 2,800 miles on the road. I've passed through 30 states around the Southwest and up the coasts. I've traveled from Texas to the Carolinas, New Mexico to Oregon, and twice from Arizona to NYC. I've toured the Northeast in a van with my band. I've slept in more campsites and parking lots than I can count.

So, what makes an otherwise amazing, awe-inspiring road trip feel annoying? Mistakes. And I've had time to make a bunch of them.

These are the six biggest mistakes I've made on the road that I'll avoid in the future.

Bringing my own food on the road saves money and time, but messy ingredients make trips more stressful.
Car Near Greek Beach with Lunch Items on Dashboard
Making food in the car is messy.

Kypros/Getty Images

In the summer of 2015, I took a two-week-long road trip for the first time. Before heading out for the journey from Austin, Texas, to Napa Valley, California, and back, I headed to the grocery store and loaded up the cart with ingredients for meals I could make in the car β€” sliced bread, deli meats, cheeses, peanut butter, and jelly. And I couldn't forget pickles, mayo, tomatoes, and avocados to make the sandwiches more dynamic.

I imagined staying healthy by skipping fast-food joints to lather and stack these ingredients into custom delights.

But it looked better in my head.

Creating sandwiches on the road was stressful, and making a mess was all too easy. My hands shook as I spread mayo in a moving car. And resealing meats and cheeses to be airtight wasn't as simple as the packages claimed.

By the time I could eat my sandwiches, my hands and parts of the passenger seat were sticky. Since that trip, I have only packed ready-made "meals" for road trips, like protein bars and shakes.

For snacks, I stick to dry items like trail mix that aren't coated in dusty flavors.

Forgetting to pack my own source of caffeine made my trips more expensive.
driving
A driver sips a to-go coffee on a road trip.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

If you're anything like me, caffeine on a road trip is a must.

However, I've taken off for several trips without my own source of energy handy. When this happens, I end up spending an additional $10-$20 per day at coffee shops.

Recently, I've avoided additional stops and expenses by packing MiO, a water flavor enhancer with vitamins and caffeine.

Adding caffeine to my water instead of downing a coffee also helps me stay hydrated.

Spending too many hours on the road made trips less enjoyable …
The sun sets behind a hill with telephone wires connecting to a pole on the left
The sun sets over a country road in Texas.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Many of my road trip experiences took place in college, when energy was high and funds were tight.

My friends and I often prioritized covering as much ground as possible with the little bit of cash we had. This meant we spent 12 to 14 hours on the road some days.

Many of these hours were fun, but once the sun went down, so did the energy. Without a view or a sense of place in those later hours, it felt like we could have been driving anywhere.

In my experience, the nighttime road hours feel twice as long as the daylight hours. I would avoid spending more than two hours on the road after dark.

… especially when arriving at campsites after dark.
zion campsite at night
A campsite outside Zion National Park.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

After a long day on the road, the last thing anyone wants to do is pitch a tent β€” especially in the dark.

In July 2017, I took a two-and-a-half-week road trip to national parks and monuments in Texas, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

The budget was extra tight, so we camped or slept in the car every night.

I remember arriving at our campsite outside Zion National Park in Utah. I don't remember how many hours we'd been on the road, but only the stars lit up the sky when I got out of the car.

I wanted to simply lie down and look up, but I had a shelter to pitch. Assembling a tent in the dark is challenging. Even with the car lights on for help, finding the right pieces to connect was difficult.

I'm not sure how long it took to pitch the tent that night, but I went to bed thinking I wouldn't put myself in the same situation again.

Avoiding my phone in the car made me miss crucial stops.
A road sign on NV state route 375, the extraterrestrial highway at the Crystal Springs junction, alerting drivers the next opportunity for gas is 150 miles
Don't miss crucial road signs.

Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

As a cusp millennial, I love to play the game of not using my phone to find food or rest stops and just relying on signs in the present moment.

Well, I used to love it.

The problem with this game is that I'm not only relying on signs to tell me what's coming up but also relying on my attention span, which can be shorter than a sentence.

So, how do you lose this game? You miss the sign that says, "This is the last gas station for 100 miles." I've done it more than once, and it sucks. I've never gotten stuck, but I've gotten close.

My best advice is to find other road games to pass the time and keep your phone handy.

Traveling too fast left me unfulfilled.
The author sits on the edge of a canyon with rich, green canyons in front of her.
The author looks over the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

When road-tripping from Austin, where I lived in college, the first and last days of a trip will likely just be getting in and out of Texas β€” Austin is in the middle of the gigantic state.

Because of this, my road trips in college were rushed. I'd travel as far as Oregon and visit as many as six national parks in less than three weeks.

I'm grateful that I've been able to experience so many different natural landscapes and environments around the US, but I don't feel like I've spent enough time in any of them to truly take in each setting.

Now, as an adult, I embrace slow travel.

When I take a road trip unrelated to work, I pick one or two places and stay awhile.

Read the original article on Business Insider

❌