Firstly, does anyone still use the slang ‘trippin’? As in, “you be trippin’ if you think I’m gonna use an old timey paper map, SON!”

Secondly, that was ugly and the LAST time I will attempt the vernacular of urban youths. Incidentally, I love paper maps and think it’s a good idea to use them, if for no other reason than to keep my skills sharp. When the zombie apocalypse happens, you can guarantee map reading will be a valued skill. That and the machete with which I’ve been practicing.

Today, let’s talk about road trips. We, in the U.S., are heading into the last ceremonial weekend of summer and the Labor Day holiday. This is prime road trip time, whether you are going two towns over for the fireworks display or heading out for a 1,000 mile road trip to the beach. One last hurrah before everyone goes back to school and attentions turn to Halloween (I guarantee, some stupid retailer will have the pumpkins and ghosts out within the next week – GAH!).

When it comes to planning a road trip, there are a lot of apps and sites that can help you map a route. Recently, a wonderful friend of mine sent me a link to a site I’d never seen before – Furkot.com. This site is the Big Kahuna of road trip planning. It gives you the option to select your drive time, route, lodging, and more. Intuitive and easy to use, I was hooked from the first moment I played with it.

I’ve been remiss in earlier posts regarding things I have used and recommend. To that end, I am unveiling the Java and Junket Seal of Approval. Over the next several weeks I will create a page where all my recommendations are listed under the tag ‘seal of approval’. As a reminder I don’t get paid a fee or receive any recompense at all for any of these endorsements. These are things that  I like and that I think will benefit my fellow travelers.

Enough yak flap, let’s see how Furkot works!

Since I have a cross-country trip move in my future, I used that for my experiment. Here are screen shots with descriptions of each page.

You don’t have to sign up, but it makes it easier, since you can save your trips.

Choose your start and end points

Then, select dates, modes of transportation, and lodging. Don’t forget to check ‘pet friendly’!

Here are my initial results! AZ to DC!

But, I want to see friends in ABQ, IND, and CMH so I draggged the route and dropped it over Indianapolis and voila! Hello, friends!

The tabs on the right let me see my trip details, including mileage and hours..

How each day breaks down…

Where I can sleep each night…or not

And what cool things there are too see along the way! But, what about gas stations? From this view, it looks like I am out of luck.

Until I zoom in. There we go! Gas stations all along my route!

You can even find cool things to see and do along the way!

As a dyed-in-the-wool Luddite I use apps sparingly, but this one is so cool, it has earned the Java And Junket Travel Tool Seal of Approval – that’s a thing now.

What do you think? Have you tried Furkot? Let me know if the comments and thanks for stopping by!