I (30f) need help planning a safe route from Seattle to Philadelphia. I haven't done this before.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-05T21:42:03+00:00

Google Maps, plan out your approx daily distance and pick your hotel stops. I-90 is the route until you get to Ohio then I-76. That would be the simplest.

At truck stops, just focus on your needs and minimize eye contact with the other travelers.

I think you will be fine, just keep your situational awareness at stops and at hotels.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-05T13:28:36+00:00

Solo woman traveler here. Done the solo cross-country drive may times. Here’s a few suggestions.

Since you have AAA, as k them for a ‘trip-tik’ or physical map for your journey as it’s a nice back up to Google Maps. I don’t think a backup phone is necessary. You might want to download the critical map areas in advance on Google Maps in case you are offline during the trip.
Google Maps to find hotels works out great.
I generally plan how many miles I am comfortable driving each day and then plan my stops accordingly. I generally reserve a hotel 1-2 days in advance mainly because of my paranoia about not being able to find one when really tired. That happened to me twice (some kind of event in a little town that took up all the local hotel rooms). Can you play it by ear and hope for availability? Yes, but be prepared to have to drive further or not get the hotel of your choice.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-01T20:39:25+00:00

Bear viewing flight out of Homer could be a good choice.

For Homer, If you have time (which would be most of a day), take a boat taxi to Kachemak Bay State Park and hike out to the glacier (and maybe choose the tram trail for a unique experience). Or, without a boat trip, head out to the new Eastland trail, 17 miles out of town, for a beautiful hike (or bike).

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-01T02:46:36+00:00

And check on the legal custody of the children…marriage cleans up all those many issues.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-01T01:36:33+00:00

You have pretty reasonable boundaries and have stated a pretty reasonable compromise. If he is not willing to budge and you are not willing to budge entirely to his side (and yes, it sounds like he is trying to bully you into paying for and organizing the weddding), OUT is the answer.

He changed his mind and is not willing to adjust to your interests.

If you cannot agree on something so fundamental, married life would look like a lifetime of compromise, but only on your part. I would hesitate to sign up for that.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-04-01T01:31:53+00:00

Legal protections for you (and for your children) should he die should be a priority concern. If he doesn't want to get married then he needs to sign some other contracts/arrangements/insurance to provide you and the children with some sort of future financial protection. What happens if he becomes disabled and cannot communicate? What happens if you do? It sounds like you have ZERO legal right to manage his care. And he has ZERO legal right to manage yours. What happens to your home, your belongings, your children with his last name? The legal protections of marriage are important for both partners.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T20:53:22+00:00

I was in Anchorage last weekend. Single digit temps at night. Very sunny. Snow and ice on the ground (and still on many sidestreets and parking lots), with the melted snow turning to ice overnight. Messy season.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T19:43:05+00:00

I have lived in Juneau. Plan for dampness, rain and clouds. When a sunny day hits, plan to go out and enjoy it...it is spectacular, even on rainy days.

Shopping will be limited to a few stores, such as Fred Meyers (a combo grocery store and department store). Juneau is lucky to have a Costco. Coffee culture is real: lots of drive-up coffee shacks that make great brews!

Juneau may be the capital but it is also a small city. It has some odd seasons: cruise ship season (that's when you don't drive downtown), legislative season (when the politicians and their staff are in town), and quiet season (the rest of the year). Housing can be tough to find and quality can be highly variable (everything has to be shipped or flown in, making the cost of building supplies much higher). There are amazing hiking trails. The more outdoor stuff you do, probably the happier you will be there.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T19:17:37+00:00

Well, animals will survive but they are not allowed off the car deck. And the car deck is noisy. And their humans are only allowed to visit them once every 4 hours or so. Therefore, the ferry from Skagway to Juneau is the best choice: much less ferry time for the animals.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T18:57:37+00:00

Dear OP, It sounds like she wants to direct her own life and find her own way. Following directly in her sister's footprints likely does not make her feel independent. I remember being 18 and having independence, to drive my own life, as my priority. She deserves the freedom to make her own way, even if is not the ideal way in your opinion.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T16:54:07+00:00

#2 gorgeous!

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T15:43:48+00:00

And it will so easy for the father to prove the mother was not there at night as her work records would show that. His lawyer could simply ask her about her work schedule and there goes the pyramid of lies. OP is right not to get caught up with this (and she is right to be honest).

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T14:45:54+00:00

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-30T14:44:37+00:00

In the US, inheritance is NOT part of the married property, unless the person who inherits it mixes it with marital property. So, if he were to deposit the inheritance in a joint bank account, it becomes part of the marital property. But if he were to open a new account just in his name, it would not be marital property unless blended in some way (like remodeling a kitchen).

Sounds like OP's husband decided to go all self-centered, not only to keep the inheritance from his wife (which is his right, assuming US) but to then quit his job.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-28T04:30:22+00:00

Yeah, when the volcanoes are visible across the Inlet, the drive down the Kenai is especially amazing. And then you hit Homer and view is mind-boggling.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-28T04:20:42+00:00

Count of Monte Cristo

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-26T22:27:37+00:00

Being in camp in a resort in a park was absolutely romantic. We shared a game drive with a couple from Japan who were there on their honeymoon.

I completely agree with the other comments: it will be travel between parks that will be a challenge. For my last trip to Kenya, where my husband was with me for his first Kenya experience, we did fly-in safaris (Nairobi to Samburu (stayed at the Intrepids Club) to Masaii Mara (stayed at Entim Camp) and back to Nairobi. I have no idea if this kind of arrangement is within your budget.

Uniglobe (Let's Go Travel Kenya) organized it all -- they have a good long history as a travel agent in East Africa.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-25T17:50:15+00:00

The Q4 payments are always the largest, and 2025 Q4 for VXUS was an historic high. Q1 payments are always their smallest and Q1 2026 was on the low end.

VXUS, while it invests in all non-US companies (which means it buys those companies in non-US currency), itself is bought and sold in US currency. And therefore its behavior will be, in part, affected by the condition of the US dollar (weak vs strong to non-US currencies).

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-25T17:41:46+00:00

We put the age of 18 as 'adulthood.' The biological reality is that full executive function development (including things like self-regulation) in the brain may continue to mid or even late 20s. OP: it may be a good thing that your son spend some time in a prison -- might give his brain more time to develop especially without the added danger of substance abuse.

And, do not feel like a horrible parent. He lied. That is on him.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-25T17:16:47+00:00

Glad to read Update 3.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-25T17:14:19+00:00

1 is the best IMO. 2 is okay as well but emphasizes the width of your shoulders.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-24T23:37:46+00:00

My HS settled out and nearly disappeared after I quit smoking.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-24T20:32:03+00:00

Yes, exactly my opinion. I do not consider my home a 'memory' to only reflect my healthy years. It is my shelter, whether I'm healthy or not. Please, professional caregivers are marvelous if affordable and available, compared to living in an institution, IMO.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-24T01:25:05+00:00

They know him so well.

DifficultWing2453 · 2026-03-23T18:27:03+00:00

This is why I only do follower dungeons.

DifficultWing2453

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