r/superdotcom

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My first mistake, I thought tennis shoes would be enough traction with basically a sheet of ice and snow on the ground while going down an actual cliffside. It was the beginning of February and I did not think to bring ice resistant boots, or even boots in general for that matter (I don’t own any). I also did not account for the fact that there had just been a massive blizzard, like actually was in a level 2 snow emergency the week before. So the hiking situation was not exactly what I hoped for, entirely my fault. I still got some great shots on my film camera though. The landscape was stunning with the frozen waterfalls.

I have been getting a lot of outdoor content recommended to me lately on TikTok and somehow ended up down a rabbit hole that led me to Wendy Eden, who has a YouTube channel called Wendy Outdoors. She is 77 years old and solo camps, hikes, and road trips through British Columbia and the Yukon all alone. Her whole thing is "just go." I watched her videos straight for four days and immediately started thinking this sounds so cozy and fun, I wanted to try it.

I get bored easily which is something I was always worried about with solo travel. What if I run out of things to do? What if it’s just me sitting there with my thoughts and I hate it? I had been telling my boyfriend about Wendy and that I think it would be so fun to try traveling solo. (I wasn’t entirely ready to camp, since I don’t have the gear, but figured this is a good first step with just going somewhere totally on my own) So he gifted me the stay for my birthday at the Hocking Hills Inn in Logan, Ohio, which he booked through Super.com for $100 a night (I get cashback, plus I work there so you know, gotta use the perks 😂)

I needed to hear my own thoughts for a few days and driving out into the woods sounded like the move.

Now, did I let my not being able to really explore the woods and see the sights ruin my trip? Absolutely not. I will admit I may have basically skated down a few hills in my tennis shoes, but I still got some hiking in. Since I wanted to keep busy with exploring and I love going to second hand stores, I found Logan Community Thrift and Consignment right in the middle of Hocking Hills and it was enormous. Set prices on everything, all shirts $2, jeans $5. (Don’t quote me, but I remember being shocked by the deals) I left with way more than I planned to. The antique stores nearby are massive and worth the detour.

And honestly? A lot of people told me I would get lonely and that I needed to ditch my phone to fully immerse myself. But I never once felt lonely and the only person I had to think about was me. Where I wanted to go, when I wanted to eat. Nobody to compromise with. And when it came to phone time, I let myself scroll when I wanted to, didn’t guilt trip myself about it, just stayed mindful of my time. Turns out when you’re not forcing yourself to disconnect you naturally just don’t feel like being on your phone that much anyway. Instead, I spent most of my time reading my cozy mystery.

Came home feeling like a person again.

TLDR: Went to Hocking Hills alone for my birthday in February with tennis shoes and no plan for a blizzard. (Not my smartest move.) Still had the best time. If you have been on the fence about solo travel, just go. You’ll figure it out.

It may sound a little bananas, but I typically go to 3 different stores every Sunday for my grocery run. Don't get me wrong, this is very annoying, but no single place has everything I need at the best price. One has the bulk stuff cheap, so I stock up on essentials there. One carries the name-brand gluten free things I can't find anywhere else, which if you're also GF you know the struggle. And the last one just has good general pricing for all the random odds and ends. So I do the loop and it's kind of become my whole Sunday. But between the bulk deals and not overpaying for the GF stuff, it genuinely adds up.

Maybe I could be doing something different, what's the grocery habit that actually cut your bill? (And please don't tell me to go to 4 different stores lol)

My boyfriend and I drove the Cherohala Skyway last summer kind of by accident, and it really stuck with me. It runs through the mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina, right next to the Tail of the Dragon, which is the one everybody typically show up for. Ironically, the Cherohala is the easier one to trek. The Dragon is 11 miles of tight curves where you're fighting for road space, and that just makes me too anxious. The Cherohala is a wide, well-paved two-lane, so it's totally relaxed, and it climbs past 5,000 feet, so it's overlook after overlook of stunning ridgelines.

Road trips always have to have a solid playlist. My boyfriend handles the music since he's got great taste, and this drive started out with Orpheus by The Beaches, one of my favorites and a song that just makes me think of summer.

To find it, it's TN-165 east out of Tellico Plains, Tennessee, or NC-143 out of Robbinsville, North Carolina. Just search Cherohala Skyway and it'll route you to either end. Fill up and grab food in one of those towns first, because there's nothing the whole way (and I mean nothing), and your signal dies near the top.

I'm not knocking the Blue Ridge or the Smokies, they earn the crowds. I just think this one was something different.

What's your favorite underrated drive, and what's on the playlist for it?

Every time a friend says they're headed to Austin I give them the same answer without even thinking about it. I've been a few times, so I have what I thought were solid opinions, but now I'm second-guessing myself, because last time I said it someone completely disagreed. I always send people to Barton Springs. I have loved it each time I've gone, since I get hot pretty easily so it feels great, and I think the location and scenery is just lovely.

The person who disagreed basically said it's not worth it anymore, too crowded, too expensive to get in, freezing, and a pain to find parking. And honestly I can't FULLY disagree, I've definitely seen it packed.

What's the thing you tell everyone who's visiting Austin to do? My friends are actually heading there next month, so I want to be sure I give them a solid option.

With how much time I spend on Reddit now, the thing I see people worry about the most when it comes to booking travel is showing up and the front desk not having their reservation in the system. I've even felt that way myself. So when it comes to us, let me explain what's actually happening.

When you book a hotel through Super.com, it goes to the hotel through our travel partners that hold the room. Hotels just update their own systems on their own schedule. Usually your booking shows up within 2 to 3 business days, sometimes longer if you booked way ahead, and honestly a lot of hotels don't load it until the day you check in. That's normal! (I know it sounds scary, trust me, but it's normal.)

And if the front desk can't pull it up right away, it's usually because the room is booked under a travel partner's name, not Super.com's, so it can show up under that partner instead. Give it 15 to 20 minutes and have them look again, it usually just needs to sync. If it's still not there, message us and we'll work it out with the hotel directly, that's what we're here for! There's a 24/7 line too, 1-844-461-2577, and we've got you on live chat and social messages as well.

I know booking with a company you haven't used before takes a leap of faith, so hopefully this makes it feel a little less like one 🙂

I'm done with connecting flights. Flying this summer has been such a mess. On my latest trip to Canada, my connecting flight home got delayed 20 minutes, then an hour, then three. Once we're finally on the plane, the pilot gets on the radio and says we have to wait for the tower to clear us, which takes another hour of just sitting. Then we land, and more sitting. A four hour travel day turned into eight, and wow, I have never wanted to be horizontal so badly in my life.

So I'm booking nonstop from now on. I used to take the layover to save a hundred bucks, no problem, but the connection is where everything goes wrong. Your first flight runs late and you're just standing at the gate watching the next one leave without you. The nonstop costs more, but I'll pay it to not lose a whole day to one delay.

Do you pay up for the nonstop and the buffer, or are you still rolling the dice with booking connections?

My sisters are finally doing New Orleans, they've been talking about it forever and just booked a place. I offered to plan out the itinerary because they want to show up and not think about what's next (and I happen to think I'm a pretty great planner). Only thing is I've been to New Orleans exactly once, so I'd love some recommendations before I lock it in.

So far I was thinking a lap down Bourbon Street for the chaos, then get out of it and check out the area around it if they're feeling overwhelmed. Frenchmen Street for the music. The French Quarter past Bourbon for the architecture. And some kind of cemetery or history tour, but I have no idea which ones are actually worth the time (and the money).

Also, is a swamp tour worth it or is it a gimmick? And is the streetcar a real way to get around or just cute for photos? They're not really itinerary people, so I want to give them a few solid anchors and then let them roam.

What's the one place you'd send them that they'd never find on their own, and the one thing everyone does that they can skip?