Justin Shattuck is a man who is letting others decide where he travels on his summer vacation...those who need rides from him. Read on for this unusual road trip idea.
I've often thought it would be cool to spend a month driving around the U.S., but then the question arises...where would I go?
Justin Shattuck is another person who has had that idea, but he came up with a unique way to solve the destination problem: he lets others choose for him. He contacts people who have posted "ride wanted" ads on Craigslist and offers them a ride, in exchange for some company, half the gas and a destination.
Thus was born Summer Share.
He started out from his home-base in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has since given rides to various locations in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee.
But along the way, one of his rules is he is accepting dares. And as of today, his current dare is from Mark Timms, of South Carolina, who is riding along with Justin as they attempt to drive through all 48 lower states in only seven days. They've also picked up Chris Thompson from YouTube fame and the three are attempting to be in New York for the YouTube gathering on Saturday (7-7-07).
Justin has tricked out his blog to make following along with his adventure even more fun. He's got a live video feed, he's got an real-time GPS map of his location and driving speed (let's just say they are really booking it to make their week deadline) and he's got photos of his travels.
And if you enjoy following along and you'd like to help Justin out, he's gratefully accepting donations. He's also posted a list of expenses he's incurred during the trip and you can pay one of his tabs, from a meal to a hotel room, if you're feeling generous.
I think it's a very cool budget travel idea and one that is going to be a lasting memory for Justin. And isn't that what travel should be about?
If you'd like to check out Justin and his summer adventure, visit him at summerrideshare.com.
