With Thanksgiving on the horizon, many of us have already planned long journeys to visit family and friends. However, this year’s pilgrimage for turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes might have been impacted by the lingering effects of the federal government shutdown if you planned on flying home for the holiday. Despite the shutdown’s end earlier this week, the FAA’s emergency order to reduce flights hasn’t been rescinded and airlines are still cancelling flights to adhere to the restrictions. I wouldn’t be surprised if people decided to ditch economy class and just opt to drive instead.
What’s the longest road trip that you would be willing to take? Obviously, there are a lot of factors at play in any road trip. It probably wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience to recreate the three-day ordeal from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” this month. However, a trip from New York to Chicago could be incredible if you could meander across the country at your own pace. Most of us are familiar with the clichéd customs officer question: Business or pleasure? Every trip has a purpose.
The Kremlin wants to link Eurasia to the Americas
The most significant barrier to any road trip is the ocean. You could load your car onto a ship, but it might as well be a boat trip once you’re on a ship for longer than a few days. The Russian government appears to be accommodating our desire to drive nearly anywhere in the world. Last month, the CEO of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund proposed an $8 billion tunnel to link Siberia and Alaska under the Bering Strait. According to Reuters, the proposed tunnel would be 70 miles long and built for trains. If this absurd project were completed, it wouldn’t be any more outlandish if there were a car shuttle service similar to the Channel Tunnel’s shuttle. Would I be concerned that the Russian Armed Forces would use said tunnel to retake Alaska? Maybe.
Please leave the longest road trips that you’d be willing to take in the comments section below. Be sure to include the destination, how long it would take and the stops you’d make along the way.
