Who created this page? | How should you use this page?
How can you support this page?
Recommended Roadtrip Reading. | Miscellaneous legal stuff. | Let's Trade Links.

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Who created this page, and why?

My name is Daniel Woodrum. I'm passionate about several things: photography, writing, and perhaps most of all, travel. I love to hit the road, and discover all the amazing places in this country. The scenery. The culture. The food.

Back in 2004, my father passed away. After years of spending my vacation time with him, I suddenly had the opportunity to do something else, and I set off for Las Vegas. I soaked in the neon on the strip, dropped a few bucks in a slot machine, then got the heck out of town. In less than a week I had completed the Arches & Canyons trip.

When I came home, I bored my co-workers at WFLA-TV, Channel 8 in Tampa, Florida, with the hundreds of pictures I had taken. I told a few stories, and since they're my friends, they listened politely. Then, I thought about taking those memories and putting them in a scrapbook. That's basically what I did, except my "scrapbook" can now be seen anywhere in the world.

Since then, I've taken several more frugal, fast, and incredibly enjoyable road-trips. Most of the time, I travel by myself. I'll fly into an area, rent a car, and cover as many miles as I can. While I love taking pictures along the way, and I enjoy gathering the information that later appears on this site, my primary goal is to explore and have fun.

Speaking of having fun, take a moment to check out another web creation of mine, www.bigredmug.com, and find out why a giant plastic mug is always with me on my travels.

Email me if you have any questions or suggestions, I'd be happy to help.

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How should you use this page?

I never intended for this website to be a one-stop, everything-you-need-to-know vacation guide. Until I can do this full-time, I must settle for seeing as much as I can, and passing up the rest. So, here are my suggestions for how to use TakeMyTrip.com:

Use my trips to plan your own route. Once you've been introduced to some of the attractions in a particular area, do more research elsewhere. I've included links to other web pages wherever possible.
Use the interactive map. Not all attractions on this site are included in trips, so check the map for each state you're visiting.
Picture your trip. I've tried to include as many pictures as I can, so that you can visualize the places you'll visit, rather than just read about them. This is where I believe many websites fall short: in order to save on bandwidth and cut their costs, they don't include many pictures.
Book your hotels. Truth be told, I'd prefer to hit the road, drive 'til I can't drive any further, then grab a room at the first decent place I can find. But sometimes it's wise to book ahead. In 2006, I teamed up with a service that allows you to browse all the hotels in the USA and Canada, by city. You can make reservations through TakeMyTrip.com's Hotel Helper, or try your luck at grabbing a room once you're there.
E-mail me. If you have a specific question about somewhere I've been, I'll try my best to answer it for you. Contact me after your trip with updates (or fresh pictures) and I'll post them!

One thing you shouldn't do: count on everything on this site to be accurate. Things change over time. Admission prices increase, dirt roads wash away, restaurants go from amazing to awful. If you're planning your entire trip around a certain attraction, make a few calls, do a few more searches. There are no guarantees, especially on a road trip (which at times can be part of the fun!) One exception-the hotel information is updated monthly, so it will be current.

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How can you support this website?

Has this website helped you plan a trip, perhaps allowed you to discover a few places you would have otherwise missed? I hope so. And just think, it's all free. Isn't the internet great?

While there's no charge for everything you'll find here, you can still do a few simple things to help keep this website online, and help me add to it:

As you browse, keep an eye out for sponsored links.
Check out my Recommended Reading page. I've mentioned several books that I've found to be tremendously helpful. If you purchase them through Amazon.com, I receive a small commission (and don't worry, it doesn't make your purchase cost more).
Use the Hotel Helper pages to find and book your next motel or hotel room. On every page of this website, you'll find links to the nearest cities offering hotels. Or you can click here to browse by state.
If this site has been a big help, consider making a small donation, by using the Paypal button below. You can use a credit card, and the transaction is completely secure, since it is handled by Paypal.com. Just a few dollars will help cover server and bandwidth expenses.

You can also look through my Photo Gallery, and consider purchasing one of my better photos.

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The Legal Stuff

I'll keep this part short, since I'm no lawyer. Here's what you need to know.

Everything on www.takemytrip.com is copyrighted. I created everything you see here, from the photographs to the graphics to the text. I've spent hundreds of hours, and it just wouldn't be right for you to steal it.
If you'd like to use an image you find here, you can, but only if you do the following: include a clickable link that points to either www.takemytrip.com or the specific page where you found the image. The link should say something to the effect of "Image provided by www.takemytrip.com." Also, please email me with a link to the page. I reserve the right to revoke permission to use the image if the webpage features offensive or obscene material, or for any other reason. (That said, in most cases, I'd be thrilled for you to link to my page!)
Nothing on my website is guaranteed. Facts change with time, and I simply can't promise that every detail on every page is timely and accurate. Please call individual businesses or governments/officials for the latest information.
I will respect your privacy, and will never release your email address or other information to anyone. So feel free to contact me for any reason!

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I welcome your feedback. Your thoughts will make this a better website. Click Here to Contact Me.
All photographs on this website may be available for purchase. Many are featured in the Gallery.
Click here for information on ordering prints.