The road trip is something
that every one of us should experience at least once. It doesn’t matter if
that trip is from Florida to Alaska, or just a couple of hours outside of your
hometown, a road trip is a road trip – always a blast, but always something
that requires a little “know how” to survive. What follows is some tongue-in-cheek
advice on “how to road trip”.
So, you’re thinking about a road trip huh? Good for you.
Road trips are the truest way to travel in my opinion (next to walking – but who
are we kidding here). Nothing is better than a road trip with no plan and no
agenda. Just a sense of adventure, a full tank of gas and five of your closest
friends and family all stuffed into a hatchback for hours on end, praying that
no one passes gas.
In case it wasn’t clear, that last part of the sentence was
meant to be sarcastic. Don’t get me wrong, experiencing a road trip with
friends or family is the only way to do it. But, don’t go into it lightly
when traveling with groups of others. As someone who has taken hundreds of
road trips, I can say with confidence that there are definite guidelines to
follow. So, take my advice below on how to road trip and have a better trip
in the end.
Take a Road Trip, Not a Cruise
When you go to a greasy hamburger joint, do you order a
salad and expect it to be good? No! When you’re on a road trip, do road
trippy things. Explore small towns. Stop at weird and wacky places that
are out of the way. Interact with strangers to learn about where you are.
You never know what you might find – heck, it could be the best darn roadside
salad bar you’ve ever experienced!
There’s really no right “how to” here, the point being is
don’t just do the same stuff you do every day – like commute on a highway – get
off the beaten path and try something new.
Your Home on the Road
If you say this once about your car during a road trip, you brought
too much stuff. Taking a road trip is meant to help you experience something
other than home. You’re not a hobo. So, don’t try to take your whole house
with you. I guarantee you will survive and you will probably enjoy it a lot
more.
Put the DVD players, video games, fifteen extra changes of
clothes, moisturizing cream, scuba gear, etc back. Make sure you have your
wallet, ID, some cash and a credit card and go. Experience something new, not
what you already have.
Gas
I’m not talking about gasoline. Look, any good road trip
diet is going to be 48% sugar based, 42% fat/lard based, 30% protein based
(which was fried in the fat/lard previously mentioned). People are going to
fart, it’s a natural thing. Please, don’t try to just sneak it out so the whole
car spends the next 10 minutes wondering what that smell is.
Let it rip, and claim it. You’ve now done two things that
are good for any road trip: made everybody laugh, and gotten everyone to roll
down the windows right away minimizing the damage.