Once upon a time ago, my roommates and I drove from Chicago to Auburn, AL where my parents had recently returned after many years in Ohio. I think we spent 20-odd hours in the car, with an adventurous stop to stay the night in Ohio on either end. We drove through rain, we drove through mountains, we drove through sunny, windy roads. We ate local fare and made new friends, in spite of being enclosed in my 2004 Pontiac Grand Am for hours on end.
It was amazing.
I’ve embarked on many of these get up and drive trips in my life; my family made the dreaded Ohio to Alabama drive at least 4 times a year. Every year. For 15 years of my life. My love, Valerie, and I did a St. Louis/Chicago trip before I lived here. And, on a whim, boyfriend and I drove to Madison, WI and Kalamazoo, MI all in one weekend. Clearly, I don’t mind kicking it car-style. The best friend and I are actually debating a Route 66 journey in the near future. If you find yourself with a car and a destination, here are some solid ways to get your road trip out of first gear and into the seriously awesome zone.
1.) Great music. If the jams you pick for the car aren’t great, an automatic bad mood will settle in all corners of the car and no one wants that. It’s tradition with my roommate that we listen to the entire discography of Fall Out Boy on a trip. When I’m alone, I always go showtunes so I can sing my little diva heart hoarse on the road. It’s all a matter of personal preference, but be sure whatever you listen to is a crowd favorite.
2.) Pick the right road trip buddies. You know the friends that you have tons of fun with; the ones that will set fire to the bars with you at 4 am, the friend from knitting class, the neighbor you casually grab sushi with periodically. But you should also keep in mind your limits when planning a road trip. You’ll be spending hours in the car, then days at your destination with your road trip buddies. And if they are lame, the whole experience is lame.
3.) Snacks. As tempting as it may be to pull off at the first Steak and Shake/In and Out Burger/Jack in the Box you see once you’ve hit the road, you might want to consider healthier fare on your driving days. Greasy food will just make you sleepy for the drive and napping makes you miss all teh fun stuff. Why not pack some sandwiches and fruit and have a picnic instead?
4.) Do your homework. Figure out how you and your mates are going to divide the cost of gas (AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator is awesome for that!), how much money you actually have to spend on keychains from every state you drive through and figure out where you’ll stay when you arrive at your destination. These are things you are not going to want to bother with once you are on the road.
5.) Be spontaneous. Don’t do too much work though. Don’t plot out exactly how many hours everyone will drive and where you are going to eat every single meal and how much time is allotted for chewing. Part of the beauty of a road trip is pulling off the road to have grilled cheese at the biggest dairy farm in the country or taking a photo with the giant peach sculpture at the rest area before you really needed to stop. Spontaneity is in the true spirit of a road trip, hitting the pavement and just going.
6.) Document everything. Keep menus. Take pictures. Make friends. And when you get home, there are tons of cute crafty things you can do with your road trip memorabilia. My personal fave suggests taking a city map from each city you visit and using it to mat a photo from the place to display as a group.
7.) Wear a wrinkle free dress. Seriously, some of my favorite road trip pictures are me with huge sunglasses, dress and hair slightly ruffled by the breeze, usually posing with something ridiculous like a giant beaver. My mother always tells me to dress to arrive, not to depart, so you can be ready to make an entrance anywhere. I always travel that way. (Thanks, mom.)
8.) Don’t forget your umbrella. You can’t change the weather. Make sure you have a coat, umbrella and shoes that can handle rain or sand or whatever kind of ground situation might await you at your destination.
9.) Be courteous. Don't pop your gum. Throw away your trash. If someone else is driving, offer to pump the gas. Don't be a jerk and karma will smile on your road tripping efforts.
With that, I’m off to finish packing and get ready to take off for Ohio for the weekend with the bestie and the beau. It's going to be Barney Stinson legen- (Wait for it...) -dary.
Kisses,
AJS
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