Everyone loves road trips, right? If you don’t, it’s probably because either it was a long, stressful drive or you stared out the window the entire time out of boredom. Here’s the thing: road trips don’t have to be boring. Road trips are one of the most fun ways to travel if you make the commitment ahead of time to make this a fun, road trip adventure. Will you spend a lot of time sitting down? Sure. Will that time be spent in a very small space? Yep. Still, that’s no reason not to turn it into an adventure. ON the open road, you have unparalleled freedom. There are no flight times. There is no airport security. You make your own schedule. Think of your road trip as a “choose your own adventure” book. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your roadside expedition.
- Make your own path. Remember those days long ago before anyone had a GPS or Google Maps? Yeah, we still have maps. We can still use them. Crack open a map or road atlas and choose your own way. Travel through the mountains or across the desert. The scenery will be so much prettier than that of a mega-highway. Research some restaurants or roadside stops you can make and swerve your patha little to stop there.
- Plan for rest stops. Yes, you need to stop. Stop every two hours if it’s a long trip. You don’t want to get burnout, and remember, part of your vacation fun or road trip is the adventure! You’re not going to find much adventure on the highway, are you? Exactly. Who knows what excitement you’ll find between your home and your final destination?
- Make a rule that there are no vetos allowed. If someone in the car wants to stop somewhere, you stop. End of story. Give your fellow road warriors a chance and explore. If their chosen stop is really lame, it will just give you more reasons to gloat afterwards. Who knows– you may find a hidden treasure you never would have seen otherwise.