7 Reasons Why You Should Go On A Road Trip
By Thoughtis
1. You need to see America!
Even if you’ve lived in America your whole life, there’s a good chance you’ve only seen a small part of your country. When people travel domestic, they typically skip the off-the-beaten-path destinations and head straight for metropolitan cities. By going on a road trip, you’re giving yourself an opportunity to see all of your home—the beautiful, the surreal, and the “wow, I can’t believe this place actually exists!” Go to Mississippi for some barbecue, chill at the beach in Florida, and go figure out what’s up with North Dakota. The USA is such a diverse, strange place. Driving cross country allows you to experience all of what America has to offer (and often makes you appreciate your hometown that much more).
2. You’re young and, therefore, obligated to do crazy things
You have to take advantage of your youth; you must take advantage of the fact that the only obligations you have at a young age are to yourself. Because when you get older, time exists in a vacuum. Your job becomes something you just can’t leave whenever you want to, and then you might get married and have kids, which means two other people now must factor into every decision you make. You can’t just tell them, “BRB. Mommy/ Daddy is going on a road trip to experience some life stuff.” In a way, you’ve lost some of your personal freedom. So if you have the opportunity to skip out on your life for a certain period of time, do it! Ditch all of your obligations to create some amazing memories. Nothing says “I’m young, I’m free, and I do what I want!” quite like a road trip does. Note: If you ever actually do say something like that, make sure “Baba O’Riley” is playing. Epic song for an epic moment.
3. You need a vacation
Sometimes life can feel like Groundhog Day, doesn’t it? You have the same routine day in and day out, and you find yourself feeling bored and stressed at the same time. It’s clear that you need a vacation but you don’t have the money to stay in some posh hotel at some exotic location for ten days. Besides, you need a different type of vacation, one that will be exciting and CPR you back to life. Let’s face it, laying poolside for a week might be fun but it doesn’t exactly do wonders for the soul. Going on a road trip, however, would be the perfect solution to your Groundhog Day woes. You’d get to be in a new location every single day, if not every few hours, and you’d also be exposed to different slices of life — road trips are actually like eating a Life Pie when you think about it — which will help you gain perspective and clarity about where you are in your own life. It’s about adventure and not tied completely to work and technology, which is something everyone needs at some point in their lives.
4. It looks like so much fun when they do it in the movies!
I can’t write a post about road trips without mentioning the seminal film Crossroads, which starred Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and my personal Jesus, Taryn “Boomkat” Manning. If you’re unfamiliar with the plot, allow me to explain! Britney Spears plays a girl who has just graduated high school and is searching for her birth mom. She reunites with her childhood friends, White Trash With A Baby On The Way But I Want To Be A Singer Bye (Taryn Manning) and I’m Engaged And Underaged That’s It Because My Role Is Underwritten (Zoe Saldana). Together, the three girls set out on a road trip and have plenty of laughs and tears along the way. Britney’s birth mom turns out to be Samantha from Sex and the City (hey girl!) and Taryn Manning loses her baby after falling down a flight of stairs. But hey! Britney Spears discovers that she’s a performer and an okay singer so that’s fun for everyone!
5. You (or your friend) are moving cross country and you want to have one last hurrah!
If you or your friend are moving cross country, why not take it as an opportunity to squeeze in some quality time before EVERYTHING CHANGES AND YOU DRIFT APART AND SUDDENLY, YOU’RE SMILINGLY MEEKLY AT EACH OTHER AT YOUR TEN YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION? I mean, you should do it because it’s a great way to bond before undergoing a monumental change, duh! If someone’s moving cross country, chances are they’re starting a new chapter in their life. This can be difficult for anyone, let alone best friends, so why not kill two birds with one stone by going on a road trip? You can move your stuff while also savoring these last days before having to start over somewhere else. Play Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” while bobbing your heads in unison on the open road while saying to each other, “No, but really, you’re like my bestest friend.” “No, I know. You’re my best friend too, duh!””We’re like obsessed with each other.” “Obsessed…”
6. You just want to have an excuse to make a road trip playlist, don’t you?
Everyone knows that the best place to listen to music is in a car with your friends going to some great destination. People go crazy though over deciding who gets to be in charge of the iPod. “I want to DJ this powerful moment! You can get the next one!” Making a playlist for a road trip is an epic undertaking (hopefully I’ve given you some good suggestions already!) but it’s worth it. Because when a song comes on at that perfect moment, it’s like pure ecstasy for your earbuds. Sample road trip playlist titles can include “I’m In California And I Just Want To Listen to Beach Songs” and “My Friend And I Just Had A Tiff So Here’s Some Mellow Stuff To Chill Us Both Out!”
7. You’re doing this for love… or something
You know that romantic saying, “I’ll meet you to the ends of the earth”? Well, it really just means, “I’ll take a road trip to go visit my BF/ GF because I miss them so much, oh my god!” Traveling to see someone you love seems like a great reason to go on a road trip. Truthfully, I’m not sure if people ever do it anymore. It seems like the grand romantic gesture has died a fiery death but you can singlehandedly revive it with your dedication and love! Surprise your beau by just showing up at their doorstep. “Peekaboo!” you’ll scream through the screen door. “Guess who just came all this way to see you?!”