About Road Trips

Contributor

By LisaF
eHow Contributing Writer

Rate:

(0 Ratings)

Road trips are a great American pastime. It's a time when a group of friends--or even a couple or family--get in a vehicle and generally head to a far-away destination. Sometimes they are headed to an event, while other times they are just headed wherever the road leads. Whatever the case may be, everyone should experience a great road trip sometime in their life.

Significance

Often times road trips are a part of a person's college life--it's the best time to get away and not have any worries back home. The trip may signify freedom from parents and provide a break from schoolwork or general life.

Types

While the typical road trip involves a group of people in a vehicle driving to a destination, this isn't always the case. A road trip can also consist of a plane ride oversees to pick up a trip by bus, train or other automobile. Friends also may fly to various destinations in their country or even take a bus or train ride across the country for a non-traditional trip.

Time Frame

Generally, a road trip lasts several days. While some may last a weekend, the best and most rewarding trips may last 4 to 5 days or more. In order to fit in several sites or get to a far away destination to enjoy it and get back, road trippers often need several days to take the trip and may need even more to recuperate. College students have the best opportunities for road trips because they often have week-long fall, winter and spring breaks that offer just enough time for a good road trip.

Features

Road trips generally feature good friends or family members, a small car (although it's nice to have a bigger ride), snack food, lots of pictures and plenty of driving. Road trippers may choose to switch out drivers along the way and have a road map or planned stops before they reach their ultimate destination. They also may be more spontaneous--only stopping when they see an interesting site and driving until they feel like turning back around. There's also likely to be some drama aboard at some point--being in such close quarters with several people for a long period of time often causes some tension.

Geography

Road trips are very popular in America--a group of friends may decide to take a trip to the other side of the United States or across the borders of Canada or Mexico. Oversees, groups make trips to various countries or take train rides to visit historic sites.

Considerations

Don't forget to include room for luggage and food (and breathing room)--you may only want to have 3 or 4 people in your car as not to be too crowded. Also, if you plan to save money, come up with a plan to split the gas costs and decide if you are going to bring your own food and coolers or plan to stop along the way. While road trips can be spontaneous, some type of plan is recommended so all of the road trippers are on the same page. Also consider where you are going to stay, who is going to drive and for how long, when you plan to sleep and even how many stops you are going to make along the way.

Warning

Make sure you have plenty of drivers on various sleeping schedules if you are taking a long trip--nobody wants to drive for 12 hours straight, and taking a road trip alone is no fun. Also, make sure the vehicle you take is reliable and up-to-date on its service schedule, and always make sure you stop for gas when you are running low--don't wait until it's too late and no gas station is around for miles.