The Definitive Guide to Road Tripping
Created | Updated Jan 16, 2005
Road trips, a milestone of high school and college life, a rite of passage from teenage waste to adult slacker. This entry will hopefully help you on your way to the open road filled with aggravation, lost cash, and hypnotic hours on end behind the wheel.
[Writer's Note: This Entry was written while I was on an actual road trip from New Jersey, to Chicago, Illinois.]
GETTING STARTED
Obviously you need 3 things first: a car, money, and a destination. Since road trips usually come on impulse we can skip how to find a destination, and money is as obvious as having a car; you need enough cash to last the amount of time you're away. Since this varies from person to person this estimate is up to the reader.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
Try to cram as much stuff as you can into the back of a person filled car? NO PROBLEM! For a small trip two bags are pretty adequate, for a cross-country/multi-country then obviously you might need to pack a little heavier. On this trip for example I have a small bag of clothes and a messenger bag with everything else.
Typical Essentials
- Toiletries
- Cell Phone
- Snacks
- Drinks
- Sunglasses
- First Aid
- Music
- Towel (you might not be hitchhiking but it's still the most useful thing in the universe)
These things are pretty obvious though but just incase you couldn't decide what to bring; I guess that could give you an idea.
The main thing to think about is keeping what you need without making your packing unruly, it's going to get pretty cramped when you finally get on the road.
More important than luggage is a road plan of attack. Rendezvous points, driving schedules, these are all pretty important, even if you don't use what you planned you still have that plan just incase something goes wrong. If you plan on taking multiple cars it's also a smart idea to set these things up and to try to keep conversation with the other car via walkie-talkie or cell phone.
GETTING ON THE ROAD
*Tip for the wise, don't get lost, especially if you're taking multiple cars. We just took a wrong turn in Ohio and lost the other car along with 30 minutes trying to get back. Getting lost is something you can't avoid sometimes but avoid it when you can because it causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety and loss of time, and already the minutes in a car during a road trip feel like hours you don't need to make it feel even longer.*
So you're still driving and you're on the right road. Taking turns driving is a recommended suggestion. It's really not a good idea to have one person drive for a long time due to highway hypnosis. This is when the monotony of the road affects your mind and eyes and you go temporarily insane and start seeing everything as a cartoon, nothing is real and everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. Highway hypnosis makes it easier to get into an accident or get lost so try to keep driving limits to 6-8 hours per person depending on skill of current driver and distance of destination. Keep alert, keep ready, and keep hydrated, just be careful with the last thing because bladders fill up pretty quickly when you're on your ass for hours. If you keep track of these things and keep alternating people then the trip there shouldn't be too painful. Keep to local limits and standards and if a cop stops you there's a better chance to turn a ticket into a warning if you show as much respect as possible, no matter how painful it may be.
SO YOU'RE FINALLY THERE
This part is strictly up to you. Me? I personally get drunk a lot and check out the local record shops. Do what you want, you survived the trip there and you deserve a break.
THE TRIP BACK
The trip back is pretty much like the trip there. The night before you leave make sure things are packed and you didn't spend all your money. It's probably a good idea to take note of how much money you spent on the initial trip there that way you can estimate how much you'll need for the ride back. If you ran out of money then this site has a couple marvelous articles on hitchhiking that I might suggest you read.
So that's really it for road tripping. If it's just a day trip (leave in the morning, be back at night) then skip the part about packing. Other than that just remember to save money, alternate drivers, have fun, don't get lost and don't panic.
-Jonny Suede-
[Writer's Note: This Entry was written while I was on an actual road trip from New Jersey, to Chicago, Illinois.]
GETTING STARTED
Obviously you need 3 things first: a car, money, and a destination. Since road trips usually come on impulse we can skip how to find a destination, and money is as obvious as having a car; you need enough cash to last the amount of time you're away. Since this varies from person to person this estimate is up to the reader.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
Try to cram as much stuff as you can into the back of a person filled car? NO PROBLEM! For a small trip two bags are pretty adequate, for a cross-country/multi-country then obviously you might need to pack a little heavier. On this trip for example I have a small bag of clothes and a messenger bag with everything else.
Typical Essentials
- Toiletries
- Cell Phone
- Snacks
- Drinks
- Sunglasses
- First Aid
- Music
- Towel (you might not be hitchhiking but it's still the most useful thing in the universe)
These things are pretty obvious though but just incase you couldn't decide what to bring; I guess that could give you an idea.
The main thing to think about is keeping what you need without making your packing unruly, it's going to get pretty cramped when you finally get on the road.
More important than luggage is a road plan of attack. Rendezvous points, driving schedules, these are all pretty important, even if you don't use what you planned you still have that plan just incase something goes wrong. If you plan on taking multiple cars it's also a smart idea to set these things up and to try to keep conversation with the other car via walkie-talkie or cell phone.
GETTING ON THE ROAD
*Tip for the wise, don't get lost, especially if you're taking multiple cars. We just took a wrong turn in Ohio and lost the other car along with 30 minutes trying to get back. Getting lost is something you can't avoid sometimes but avoid it when you can because it causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety and loss of time, and already the minutes in a car during a road trip feel like hours you don't need to make it feel even longer.*
So you're still driving and you're on the right road. Taking turns driving is a recommended suggestion. It's really not a good idea to have one person drive for a long time due to highway hypnosis. This is when the monotony of the road affects your mind and eyes and you go temporarily insane and start seeing everything as a cartoon, nothing is real and everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. Highway hypnosis makes it easier to get into an accident or get lost so try to keep driving limits to 6-8 hours per person depending on skill of current driver and distance of destination. Keep alert, keep ready, and keep hydrated, just be careful with the last thing because bladders fill up pretty quickly when you're on your ass for hours. If you keep track of these things and keep alternating people then the trip there shouldn't be too painful. Keep to local limits and standards and if a cop stops you there's a better chance to turn a ticket into a warning if you show as much respect as possible, no matter how painful it may be.
SO YOU'RE FINALLY THERE
This part is strictly up to you. Me? I personally get drunk a lot and check out the local record shops. Do what you want, you survived the trip there and you deserve a break.
THE TRIP BACK
The trip back is pretty much like the trip there. The night before you leave make sure things are packed and you didn't spend all your money. It's probably a good idea to take note of how much money you spent on the initial trip there that way you can estimate how much you'll need for the ride back. If you ran out of money then this site has a couple marvelous articles on hitchhiking that I might suggest you read.
So that's really it for road tripping. If it's just a day trip (leave in the morning, be back at night) then skip the part about packing. Other than that just remember to save money, alternate drivers, have fun, don't get lost and don't panic.
-Jonny Suede-
