1. Gas Stations

Gas stations will always be my favorite. You find some of the strangest people and it's almost like they show you a glimpse of the community. You fill up on your favorite drinks and try to get back on the road as soon as possible. I love being the only one awake and pumping gas in the middle of absolutely nowhere. You get a chance to unwind and breathe some fresh air.

2. Cracker Barrels

I don't know if I'm alone on this, but on every family road trip you have to stop at Cracker Barrel. This place was what made the entire car ride worth it, marking the middle of the trip. Sometimes you're stuck dealing with kids, parents who don't know where they're going, or everyone's feeling tired and annoyed. But everyone is happy at Cracker Barrel. You distract yourself with the 15 peg triangle and then your cousins steal it from you.

3. Going to sleep and waking up somewhere new

Obviously the best part about traveling - is traveling. Car rides suck, so when you finally find your perfect sleeping spot, you're knocked out. When you get older, sleeping becomes even more precious because you know you'll have to take a turn driving.

4. Entertaining yourself so you won't fall asleep at the wheel

I realized why driving with headphones wasn't safe when I was wired and blaring music to keep myself awake. I was so lost in the moment I didn't realize how fast I was going down a North Carolina hill at 2 in the morning. Nothing happened, and I was fine, I just laughed and realized how tired I actually was.

During a 16 hour car ride, I started making up games to play with road signs. I tried memorizing license plates, I started making (not good at all) rhymes about the stores I saw. My favorite game was trying to find every letter of the alphabet, my boyfriend taught me this. The best part is when the other person wakes up and you try to get them to play because you just want them to be awake so you don't nod off again!

Writing about this made me miss traveling so much! Maybe a road trip is in my future?