As summer approaches, so does the time for road trips. After taking a recent road trip, I started to recognize a few familiar stages that occur time and time again....

Stage 1: Excitement

In this stage, everyone is excited to start the road trip. The snacks are packed, the playlist is lit, and the phones are fully charged. The road trip sounds exciting and like it's part of the vacation, not just the transportation.

Stage 2: Music Video

The tunes are jamming, windows are open and hair is flying. You know every word to every throwback song. At this point in your trip, you are starting to question why you're not a rock star yet and really think someone should be videoing this to put on YouTube so you can all get discovered.

Stage 3: Are we there yet?

This is a very long stage in the road trip and asking "Are we there yet?" is frequently spaced out. Sometimes there are hours that go by before you ask again, sometimes only mere seconds. At this point in your trip you're tired of sitting in the car, have a headache from whipping your head around in your music video, snacks are running low, and you are just ready to be there!

Stage 4: Exhaustion

This stage is pure bliss for the driver. Finally some peace and quiet as all the passengers pass out. This stage can be a challenge as you try to find a comfortable position to sleep in. This stage is crucial in every road trip because even if you aren't tired, you end up falling asleep out of pure boredom.

Stage 5: Arrival.

The road trip is over! You're a mess, falling out of the car, stretching your legs, rushing to the bathroom, and trying to carry all your luggage. Even though nobody will ever admit it, there's a nostalgic feeling reminiscing on the laughs shared during the road trip. Good thing you get to repeat it all again on the drive home in a few days!