As the month of August comes around, so do thoughts of returning to school. Stores are bolstering their supplies of classroom items, commercials are boasting sales that can’t be beat, and many students are beginning to get restless with the relaxing atmosphere of summer — becoming, instead, anxious to start a new school year. But the summer is not over yet! And in these last few weeks, even if you have taken one already, I recommend going on a road trip to a new city with friends or family. Here’s why:
1. Break up your routine.
Whether you’ve spent this summer sprawled out on the couch, achieving nothing but buffing up your Netflix resume, or you have been working an internship and swapping the warm sunlight for the fluorescent ones in your office for countless hours, it’s time for a change of scenery. So pick a place to visit, and it doesn’t have to be the same small beach town your family has been going to since you were little. Go for a new adventure.
2. A great reason to make a new playlist.
Get started on putting together a new playlist of all the songs you’ve been jamming to this summer, grab some friends, and go! So even if Google Maps tells you the wrong exit to take and you wind up heading in the wrong direction, this soundtrack will help you stay calm so you can look back on your unintentional detour as a happy memory later.
3. You get to explore!
If your summer has been filled with screens — due to a previously mentioned Netflix overload or days spent staring at office computers — give your eyes a rest. Find a new place to spend time with family or friends, pick a landscape everyone likes, and travel there. Try out hiking or kayaking. Most importantly, just get outside. Buy a waterproof disposable camera (they are more fun than you would believe — and cheap!) and document all the fun you have without worrying about protecting your phone the whole time.
4. Play car games.
Although you can pretend, you’re never too old for the alphabet game of trying to find all the letters on signs that pass by or trying to name all 50 states with the license plates you pass on your journey. Plus, you can learn some interesting things about a person when you are in the car with them for a number of hours. Just try to make sure everyone with you is as excited about the trip as you are.
5. Feed your appetite.
It probably won’t take long for the trip snacks you brought along to be in low supply when you’re on the road. Skip the fast food restaurants that always seem to call to us from exit signs and try some new places. Spending some extra time on the road to experience local cuisine of smaller towns can surprise you.
6. Discover something great.
The destination for most road trips is a city with plenty of tourist attractions, big shopping malls, or even an amusement park. Finding a museum that covers a special area you’re interested in or a street festival downtown is less traditional, but definitely worth it. You can also enjoy these less popular activities because you can learn from them and they will mean more to you later on.
7. Nightlife.
It’s not hard to find something to do at night in most cities. Numerous restaurants turn into bars, local performers put on shows at indoor or outdoor venues (another reason to check this out in the summer), and sometimes walking around at night and seeing a place in a different light is entertainment in itself. Your lack of sleep the next day won’t matter as much when you think about how great of a time you had.
8. Take some time out to relax.
Planning for a road trip can be tiring. When you get there, of course you’ll want to make the most of your trip by exploring the city or finding entertainment while you’re there – but don’t forget to take some time out to relax, too! See if there is a nearby lake or river only a short drive away. Put on that great playlist you created and enjoy being away from home with the ones you’re vacationing with.
9. Why not?
After all of these reasons I listed, do you really need another? Right around the corner, we face more time in the library, more papers, more exams, and more of the busy lives we become immersed in when school starts back up again. Enjoy the last few free weeks of summer with a vacation getaway. Find something wonderful to do with friends or family, and do it!
