1. You're young, and therefore should feel the need to try something new - even if it's out of your comfort zone!
I can't stress this enough. Most of my friends in college have only taken trips by airplane and have never even considered going on a road trip; maybe it's because they're not exactly sure where they want to go or what they want to do. But that's the fun part! College is the prime time to go out into the world and get a new perspective on your surroundings, and doing so with your friends makes it ten times better.
2. You get to see towns and try new things that you would never find if you were on an airplane.
A few weeks ago, my friends and I spontaneously decided to head up to San Francisco then down the California coast (we are from Orange Country, CA). If we were to take a plane to the city, we wouldn't have seen hidden gems that ranged from Big Sur to a small Denmark-style village called Solvang (where there were amazing pancakes) to an In-N-Out in the middle of nowhere. Roadtrips truly open your eyes to seeing more than just the small squares of houses and fields that you would see while looking out of your airplane window.
3. You're able to forget about all your worries and simply live in the moment.
With everything going on in our lives (especially if you're a college student), sometimes life just gets too busy. We all need a break sometimes! Leaving the workspace or your college dorm, apartment, etc. to explore somewhere new is one of the best ways to relieve any stress you may have, in my opinion at least. If you have the time and a good group of friends to spend it with you, go for it and ~treat yo self~.
4. You meet new people.
The idea of exploring new places also comes with the people. I can honestly say that some of the quirkiest, more interesting people I've met in my life are the ones I've met from on the road. The endless small businesses and shops (in San Francisco especially) introduced me to some of the most passionate people, and I could have talked to them for hours. It's interesting to see how another town's culture is different from the busy, Los Angeles area that I come from.
5. You bond with your friends on a whole new level.
Gonna be real with you guys, you truly don't realize how close you are with your friends until you spend a full five days with them nonstop. Trust me. I won't go into complete details, but when you're traveling with two guys and two girls in a mini SUV, it definitely gets personal real fast. Don't get me wrong, though, I wouldn't change a thing; once you travel with your friends, you reach an entirely new level of friendship.
6. Speaking of friends: if they all go to different schools, the road trip is basically one last hurrah before you all head your separate ways.
Trips with your college friends are fun, but road trips with your friends from back home are such a good way to make memories before you all go your separate ways. For me personally, our group of people consisted of students from UCLA, USC, Belmont, UCSB, and Arizona State. Pretty spread out, right? Getting back together over Winter Break and spending time with each other was such a good way to catch up, it was like we never left each other in the first place! Even after we headed back to start classes in California, Arizona, and Tennessee, I'll never forget all the memories we made on our trip.
7. Road trip playlists - enough said.
For me, music is an essential component of any driving trip. That being said, you best believe we made an amazing playlist for the long car ride that awaited us. Screaming the lyrics and dancing along with friends that are as crazy as you are while driving down an open road is honestly one of the best feelings in the entire world! If you need inspo for road trip music, check out our playlist! https://open.spotify.com/user/12132540967/playlist/7MPcyhCJVYsBelK57xlMtE
8. Spontaneity is key.
The best part about road trips is the idea of flexibility. My friends and I planned out our last trip with only one exact event: where we would be staying each night. Besides that, we had no schedules, no time constraints, nothing; we did whatever we felt like doing, even if we weren't exactly sure where we were going.
9. You can snag some awesome photos to add on to your memories (and your Instagram feed).
Need I explain more? As much as we want to put our phones away and enjoy the time with our friends, my friends and I are all big fans of photography and capturing the moments we shared on our trip was one of the best decisions we made. Looking back on our photos reminds me of how much fun we had!
10. You may have a certain destination that you want to reach, but the real adventure is in the journey you take.
Going on a road trip isn't about reaching your destination; it's truly about the stops along the way and the adventure you take to get there. The random car conversations, jamming out to "Bohemian Rhapsody", stops at random towns to find food, and photo opportunities are the moments that always seem to stand out to me. It's about living in the moment and enjoying life without any other cares in the world, other than maybe trying to figure out which song to play next.
