Gas money, hours in the car, toll payments — oh my. It's pretty clear why some people would rather vacation close to home or just take a plane somewhere. But that means you've never done the road trip the right way.

To start off, this friend and I go wayyy back — this duo was meant to be.

Just this month, I went on a trip upstate to my uncle's ranch with one of my best friends. The only reason we met is because she used to be my uncle's neighbor, so we met through him at the ripe age of four years old. 16 years later and she's still so important in my life. Sure, I have many friends who are super important to me, but she made the road trip half the fun of the whole trip.

If you have some great music picked out, you're guaranteed to have fun.

The night before heading out, we made a Spotify playlist to bop to during the car rides there and back. We started collaborating on it at the same time, and very rapidly, might I add, so in about 20 minutes we created a 17-hour-long playlist. During those car-rides, we did somewhere between dramatic sing-alongs and screaming mockeries of songs, and it was beautiful.

Also, planning out the less interesting details beforehand is a big help.

Having someone who is on the same page as you before you get in that car is an important step for a good road trip. We figured out gas, tolls, routes, and times beforehand so we could spend both car rides singing songs in our own fun and dumb way. Find a great place to go with a great person, stock up on snacks and drinks, make a music playlist, and head out. It's an amazing experience you'll wanna have over and over again. The road is what you make of it!