I’m not sure what it is about road trips, but I noticed that when I go anywhere out of town, I always do something unexpected, or have something unpredictable happen, that becomes a constant reminder of that trip. For example, I decided to go to Monterey, CA on a weekday with my cousin.

Monterey is about a 2.5 hour drive from where I live, but we left early in the morning to make it a day trip. We went to the seventeen mile drive, which is a self-guided auto tour that allows drivers to pass through nice beaches and through the famous pebble beach golf course. While driving on the main road for visitors, my cousin noticed a sign that read “Open House” which pointed toward a residential road.

I almost slammed on the brakes when she yelled, “Let’s go look, I want to go go, come on”.

I was about to just keep driving, since I was well aware we were not even close to the homeowner’s target buyers, but something told me why not. That was how I was able to tour a five million dollar home in Pebble Beach.

I don’t even look at open houses for the heck of it in my hometown, but for some reason I did that day in Monterey with my cousin. Perhaps it is the influence of others, or the fact that no one knows who you are in another area, that allows us to have more fun when traveling.

When I was 19 I stayed for a week in L.A with my family, and since I didn’t bring my car, I took the metro bus and rail to go throughout town. I usually don’t take public transportation, so it was a surprise to me and to my family. It was actually a lot of fun, although it took a while to get to some of my destinations.

On the other hand, there are unexpected events that can become memorable for the wrong reasons. I recall a time as a child when I took a trip to the sierra Nevada in winter. I was excited to see all the snow, but I don’t remember exactly what I did there. I do remember, one of my cousins daring me to swallow a pack of gum, which I did, and being sick the whole way home. Not exactly a fun end to a trip.

On a trip to San Francisco a couple of years ago, I was not feeling well the morning I was set to leave with my friends. I didn’t want to bail since the hotel rooms were paid for, but I threw up twice before we even left. Since I figured it was food poisoning, I decided I could still go since I wasn’t contagious.

However, the entire three hour car ride, I was curled up in the back seat with my stomach churning, hoping I didn’t get sicker than I already felt. Although the first night in the city resulted in me sleeping in bed, the rest of the trip was fun. I always remember how uncomfortable I was in that backseat.

Whether it’s something fun or something not so fun, there are always memories when traveling with friends of family. Can you think of any road trips where you were more adventurous than usual, or any trips that were memorable for the wrong reasons?