I just finished a three and a half week long working road trip. I was working as a summer camp coach at Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University and the University of Illinois. These were not all back-to-back, but pretty darn close. Let’s just say my 2008 Kia Rondo was filled almost to the brim with sweaty gross clothes, coffee cups and candy wrappers come pulling in my parent’s driveway a couple days ago. This experience was amazing and I think everyone should do something like this at some point.
So let's get the record straight, I only kind of lived out of my car. I was mostly “living” in dorm rooms, friend’s couches and motel rooms, but my car was the central hub to this all. My suitcase, sleeping bag and gym clothes rested in the back. My CD’s and aux cord were put to good use in the front. My nice shirts were hanging in the middle row for the days I got sick of t-shirts and basketball shorts. My car and I spent a lot of quality time together.
It was fun getting to be a vagabond around the Midwest and it was especially fun to get the dirty looks every time someone saw my car. Here are some reasons why I think everyone should travel their region in their car for either work or fun.
Reason 1: The people
I am pursuing a career in coaching college basketball and working camps is one of the necessities of doing that. You go to make connections and hone your coaching skills. If you can coach a 12-year-old you can coach a 21-year-old right? For me, getting to meet people trying to do the same thing as me was so refreshing, but just getting to meet the people I interacted with every day was amazing as well. In different places, you find different people. Baristas, cashiers, waiters or whoever they may be are very different in West Lafayette, Indiana than they are in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Not better, not worse, but definitely different.
Reason 2: The food
If you don’t use Yelp, you’re wrong. Since I was nowhere near a kitchen, I had to eat out a lot. Fortunately for my taste buds and unfortunately for the scale, college towns have amazing food spots. Whether it was a taco joint in Ames, Iowa or a sandwich shop in Urbana, Illinois, I ate GOOD on this trip. I would have never gotten to try local flavors in different places if it weren’t for packing up and heading out.
Reason 3: You learn a lot about yourself
When I was in my car, I only talked to two people: my car and Ira Glass while I listened to copious amounts of This American Life. I caught myself thinking a lot and learning a lot about myself. I was rarely with the same people for more than four days at a time and my car and myself were the only things consistent for these few weeks. I did things I’ve never done before. I thought things I’ve never thought before. I was stripped down from things that are always around me. I had myself and the things in my car and I learned a lot about me through that.
Was I lonely? Yes.
Did I miss home? Yes.
Was this one of the best experiences of my life? A thousand times yes.
I learned so much about my future goals and my current life by driving around in my car all over the Midwest. If the opportunity arises for you to live in your car to some kind of extent…do it, you won’t regret it.
