I love road trips—done right, they're one big, singalong adventure with gorgeous scenery and lots of junk food. Basically the best thing ever. 10/10 would recommend.
Done wrong, they're a nightmare.
My family and I have road-tripped up the East Coast, West Coast, Canada, and most recently through beautiful California—and even though none of these trips have been without their mishaps and quirks, they've all been amazing experiences.
So, from one road-tripper to another, here are a couple tips for keeping your sanity intact and your spirits up.
1. Good music is essential.
Make sure to have a playlist ready for those six-hour stretches of desert. My favorites are oldies and songs that make you feel like you're in a really cool travel film.
2. Be prepared for embarrassing stuff to happen.
Like when your dad drives away from a gas station with the gas pump still connected and you're in the car with him and everyone is staring.
Or when your family decides to go on a tour of Boston led by a guide who dresses in colonial clothes and stays in character the entire time. Loudly. And you can just feel everyone looking at you, thinking TOURIST TOURIST TOURIST.
Just remember that embarrassing moments are future stories. Ignore the pain! Distract yourself in the moment by thinking how you'll tell it as a joke to your friends later!
3. Don't bring up Donald Trump. Just don't.
Avoiding political conversations like...
My family all agrees that Trump is awful and we STILL got into a heated discussion about it. And then we were stuck in the car for another five hours and there was nowhere to escape to. Just don't do it.
4. Del Taco is a glorious thing.
Us, every time we saw a Del Taco.
Thank you, California, for the abundance of perfect road trip food. And by abundance I mean there's one every two miles and it's amazing. And by perfect I mean cheapest, most delicious, and least problematic for your digestive system later on (TMI).
5. If it looks cool, stop there.
Some of the best stops were funny little roadside places: an ice cream place where we ordered a "piglet" (six different scoops of ice cream), a kitschy Dutch diner with the most amazing fettuccine alfredo I've ever tasted, a glassblowing studio that was half-workspace and half-industrial gallery, and a random little crepe place in LA where I got a crepe filled with baked potato AND IT WAS THE BOMB.
And okay, most of these examples are food-related, but you get the point. Don't be too busy to try new things! (Also applies to life in general. Deeeeep.)
