One under-appreciated blessing in America is that anyone with a car can go anywhere. There is an endless amount of possibilities when on the road: your best bet is to bring along some of your closest friends and call it an adventure. With summer wrapping up, I had some of the best opportunities to take advantage of: road tripping with some of my best friends. Learning the ropes of how they usually go down, I've compiled a list things from each road trips I've been on that one should be most vigilant about:
1. Get a good night of sleep the night before your road trip. If you start a road trip already being tired, I can guarantee you that you won't have as much fun as you expected.
2. Leave early. 
No matter where your destination is, make sure to get an early start to beat any traffic that you might run into. Driving fast down the highway is much more fun than being stuck in a parking lot of traffic.
3. Your trip doesn't have to be a long one. Some of my favorite road trip memories were from road trips that were just a day long. We didn't have to pack as much, we knew we wouldn't be driving for endless hours, and we knew we wouldn't be drained of money from it all going into gas. A road trip takes a lot of time to plan, and sometimes it doesn't have to.
4. Take pictures.
As a person who gets the warmest feeling from taking photos of my loved ones, I take a lot of photos to begin with. But when I'm on a road trip, they are especially endless. Bring a camera with you to document all the best moments of your trip so you can look back and reminisce on it all.
5. Make stops. 
This is so vital to keep your road trip as lively and exciting as it is when you hop into the car. Driving for several hours at a time might seem like nothing, but it can be extremely exhausting. You need to stretch and walk around to get the blood flowing in your body to keep you awake. Sometimes the stops will have some of the most breathtaking views too!
6. Make lots of playlists. 
You can't roadtrip without music; it's just not possible. Make sure to put together all sorts of playlists – music that everyone in the car can vibe to.
7. Contribute gas money. It's plain and simple. Always make sure to bring along extra money for gas, particularly if you aren't the driver.
8. Have plenty of snacks and drinks. Assuming you're traveling to places you haven't ever been to before, you probably won't be taking into consideration how healthy you'll be eating. Make sure to pack some healthy snacks for the road like trail mix, cheerios, fruit, or granola.
9. Plan for bathroom stops.
If you know you have a small bladder, be blunt with the people in the car so they can prepare for all the bathroom stops along the way. If you don't mention this, you're sure to get irritated very quickly.
10. Sitting shotgun has numerous responsibilities. The person sitting shot gun has some of the biggest duties – keeping the driver awake and alert, manning the GPS, and aux chord responsibilities.
11. Talk. You brought along the friends you did for a reason. You know you're comfortable having deep conversations with them. Bond with whoever it happens to be and make the most of the time you all have together.
I've only taken road trips inside the state of California because that's where I happen to live. It's one of the places I know the best, yet I know there is always more to explore. Road trips can be some of the fondest memories you make some of the most life changing experiences. It takes a lot of responsibilities for a road trip to go along smoothly. There are many lessons you learn from each road trip you take. So that means, take as many as you can so you can experience it all.
