5 Reasons I Love Road Trips

By now, you should know I love a good road trip which is a fact well documented by this blog. I love loading up the car with good friends, family, snacks and music to head off in directions unknown or actually to head off in the directions I carefully researched before packing. Regardless of how carefully you plan and double check your list, there is just something so thrilling about driving beyond your town’s borders. Here are the five reasons I love road trips…

The amazing Windsor Ruins.

Adventures in Your Own Backyard

Do you ever see signs or markers on the side of the road and think I wonder what’s down there? There are so many odd little towns with odd little names in Mississippi and road markers galore that one can’t help but get curious. There’s something so intriguing about turning down an old country road and getting metaphorically lost along the way. This became my squad’s activity of choice during the quarantine because it feels like you are having an adventure into the unknown without actually requiring you to spend a ton of money or go into the real unknown. While we’ve definitely found a whole lot of nothing, we’ve also found our version of Stars Hollow, several abandoned churches and the most adorable little ice cream parlor imaginable.

Car Conversations

You know how conversations hit differently the later it gets at night? It’s like as the night goes along you become more vulnerable which is what made the slumber party versions of Truth or Dare so much fun. I find that the car has a similar effect on conversations. Miles of open road gives you the perfect time to solve all the problems of the world including your own. Some of my favorite memories of the trips that my mother and I made every month to visit my grandmother are all the conversations in the car. Not once in the nearly four hours of car time for almost a decade did we ever turn the radio on. We just spent the time chatting and that’s typically what happens with my friends. Yes, we sometimes have car concerts which is on my list as well but the heart to hearts are my absolute favorites.

Car Concerts

I love singing in the car! You can sing at the top of your lungs and no one cares. Plus, it’s the only time I feel comfortable trying to hit some of those notes and man, is it fun. I have several friends that have a passion for Broadway melodies so it’s not unusual for us to pick a show and just run with it. Nothing passes the time quicker than trying to sing every part of Hamilton by yourself. If you’re real lucky your squad will also have coordinated dance moves as well because why wouldn’t you want to get crazy looks while going down the interstate at 80 MPH?

Junk Food Pig Fest

When else is it appropriate for four grown women to eat their body weight in gummy worms, Reese’s cups, beef jerky and Chex Mix? I don’t know what it is about a road trip that tells me I need to have a snack break every ten minutes or why I think that snack break needs to be strange foods I’d never typically purchase but that’s what happens every time I pack up for a haul. I also love that in the South, every time you stop at a gas station you are liable to find another delicious treat. Sometimes, you can find the most delicious food sitting in a case at some of the most unexpected places. Delicious cakes, fried chicken, biscuits and more. Is that just a Southern thing?

Expect the Unexpected

I think the overarching thing that makes road trips so fantastic is the unexpected and the fact that you are kind of expecting the unexpected. You don’t necessarily know what’s around the next bend or who you might meet. There are some characters out on the open road and they make for some great stories but there’s also the anticipation of your destination, the ever evolving view and the change of pace that lends a bit of adrenaline to any significant amount of time spent in a car and while I’m always happy to be home, I also can’t wait to plan my next ramble.

So, go forth and find adventure in your own backyard and make those memories that really do last a lifetime!