Rookie Vagabonders

Amongst the mounds of reading, a plethora of papers still to write, and the horror of finals, one thing manages to put a sweet taste in my mouth and a crazy glint in my eye: the undeniable fact that three months of pure, unadulterated summer bliss is now within reach. And what better way to celebrate the end of school and the sunshiny days ahead than with a ROAD TRIP! It’s time to bid farewell to that rubric cube-size dorm room and head for the highways with some of your BFFs. In fact, my two best guy friends and I are road-tripping it back home to Boston in May. Check out our tentative route here!

My partners in crime, Tom and Justin

While road trips seem easy enough to orchestrate (friends + necessities + car = road trip), it actually takes a fair amount of preparation. Here are some tips on how to plan your own totally rad adventure:

1.) Decide where to go: The U.S is full of interesting cities and towns, so make the most of your road trip by hitting as many cool places as possible. Also consider following Robert Frost’s advice and take the road less traveled. Get off the major highways and find some of those crazy landmarks and kooky country towns that will make your trip one to remember. Check out these top 12 favorite student cities for inspiration on where to go!

2.) Make finding food part of the adventure: There is only so much Bojangles and sweet tea you can ingest before your insides begin staging a civil war.  So try to make finding food as much a part of the adventure as the license plate game or fanny pack spotting (my personal favorite). Back roads and scenic highways are more likely to have locally owned mom-and-pop restaurants that serve good food at an even better price. Farm stands are also another great option for cheap, fresh fruit and perhaps even a delicious piece of grandma’s homemade pie…mmmmm.

3.) Split the cost of gas fairly: With the soaring cost of gas these days, road trips are not as cheap as they used to be. In order to make it fair, I would suggest a.) Alternating who pays for gas every time you stop, or b.) Figuring out beforehand how much money is needed to fill the tank and split it evenly between passengers. Either way, paying for gas is highway robbery (pun…intended) so definitely consider this when planning your trip. Check out these “Top 5 Money Saving Road Trip Tips” to make your pockets reach a little deeper.

4.) Stay safe and be prepared: Driving for long periods of time can definitely take a toll on your car, so make sure to get a check-up and pack an emergency tool kit with jumper cables, a flashlight etc. just in case. Signing up for AAA is also not a bad idea and definitely pick up some maps and guides while you’re at it. Also, just remember that there are a lot of crazies on the road, so maybe try to keep road rage to a minimum and if someone or something is making you uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to seek out help.

Since there is just so much info about planning a totally awesome road trip, I’m going to have to split this into two posts. But if you want to do a little research on your own, check out what Crislip has to say or try these road trip tips. For now, start loading those iPods with some quality 80s/early 90s beats and practice your best windblown look because Road Trip 2008 is just around the corner…GET EXCITED!