I don’t know if it was the weird smells after 12 hours of driving, the salty snacks that filled the gut, or the people sharing the whole row with me in the back seat, but family road trips always develop strong memories.
For the Callaghans, they started at 4:30 a.m. My brothers and sisters and I grabbed our pillows and piled into the 12-passenger 2003 Chevrolet Express, ready to sleep as Dad started the engine.
Next came spontaneous adventure.
Remember the scene from “The Truman Show” when Truman and his wife are sitting in the car and Truman suddenly starts driving away? He says, “Where shall we go, where shall we go?” That’s the thing about road trips: there doesn’t have to be a destination. Just start driving. Road trips give us the chance to escape feeling all the stress of constantly needing to plan everything.
At around the age of 6, I was playing in the yard with my siblings one afternoon. All of a sudden, my parents came outside and said we were going on a road trip. Within 15 minutes, all eight of us were snuggled in the van and on our way.
You’ll also discover new things along the journey. One time, my family was passing through Springfield, Illinois, on a trip down to Kansas. As we drove through the town, we passed by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum that caught our attention. Without hesitation, we put our trip on hold, and spent a few hours perusing through the contents of the place. It’s now on my top 10 list for best museums.
Another time, I was driving with friends through southern California. About midway through, we decided to stop for gas and find a beefstick or two to calm the hunger pains. To my delight, I discovered a homemade burrito stand inside the shop. I went home with a giant burrito that still ranks in the top three for best burritos. See what marvelous places or treats you stumble upon when you get behind the steering wheel?
Road trips also become a great way to bond with other people. Are you dying to become buddy-buddy with someone? Hit the road. Over a break, I rode home to Chicago with another Hillsdalean I hardly knew, and by the end of the drive, I had one of the most riveting conversations in the world. Sitting in the same space with the same people forms a certain familiarity. It’s that shared experience of driving together to the same destination that creates this bond. Find someone to ride with and I’ll bet you’ll be pals by the end of it.
Road trips give you time to reflect and digest life. I’ve done some of my deepest thinking while driving to and from Chicago. Cruising on the same stretch of road for several hours creates a certain rhythm that puts your mind at rest. The long drive helps you relax.
Talking about relaxing, road trips are the best time for jam sessions, whether that’s blasting “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley or “Let It Go” from Frozen. Who knows, you may find yourself becoming acquainted with a new artist, even if it’s Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber.
Once, my friends and I were road tripping down to Washington, D.C., from Chicago. About 30 minutes into the drive, I started to hear, “What do you mean? Oh, oh, When you nod your head yes…What do you mean?” and so on. Swift made it into the mix on the ride back as the karaoke sing-along with “I Knew You Were Trouble.” You may discover that you actually have a voice or can keep a beat even if that’s only with the door handle and windowpane.
It doesn’t have to be 4:30 a.m. and you don’t have to be half-asleep as you climb into the vehicle. Get gutsy, and take a road trip.
