The open road. You often find this to be an important theme in so many American novels and stories. You are the road warrior. The pavement across the country is yours to conquer. Jack Kerouac became legend. And while not all of us are able to be as young, free, and epic as Kerouac, his novel captured how incredibly important “the road” is in American culture.
“Why think about that when all the golden land’s ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you’re alive to see?”
– Jack Kerouac, On the Road, Part 2, Ch. 6
While Kerouac was a road hero, most people experienced the road more like I did – or National Lampoon’s Vacation. This is where most of the glamor has been stripped of the road and you are there, stuck with your family in a car, for MILES.
So many family vacations were on the road. Growing up middle class America, air travel was just out of the question for budget friendly families. If we wanted to see our kin spread across Texas, it was brothers and sisters jam packed into the car full of pillows, hand made sandwiches, Capri Suns, and hours of your parents music.
Road trips forge character.
- This is where I learned patience.
Spending hours upon hours in the car allowed me to be able to deal with long travels when an adult. This particularly comes in handy being a budget traveler. We all know that the cheapest way is not the fastest way.
- This is where I learned tolerance.
While I love The Beatles, I can say without a doubt that listening to the entire Anthology on a 14 hour drive to Brownsville, Texas gets very, VERY tiring.
- This is where I learned that your imagination can provide oodles of fun.
Pretending to see Big Foot in the pines, imagining cowboys and Indians across the desert – all these things are lost in the portable video game/portable DVD generation.
- This is where I learned that something as simple as small landmarks can provide a smile or a laugh that makes it all worth it.
A perfect example of this is Nipple Mountain on I-10 on the way to El Paso. Anyone how has made the drive knows it and looks forward to seeing it.
- This is where I learned my limits on my bladder.
Sure this is a silly one, however, when you find yourself 200 miles away from the nearest gas station, or don’t want to pee in the hole in the ground toilet in the train station you’re in… you learn to hold it.
- This is where I learned the art of conversation.
With the family dinner table phenomenon quickly fading it is so important to be able to talk to your travel companions/new friends on the road.
They may not be life changing situations but I can say that without a doubt that road trips create seasoned travelers. As Shaun and I prepare for our Road Trip to Burning Man, my mind overflows with the memories that I have had while traveling on the road. While it is true that they have not always been positive, I look back at them with a smile and cannot wait to create more.
This time I am armed with a camera and a blog and I’m excited to document our adventures. 🙂
What were your experiences with road trips?
Awww, I love road trips. They’re a great way to learn about yourself and your travel partner.
To be fair, I’ve never loved road trips, I’ve simply endured them. But your points ring true for me, as well. Road trips thank you for this slice of redemption. 🙂
@Pam: I have always LOVED road trips. Now that I’m older I can now try and convince my hubby to pull over so I can capture some of the amazing sunsets that were always present as a kid.
@Keith: It’s a way too look at the bright side? When I was writing this, I never realized how much I had gained from being cooped up in a van with my fam. ♥
I love love love road trips!
When I was a kid it wasn’t so much fun, though.. I was always squeezed between my two brothers on the back seat and they would never close their legs!! They would fight too, and I was in the middle… poor little girl… hahah Good memories. 🙂
Nowadays I can spend hours, days, weeks, on the road. New Zealand is specially good for that!
It’s enormously better when you can make your own music selection and sing out loud!
I love road trips too, that’s usually where I come up with the greatest ideas.
My most memorable road trip was many years ago as a kid. We moved from a small town in TN to Los Angeles, CA, now that wasn’t the memorable part. We made this 2000 + mile trek in a small RV, with six people, you can probably imagine what that was like.
My cousin, who was traveling with us, brought one and only one CD, which we listened to repeatedly. To this day, every time I hear the Micheal Jackson song “Black or White” I am reminded of that trip.
Road trips generally lead to great stories…
I’m actually thinking about kicking off my trip next year with a road trip across the the US via Rt 66. I generally prefer taking the highway over the interstate because there is much more to see. My mother lives on Rt 66, which is a perfect excuse to make the trip.
@Cris: I love to karaoke in the car! Poor hubby will have to deal with some of my music picks while driving. It is the time to enjoy guilty pleasures.
@Nick: An RV with 6 people?! Sounds like a sitcom waiting to happen! Shaun wanted to take Rt 66 at some point. I think we may on the way back from Burning Man. GREAT VIEWS!
I think it is a privilege to be able to grow up with the family road trip. I have great memories of these kinds of trips as a youngster, and there’s no doubt they helped forge my lust for overland travel. I can’t wait for the images that come out of Burning Man, as it will no doubt be a photographers heaven.
I am so excited to flex my photo muscle at Burning Man. Shaun even made sure to remind me that we’re going to stop at all attraction/diners that catch our eye. It really is the small things that make it so amazing. I feel so free when on road trips.
I’ve finally go round to reading about Burning Man after seeing you mention it a few times and I’ve gotta say I’m still not 100% sure exactly what it is but it sounds like fun, got room for one more on the road trip?
If you are willing to fly down here and some how finagle a ticket, you are more than welcome to road trip with us. ♥
Burning Man is a festival in the desert where you hang out, listen to good music, and participate in the art that is Burning Man.
I love roadtrips! I too grew up with hours in the car, usually searching for some sort of elusive ghost town my father was searching for. We always ended in a town with a population of 5 or something insane like that. Road tripping is most definitely why I have the wanderlust I have today. Have fun at Burning Man. That is something I’ve always wanted to see!
I want to go on a ghost town trip. There are plenty here in Texas, I just have never thought to take the day trip out. I did remember seeing a jail cell Billy the Kid was in and it set my imagination on fire!
So true! Road trips with my family across Colorado and the US shaped me so much as a traveler today. I swear my bladder is abnormally accustomed to not going all the time to this day. And you certainly learn patience when you are one of five kids in the back of the car for hours on end. Great post!
While my bladder is not the strongest, we have just learned not to give me liquids en masse while driving. :X lol!
I always wish we had done more road trips when I was a kid. And roadtripping across America really is the ultimate (I’ve only been around California and a bit outside but man it was awesome). When I was very little we took one road trip through New South Wales in Australia. It was my favourite trip when I was a kid. Something about eating up the miles and finding things along the way you never would have expected. Stopping at weird hotels because they happen to be beside the road.
Next year my boyf and I are starting our RTW with three months in the US and hopefully lots of roadtripping a la kerouac. And Burning Man! Have you been before or is this your first time?
I still need to explore the eastern half of the US!
As for Burning Man, this is our first year and we are incredibly excited! Shaun has also never been to Las Vegas and we’re making sure to stop there. We have an affinity for pirates so we’re staying at Treasure Island before our week in the desert. ♥
I’m totally excited for you that you are taking time in the US for your RTW!
Road trips forge character! So true.
“sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars’ll be out, ” – Kerouac
I love road trips! Definitely learned the bladder thingy too! It seems like my bladder is much smaller, with much more sensitive wall, than Ryan. Besides, Ryan can just stop the car anywhere and empty his in the road side.
Road trips definitely teach us soooo many things. I learned that not only boys can pee in the wild, even though not in just any places like boys do. I learned how not to be smelly with only 1 shower in 3 days. I learned that the stars in the sky is much more beautiful in remote places because no city lights obstruct the view.
@Johnny: I almost did that quote! ♥
@Dina: You definitely can be confronted by your limitations. My parents would always laugh because my head was glued to the window, looking at the sky when driving at night.
@Eric: Just finished reading the Original Scroll version of On the Road. Was lucky enough to get to Lowell, MA to see it in person. http://www.ontheroad.org/
That is fantastic!
Erica, I cracked up at your description of being jam packed into a car with your siblings. Sandwiches and Capri Suns… oh you brought me back!
Despite things like my dad never wanting to pull over for bathroom breaks and sometimes being on the road for a week, I’ve got mostly fond memories of our family road trips. We NEVER flew as a family. But driving cross country to see family or 12 hours to go camping happened frequently. It felt very adventurous and I looked forward to all the new experiences. And performing elaborate mime routines for the other cars, which is how my siblings and I passed the time 🙂 I tell ya, I’m grateful for the experiences you listed. Road trips do indeed forge character.
Thanks for jogging my memory and have a great time at Burning Man!
Peace,
Lauren
♥ !
Our family never flew either! Living in Texas, it was a MUST to be on the road for 10+ hours to see family. I’m so glad someone else had just as an amazing time as I did.
Here’s a story about road trips with my family in the south in the 1950s. I was 10-12 years old at the time. We were New Yorkers. These trips left indelible impressions on me.
http://aintitalltoofunny.blogspot.com/2011/03/rural-south-in-1949-four-strangers-on.html
@Joel: I love your blog post! It is freakin fantastic!