A Good Road Trip Means Living in the Moment

Ah, the open road: a sign of good times, long drives, and probably some lasting inside jokes to come. But even if your vehicle or caravan is packed to the brim with choice snacks and populated by expert yappers ready to gab and guffaw at every goofy roadside attraction, a big road trip isn’t always for the faint of heart. Travel in general can impose a lot of tension on relationships, no matter how tight the bond. Hell, I just had a friend that I’m going on a cross-country road trip with tell me that he might be unable to drive for a single, solitary mile of our 36-hour trek from Chicago to Los Angeles—but I’m not worried. I’ve learned the secrets to a great road trip thanks to years of traveling to national parks, coastal metropolises, and family gatherings, and I want to share some of them with you—alongside a few memories and anecdotes that helped me fall in love with the American road trip.

To me, the essence of a road trip is patience. Sure, it can be more efficient than other methods of travel under the right circumstances, especially if you’re moving lots of stuff or traveling with kids. But at the end of the day, it’s much slower than flying or taking the train. Take it from a Midwesterner with family roots embedded deep in the heart of America’s dairyland: you’re going to spend lots of time driving through landscapes that stay the same for hours; the walls of corn and soy fields that power our society and miles of barren desert aren’t always the most scenic. Whether you like it or not, you need to be content to stop along the way and smell not just the roses, but the dandelions, too.

For my sister and I, that meant playing ‘Cows’ [or, as it’s also known, cow poker—Ed.]  on drives from Milwaukee to our family in Green Bay, Grand Rapids, or Denver as kids. It’s the perfect road game (especially if you’re driving through the Midwest): players claim cows by shouting “My cows!” and get a point for each cow in the roadside pasture. They can also use cemeteries to kill another player’s cows or churches to revive them. It’s really simple, so it’s infinitely flexible. Maybe you want to add some fun rules for the shocking supply of sex shops in rural areas, plentiful casinos you’d find in the western Plains States, or hardcore evangelical “HEAVEN OR HELL” billboards that promise a good laugh. Again, it’s all about being able to go with the flow… except for when it comes to food.

Road trips can be very physically taxing. And the best way to relieve that stress is to find places to stretch and keep yourself from getting too sore or staying in one place for too long. So why not use that opportunity to enjoy some good food in the same breath? Even outside of urban centers, it’s not hard to find something other than McDonald’s or Wendy’s. Drive-thru dining is a surefire way to emphasize the woes of any aches, pains or cramps you experience as your body atrophies in the air conditioning.

Plus, the highways have long been hugged by amazing mom-and-pop highway joints—ones that won’t make you feel like death after eating them. Or, if you have the space, why not bring food with you? Stuff like pastas, salads, dips, charcuterie, cold cuts, cheese, fresh fruit, or sliced veggies all keep for a couple of days as long as they’re stored properly and you don’t need to heat them up. They don’t pose the same gut-busting threat as fast food either. And there’s no need for ice packs; most hotels have free ice machines and refrigerators. And soft-sided coolers are cheap and easy to transport whether they’re full or empty!

Snacks might be even more important than full-on meals when you’re stuck in a car for more than a few hours. My favorite part of road trips has long been the stockpiling of my motorized pantry and the subsequent snack stops spurred on by signs like “Last Gas Station For 100 Miles” found near Green River, Utah. Flavor-dense snacks like beef jerky, Corn Nuts, hard (and I mean tooth-testing, rock-hard) pretzels and Red Vines are some of my favorites, not just because they curb hunger, but because bites last forever. The long chew or hard crunch helps each individual piece last longer, squeeze out more flavor, and ensure that I don’t overindulge on snacks, which is another surefire way to have a bad time cruising down the highway. And as an added bonus: gnawing away at a tough piece of jerky helps pass the time surprisingly well.

I can’t guarantee your next road trip to that extended family a few states away will go off without a hitch, or that your cross-country move with a buddy is going to be some idyllic ride into the sunset, but I sincerely think that these tips will improve any highway-bound journey. Take it from someone who used to loathe long road trips, despite their guarantee that I’d get to spend more time playing Pokemon: it’s all about learning to relax and live in the moment. Done right, they’re a great way to learn to enjoy the breeze.

Charlie Wacholz is a freelance writer. When he’s not playing the latest and greatest indie games, competing in Smash tournaments or working on a new cocktail recipe, you can find him on Twitter at @chas_mke.