“LIFE’S A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION” – RALPH WALDO EMERSON
When you travel, how do you approach the travelling itself? Do you simply see it as a means to an amazing destination where you can make your holiday memories, or do you love the trip on the way as well?
Most forms of travel aid those looking to start their holiday at the other end of the trip, but road trips are great for the fact alone that your holiday starts the minute you get into the car – the destination is not even that important. The amazing thing about this way of travelling is that you end up with more holiday, more memories, and less of that “waiting to have fun” feeling.
ACTIVELY MAKE MEMORIES AT ANY POINT
As much as a road trip route can be planned, it is also incredibly open to spontaneity. Your trip is in your hands, and at any point you can stop that car, all pile out and visit a random attraction on the way (that could end up being the highlight of the trip!).
You’re in the moment from the get go, because this is your holiday – you’ve arrived! So document it as if the trip is as impressive as the last stop.
How can you document the trip properly, you ask? We think these ideas are fun:
- Buy a Map
Your Google Maps will take you where you need to go most efficiently and reliably, but track your route on a physical map with a brightly coloured pen as well and when you get home you can frame the map as a great memento of a unique trip.
- Use social media as your scrapbook
If you’re ambitious and like to set yourself little projects for your holidays, then you could consider “live tweeting” your road trip. Give your trip its own hashtag and update your audience with each new development on the road – at worst you’ll entertain your gran, at best you could have quite the little fan base going.
Another social media feature to take advantage of is Facebook Memories – make sure you get a yearly reminder of the memories you’re making by adding an album to your Facebook account and Facebook will do the rest. Enjoy the nostalgia…
STOP PLANNING, START LIVING
A road trip is one of those things that teach you to just go with the flow, because a road trip is an adventure – you aren’t after the expected or organised, you want experiences.
If you are the type of person who finds it hard to let go, or life has just become one big To Do list, then take to the road and let it do the planning for you. You’ll be amazed at how relaxing it can be. No planned destinations, no scheduled outings needing you to be at a certain place at a certain time – you’re unwinding from the start of your trip, because there’s nowhere you need to be for a couple of days.
And everyone deserves that every now and then.