Perhaps you have a week off of work and need an adventure but
don't have the money to fly to somewhere exotic. Chances are there are
territories undiscovered by you within driving distance to your current
location. Here are some reasons to consider taking a road trip:
1. Roadways and systems are better than ever.
Sometimes I find myself thinking about all the people, effort, and
time it took to construct these extensive roadways across the United States; I
have a tremendous amount of respect for them and what they have accomplished.
Across hundreds of miles of desolate desert; above canyons and miles of water;
tunnels through cliffs of stone, and roads that conquer giant mountains. I'll
just leave this here: what would Lewis and Clark do?
2. Cars are better than ever.
I've said this before but I'll say it again; cars were not
invented solely for the purpose of taking you 15 minutes back and forth to work
- they were invented to enable travel. You may have played the Oregon Trail game back in elementary
school if you are in my generation, either way, the point is that we do not
have four wheeled carts traveling at 5mph forging dangerous waterways. No. We
have pristine, technological, comfortable vehicles that hit speeds over 100mph
and can travel 400 miles and more on a single tank of gas. Wow, just wow.
3. Meet people.
The population of the world is 7 billion people. I recommend you
make at least one new connection on a daily basis; if you do this for 100 years
then you will only have 6.99 x 10^9 more people to meet!
4. Learn.
Every place and every person is a unique opportunity to learn
something new.
5. Fuel is widespread.
There are gas stations everywhere enabling you to fill up and
continue. I don't imagine it would have been this convenient 100 years ago.
6. You can find food and health care everywhere.
This is the dream we have been trying to realize since the
beginning of time, isn't it? There is limitless access to food around most of
the world and in the states you can't go much more than a couple hundred miles
without seeing some type of supermarket and hospital.
7. There is so much to see and do.
The world is full of beautiful landscapes that will sweep you off
of your feet in awe *more powerful than your first kiss.
*This assumption is not scientifically proven
8. The cuisine across the states will make you want to throw up
just to eat it all over again.
The above is not recommended – once is plenty enough.
9. Conceptualize and see time differently.
Driving 8 hours doesn't seem nearly as bad to me as it used to
before Living with Lyft. I listen to audiobooks, music I enjoy, and have lots
of time to either talk with passengers or think to myself. You will start to
conceptualize and utilize time differently and 2 hour drives to somewhere you
want to go start to seem close. This way of thinking enables you to do more
things because it eliminates laziness.
10. Technology.
Last, but certainly not least are the major advances in
technology. I literally live off of technology; from the car I drive, to the
app Lyft which makes me money, to the app Couchsurfing which gives me a place
to sleep, to Google Maps which has navigated me everywhere I've gone and will
go, and even the app Tinder to meet and date along the way.
