During my recent road trip, one of my best friends and I drove from New Mexico, to Oklahoma, then to Texas, and back home again. About halfway to Oklahoma, we realized that we were not as prepared as we thought we were.
Sure we had our bags packed, a map and some cash in our pockets, but we did not know the address to where we were going, a plan for what all we would do once we got there, or even when exactly we would be headed home.
The freedom and lack of schedule truly made the road trip a great adventure!
The miles of that trip totaled over 2,000 in a ten day span; which meant there was a lot of time for conversation.
A friend once told me that you go through several stages during a road trip; and I found out just how correct that statement was. So from personal experience, here they are:
3 Emotional Stages You Experience On A Road Trip!
1. Happy Dance – This is when your trip is just beginning. Maybe you just filled up the car on the way out of town, or made one last drink stop; but now you are pumped and ready to roll. The excitement for the trip has been building all week and this is finally the time to let it all out. The music is cranked up, the windows are down and hands are flying in the air.
2. Memory Lane – We all enjoy those trips down memory lane, and when is a better time than being locked in a car full of people for thousands of miles. This is the time in the trip full of the “remember whens.” Reminiscing about past experiences and fun times that everyone shared together. Full of both laughter and tears this stage of the trip is hard to avoid.
3. Deep Water – This is the stage of the trip where all of life’s questions beg to be answered. The “what ifs” and “how comes” are brought into the open and somehow you are able to find the answers. You begin to see the big picture of why things are the way they are.
Can you relate to any of these? Is there anything you would add to this list?
Taysha Ham hails from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
A student at New Mexico State University, Taysha is majoring in agricultural communications with a minor in journalism.
This summer she is completing a social media internship for Venture Time Travel.
Why not check out these other posts by Taysha “;.