Hit the Open Road

The open road, she is beautiful.

Sure, she can be long and tiresome, but she can also be filled with hope and wonder. Traveling to a new place with great companions while taking your time, enjoying the little moments is a splendid thing.

I recently ventured on two different seven-hour road trips in the span of one week. I’ve always loved long car rides; However, these back-to-back trips initially seemed quite daunting.

Once I was finally out on the road traveling, though, all my worries dissipated.

The first trip was from Georgia to Louisville, Kentucky for a family wedding. My wife and I drove up Friday morning and were back home by Sunday.

The next was from Georgia to Orlando, Florida for a friend’s wedding at Walt Disney World. We hit the road on Tuesday and returned home on Friday.

Yes, this was a long time driving on highways at high speeds, but it allowed us to talk about life and current events as well as rock out to music like we were center stage of Madison Square Garden.

We didn’t care what anyone passing by thought of us, which is another awesome perk of traveling by car: It’s just you and your passengers, and those zooming by you don’t matter (except for the safety aspects, of course).

Prior to leaving, I got out car serviced, which is the number one must-do before any long road trip. Turns out the car needed new brakes— a cost I wasn’t looking forward to, but it had to be done.

Safety should be your top priority before hitting the open road.

I much prefer traveling by car if possible as I’ve always been a nervous flyer. There’s just something so pure about seeing the sights on the ground, making stops in small towns and getting a glimpse at how others live their life.

You can only soak in the beauty of nature while flying for a few brief moments after take-off and prior to landing. A road trip offers up so many different sights and sounds.

Open up the windows and let the breeze smack you in the face. Smell the fresh air. Sing as loud as you want.

A good road trip can do wonders for the soul.

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The funny thing is, I’m writing this while flying on a plane to Philadelphia. That’s around an 11 or 12-hour drive from my hometown and one I’ve made before. I would’ve done it again, but this time I’m flying for work and don’t have the time to make the ground trek.

We don’t always have the time to hit the open road, but it shouldn’t stop us from planning.

A few keys to any good road trip include the right passengers, mutually agreed upon music choices by all, GPS, a battery charger for your electronics and the right attitude.

With the desire and the correct frame of mind, your road trip is bound to be a success. What are you waiting for?

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