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Even if these unique sites are slightly off course and add hours to your trip, they also add so much value to a journey and become some of the most memorable moments along the way. And if a visitation sight ends up being lackluster, these are often the moments you laugh about later with your friends and family.
It's important to understand the places you're passing through. It's important to take interest in other people's homes and landscapes, because this knowledge will bring new perspective into your own life. This is, at its essence, the beauty of traveling.
Enjoy the Company You Keep, Even if You're Alone
There's no better way to get to know someone than to travel with them—the road has an interesting way of inspiring storytelling and building trust. In traveling you get to be intentional with someone: attention is heightened, electronics often don't work, conversations develop organically. It's when you're sitting in the car or hiking through a park that you may learn new facts about someone or observe interesting idiosyncrasies. This is why it's both fun to travel with people you know well and people you don't.
In addition to this, road trips are a great opportunity to travel alone. This is because traveling alone offers such a therapeutic time to reflect, process, and contemplate. Road trips inspire self-discovery and because of this often result in feelings of reprieve and liberation.
So whether in a group or alone, anticipate the benefits of scenic landscape coupled with authentic conversation and benign introspection. Expect to learn things in the silence and in the small talk.
Looking to the road, whether you're traveling with a destination in mind or merely pursuing adventure, know there are always simple preparations to be made that can heighten the enjoyment and value of any trip. This includes a little planning, a little research and a little appreciation for each detail along the way.
As for me, my dad still writes itineraries when I travel, marking each time and distance. What he doesn't know, however, is that I do the same, mimicking the patterns taught to me at an early age. I travel, always knowing I have a home to return to, and never taking for granted the time and space it takes to get there.
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