1. When you think about a road trip, you immediately
flash to:
Road Trip : Going on a trip is all about seeing
how much fun you can have with your buds - although you’ll
skip the famous mouse-swallowing scene, thanks!
Almost Famous . You’re all about the independent
spirit, saying "buh-bye" to Mom and Dad, and pursuing your
dreams. (Even if it means hopping on a Greyhound with a bunch
of roadies.)
Thelma & Louise : Road tripping is about
taking to the road and defying the rules. You don’t care what
happens, as long as no one bums your flow.
The Brady Bunch at Grand Canyon : You can’t think
of anything nicer than a well-planned, organized week of
family fun. Throw in a national landmark or two, and you’re
set!
2. It’s time to make the perfect road CD. You sit down
in front of your computer with your headphones on, a stack of
CDs in front of you and a list of mp3s on the monitor. What
kind of songs do you put on your awesome road trip CD?
Show
tunes & anything you heard that last time you went to a
karaoke: Road trips are a great opportunity to have a
sing-along with your family and friends.
Trance, ambient or chant: Traveling is all about moving
deeper within your mind. You’ll be able to groove your way to
road trip bliss.
Party
mix: Different is good. You’ll just mix together a bunch of
songs from your favorite CDs.
Heavy
metal or punk: A heavy beat, powerful lyrics and a wicked
guitar riff make a road trip a rockin’ good time.
3. If
you could take any celebrity with you on a road trip, who
would it be?
Eminem
Gwenyth Paltrow
Tom
Green
James
Dean
4. Quick - what’s in your suitcase?
Three
pairs of black pants and five black shirts.
Uh -
suitcase? Do you mean the garbage bag you shoved your
toothbrush and underwear in?
Two
pairs of jeans, three pairs of shorts, five T-shirts, five
pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, an extra pair of
shoes, a light sweater, a jacket, and something a little
dressy just in case.
Cargo
pants, T-shirts and your leather jacket.
5. It’s time for a pit stop - you’re starved! Where do
you head for grub?
Denny’s - they have (somewhat) balanced meals at
reasonable prices. Besides, you’re familiar with the menu and
know you won’t get some strange road meal.
A
diner off the side of the road - you’re all about hangin’ with
the locals and finding out all the crazy things to do in the
area.
The
cooler in the back seat of the car - you’ve packed granola,
trail mix, juice, and sandwiches. There’s no need to stop
anywhere…let’s get going!
Chevron - a road trip isn’t a road trip without a
balanced meal of Slim Jims, Coke, EZ-Cheese, and a Snickers
bar.
6. What do you do to kill time as the miles fly by?
Sing
songs, play "20 Questions", and keep a list of the all the
wacky peeps you’ve encountered.
Talk
to your buds, make faces at people in the other cars, and see
if you can burp the whole alphabet in one breath.
Meditate or listen to music on your Walkman.
Weave
in and out of traffic or play chicken with the other drivers.
7. You’re in the middle of some rural stretch of land
and nature calls. Oops! There’s no bathroom in sight! What do
you do?
You
pull over and take care of business by the side of the road.
What’s the big deal, anyway?
You
pull over and find a tree, some bushes or a secluded spot—and
you take toilet paper!
You
break into a deserted-looking farmhouse...and you look through
the medicine cabinet when you’re done.
You
hold it until you get to the next town. Is there any other
option?
8. The day is done, the sun has set and you’re heading
off to bed. What’s on your to-do list before your head hits
the pillow?
An
hour of meditation followed by yoga and journal writing.
Taking a shower, calculating your daily mileage and
expenses, and planning your next day’s itinerary.
A
to-do list? What about a to-don’t list?!
Taking off your shoes.
9. At
the end of summer, you’ll fondly remember your trip by doing
what?
Checking to see if you have enough money to pay for all
the traffic tickets you got during the trip.
Reading through your journal.
Cleaning up the collection of fast-food wrappers,
ticket stubs, and crumpled receipts on the floor of the car.
Looking through your photograph album - you’ve already
developed your photos, written memories on the back of each
one, arranged them in chronological order, and put them in
your album.
Illustration by Matt
Pasteris