Back when we were teens my friends and I would take every opportunity that we could to hit the road and take a trip to wherever we could afford. We have all grown up now and recently I was chatting with one of my buddies Bharat Bhise HNA founder and successful businessman now, about those golden days when we used to spend weeks and weeks each year on the road in a beat-up Pinto, having the time of our lives. As it would seem, at least for Bharat and I, those days really stayed with us as now we both take our families away as much as possible, and we do so with a road trip.
I have always loved the feeling of getting in the car, loaded up with snacks and supplies, and launching ourselves off on an adventure and even though I am now a responsible parent, it is still something which I love to do with the family, and they do too. Sure you can fly, take buses and trains when you are heading off somewhere, but the reality is that there is nothing on Earth that can match the adventure and the excitement of a road trip, and here is why I love it.
1. Freedom
For me, the ultimate freedom in this life is going where you want to go and whenever you want to go, and being sat in your car with the open road ahead of you is the epitome of that. Sure you can have a destination in mind where you are heading, but it is very much the journey that plays the most important role when it comes to taking a road trip. When you are driving you can stop whenever and wherever you want, you can take detours and there will be nobody other than those in the car who can tell you where to go, pure freedom.
2. Discovery
Some of my favorite places in this country of ours are those which I have found during lengthy road trips with friends and family. We have found secluded lakes, abandoned towns and all manner of crazy and fascinating sights during our many road trips. This is something which you don’t get on a bus or a train, you can’t just stop when you see something that looks interesting and goes to check it out. When you are in the car however it is all on you and this type of trip really lends itself to the discovery of new and interesting things. The crazy thing is that most of the cool things which you do find are not in far-flung places, but on your doorstep, yet most people never took the time to look.
3. Time Together
As a group of friends, our best memories are of all of us being in the car together, spending hours chatting, singing playing and opening up to each other. This isn’t exclusively for groups of friends I have discovered becasue as a family there is no time other than being in the car that I cherish as much. We all lead busy lives, no longer do we eat dinner together as a family every day and it can be easy to lose track of people’s lives. This is yet another reason why I love road tripping, we have the chance to spend some quality time together, to talk, to listen and to enjoy each other’s company without distractions. This is something that is very rare amongst friends and family and it is why I love it so much. Speaking with Bharat it was clear that he feels the same about this, and that the time in the car with his family is the very best.
4. Things Going Wrong
Honestly speaking nobody wants things to go wrong, nobody wants a breakdown, nobody wants to have to pitch up a tent in a strange place after getting lost and nobody wants to have a minor accident which takes the car off the road for a couple of days. Having said all of that, my best memories with both friends and family is when things went slightly awry. It is when the chips are down that we see people’s true character and these moments make for amazing stories and even better memories. When you travel via train, bus or plane these situations are far less likely and in the main, you can’t from point A to B without a hitch, but that seems kinda boring now doesn’t it?
For me this is the ultimate way to travel when you are in a group and it is certainly the way that I would recommend everyone uses for transport when they are hitting a new destination.
