By Anna
Last summer, our family took a road trip across America to drop our brother off at college. It was a great way to send our brother off — we spent lots of time together since the road trip was about two weeks! Although I’m someone who tends to get carsick ten minutes into a drive, I absolutely love road trips. They are such a fun way to relax on vacation while getting to spend time with your loved ones, and it’s cheaper than flying!
We often find ourselves drifting away from our loved ones, especially during the school year when homework and extracurriculars consume every hour we have to relax. With summer just around the corner, scheduling a road trip, even if it’s only an hour or two, can be a great way to spend more time with your family or friends completely unplugged. To make your road trip more enjoyable, I’ve listed below five ideas that can make your road trip even better.
1. Visit downtowns and explore!
Chances are, wherever you decide to go on a road trip isn’t somewhere you go to often. In some cases, your route leads you to a massive city that is full of activities, but sometimes that’s not always possible. Going to cute downtowns and shopping, getting lunch, and walking around can help you get a feel for where you are and what the people and culture are like.
2. Find outdoorsy adventures
After sitting in the car for hours on end, finding a destination where you can stretch around and get some exercise is a must. Maybe you and your family can stop to go on a hike, swim in a lake, or walk around a national park, but whatever the activity is, you’ll feel much more refreshed and ready to drive after!
3. Find an obscure attraction
This summer we road tripped to the Midwest which had lots of farming and agriculture. One thing we saw frequently was fields of food, specifically corn. When we did some research we found a corn maze that was on the way to our destination and we were super excited to try something new that was hard to find in our hometown. In the end, we weren’t able to go since it was about 100 degrees outside, but activities like these are what make you grateful that you were able to get out of the house for a little.
4. Try a new chain restaurant
Some chain restaurants are located around the globe, but some are only in certain areas of the country. When my family took a trip to the other side of the country, we found many food chains that we hadn’t had before. Our personal favorite was Culver’s, which we had always heard good things about but never indulged ourselves. I’m not saying to eat fast food every meal, but when fast food is the only option, try something new!
5. Visit family/friends
Often people have family or friends that live far away from their own family, in random locations that they typically don’t travel to. A road trip is a great time to see them as you travel all around your state or country and go to places you typically wouldn’t travel to. Even if it’s just a pitstop, seeing your loved ones that you haven’t seen in ages truly is a huge benefit of road tripping.
Obviously, road tripping isn’t for everyone, but it’s such a great way to see new places and cultures while spending time with your loved ones. I challenge you to go on a road trip this summer, even if it’s only an hour’s drive from your house. The countless memories made and fun adventures are something that can stay with you for a lifetime!
THE SISTER SITE 