The great American road trip. It’s something every man should do, or at least wish he did, in his life. Here at The Man F.A.Q., we try to keep a realistic outlook. You might go through your life never having a reason or even a chance to drive across this massive hunk of land we live on. That’s the United States I’m talking about. It is the World Wide Web, after all. I’ve got a few friends in the UK, and they’re always amazed that it usually takes about a week to drive across the U.S.
Death Valley
Love those guys. Go Everton!
But back to the topic at hand. The road trip across America. All 3,000 miles of it. Of course, take a few detours, and you’re up to more than 4,000 easy. Take it from me, I know. I did the drive recently, and I’m here to tell you how how to do it, by kind of telling you how not to do it. Don’t get me wrong. I had probably one of the top three or two or one, really, most amazing times of my life on that trip from North Carolina to California — through Charleston, S.C.; New Orleans, La.; San Antonio, Texas; Las Vegas, N.V.; and little old out-of-the-way Lone Pine, Calif. But there are a few things on that trip that I’d do a little differently were I to do it a second go-round.
I’ll just set the basics. I was making a move across country. So I basically had my whole life, my soon-to-be wife and my dog in the car. Let me just add that my dog is awesome. If you’ve got one, take that canine on the trip with you. There’s nothing better than man’s best friend in the car with you all 3,000-plus miles. And if you have a woman in your life, well, you better bring her too. What’s a road trip without someone to share it with, right?
I had everything perfect right up through there.
Now here’s where I went wrong. Hopefully, you’ll learn from my mistakes. See, in so many facets of my life, I have to be a take-charge guy – especially professionally. It becomes something of a habit. The road trip was part of a cross-country move, in which everything had to be coordinated in such detail. I won’t go into them now, I’m sure you can imagine. The organization from the bulk of the move bled into the actual road trip. Man, I had everything plotted out. Hotels booked for each night of the journey, exactly how many miles we’d go each day.
Take it from me. If you ever have a reason, if you ever even have a chance to drive across the country, man, just hit the road. Take a map (the real kind, that folds up), a bag or two of beef jerky and a cooler for all of your post-drive-for-the-day beer. Take each turn on a whim. Don’t stop until you want to. Explore!
On a cross-country trip, you’re at the start and you know the finish. It’s easy to see the basic route you take to get there. Forget Mapquest, ditch hotels.com. Basically, I’m telling you to live by the old cliché … indeed, throw caution to the wind.
I’m lucky. I came west, but I have just as much draw calling me back east. Indeed, I have plans to make the trip again. Next time, we’re going a northerly route … and no hotels, even. Somehow I’ve convinced her to stay in a tent at every stop across our great land.
Now, I’m not saying you should camp across the country. (yes, yes … do it). But seriously, should you be lucky enough to take the greatest road trip in America, treat it with the sense of adventure it deserves.
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