Road trip! Have you ever dreamed about just taking off and getting away from it all, hitting the road for some fun and adventure, even if just for a little while? Who hasn’t? Today it’s easier than ever to go on tour, although the tools that make it possible, the Internet and cell phones, ironically make it harder to actually get away from it all. But, believe it or not, it’s perfectly doable to dump those too, and spend a few months in an intimate relationship, just the road, your destinations, and you.
The lure of the open road has always been a part of the popular imagination, but the modern idea of the road trip, especially in America, took off after the end of the second World War. The post-war economy was booming, automobiles were safer and more reliable than ever before, and people embraced the idea of the family vacation on the road. Tourist destinations and campgrounds sprung up everywhere, and these places could be reached in day or weeks, rather than months. The expansion and improvement of roads and highways in the U.S., especially the Interstate Highway System beginning in the late 1950’s, was a great boon to cheap, safe, and fast touring.
Of course, the road trip is loved the world over. Anywhere you have cars and roads, people trip them. The great cities and cultural centers of Europe and the world await the intrepid motorist. You can now make The Grand Tour in weeks, rather than years.
With the Internet, it’s possible for many people to travel for extended periods and still keep up with work. Some people have even made a career out of perpetual travel.
Making It Happen
Hitting the road for three months is easy enough. You just get in your car or RV, hop on your bike, and go. But we all know that’s no way to take a trip, unless you’re some crazy teenager, and then it’s the only way.
The trip-planning tools that are available today are impressive. The Good Sam Club has been shepherding American travelers for decades, and they offer a good assortment of resources, aimed at RVers, but suitable for any traveler. And of course there are many other sites online to help with planning and destinations. And if you’d like to socialize with fellow road trippers along the way, there’s a place to do that too.
Need some ideas for international highway adventures? Here’s a look at some of the best.
So what are you waiting for? The wide open highway beckons.
Tanzania
Nepal