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Top Ten Reasons that Road Trips Suck
Whether you're trying to save money or shrink your vacation's carbon footprint, you probably know, deep down, that road trips suck. There are definitely good things about the open road; the unexpected detours, the wind in your hair (or exhaust in your face, eyes) ... but for the most part, sitting in traffic in a closed vehicle for untold hours with people you may or may not normally tolerate for long stretches would probably be one of Dante's rings of Inferno, had he thought of it. Road trips suck. Just in time for Thanksgiving, let's go ahead and talk about it. It might make you feel better.Top Ten Reasons that Road Trips Suck
1. Time. Driving takes forever. You're cramped up in this tiny little space (especially if someone's behind you and demanding leg room of any kind), and even if you speed, you will probably only end up shaving like fifteen minutes off of your trip -- that's if you don't get arrested. A flight from New York to LA is about 6 hours and 45 minutes. The drive? According to Mapquest, it's 42 hours and 45 minutes from Times Square to Laurel Canyon and Sunset Boulevard. And you can never have those 42 hours and 45 minutes back.
2. The whole car has to pull over if one person has to "go." It's not fair. The whole trip has to stop because someone had a Mountain Dew. Rest stops have gotten better over the years, but it's inevitable that you will end up at the one with townies who look like they want to bash your head against the condom dispenser and "Beware Cat Burglar" on the back of the restroom stalls.
3. It wrecks the car. Road trips may stress you out. Well, they also put stress on your car. The miles depreciate its resale value one by one. Your vehicle could also break down, leaving you stranded and having to fly or rent, or worse yet, you could just be stuck knowing that "my car has never run the same since that road trip." A lot of people will tell you to make sure to get your car serviced before your trip. Ever been to an auto body shop that can't find something wrong? Me neither. There goes whatever cash you were saving by not flying.
4. Sleepiness. When you're driving alone late at night, it's not uncommon (and very dangerous) to get a case of the nods. Worse still is when you have a car full of people with you -- and they're all asleep.
5. Carsickness. If you're not the driver, you're bored. That's just how it is after a couple of hours. Unfortunately, if you're part of the 80 percent of the population that gets motion sickness (at some point, according to Healthline), just about everything that might be fun to do in a small, enclosed space, like read, play a videogame, or do a puzzle, will make you violently ill. Especially if you're running on low-budget diner food.
6. Radio fail. However many miles it takes you to get sick of your iPod, that's about how many miles it probably takes for you to be completely free of all familiar radio stations. Then, you have to scan and scan for something even remotely listenable, and whatever decent signal you do manage to pick up is gone within half an hour to an hour. If you bring a book on tape, you're similarly doomed because if you're alone, your mind will wander or you'll get distracted by navigating. If you're with others, someone will start talking, or, as before, they'll all be lulled to sleep, and you'll be stuck rewinding constantly.
7. Traffic. God forbid you should try and take a vacation the same day as other people, because not only will the airports be dire, but the traffic will be literally catastrophic -- and by "catastrophic," I mean that the stop and go will result in accidents. And it might be your unlucky day. Where I'm from in Minnesota, we have an old saying: "There are two seasons: 'winter' and 'road construction,'" meaning that the traffic is just always bad. Which leads us to ...
8. Road rage. Road construction and inclement weather both require people to drive slowly, which can turn even the calmest mind into a raging bear. It's like sitting in the longest line in the world, and you have no control over when you'll be out of it. People lose it.
9. The hotels along the way. Road trips longer than ten hours (longer for you hard-core trekkers) generally require you to stay a night somewhere. The trouble is that no one wants to deal with the traffic (or upcharge) of venturing into a city when the whole point is to "make good time" (i.e. sleep and get back on the road). Whether you plan your night in the boondocks in advance or just pull over at any decent-looking motel, the result is about the same, and it's not pretty. Keep in mind, the remote is the filthiest thing ...
10. "Hell is other people." Jean-Paul Sarte said it best (in French) in his classic play, No Exit: "Hell is other people." His play features three people in a room with no way out. They discuss their lives, decide they hate each other, decide they forgive each other, then hate each other again, and so on and so forth with no forseeable end. What could be worse? Put them in a car.
Other than that, road trips are fine.
Filed under: North America, Transportation
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Darren Nov 4th 2009 11:23AM
Ha! I'll let you off the hook here since I can smell the sarcasm, but I have a mantra now that if my destination is within ~12 hours, I'll drive.
Let's see. Waking up 3.5 hours early, bothering a friend to get me to the airport 2 hours early, fighting with someone over luggage fees, sweating through my shirt by the time I'm through security and then crossing my fingers that my flight isn't delayed.
Then when I get there, it's a half hour to retrieve the luggage, then an hour getting where you want to go.
No thanks, I'll take my own ride!
Ron Nov 4th 2009 9:04PM
Get a motor home or a multimillion dollar prvost coach. Those things are way better than flying. You only unpack once.
And if you hire a few chaffeurs you can just keep right on truckin.
In all seriousness though. Who considers a drive from LA to NY?
Driving vs. flying is a 10 hr or less or in my case 21 hours or less vs. flying comparison. 48 hrs of driving vs flying is not really the same.
But keep in mind not everybody lives within an hour of an airport that will take them anywhere directly. A lot of people live within 2 hours of an airport that will connect somewhere and then go where they need to go.
So, the time factor begins at home. And you have to consider the "wait" as well.
For example: if you have 3 flights a day out of a regional airport and the "next" flight is 4 hours from when you could just hit the road, and that flight connects so that time involved in flights is 6 hours, then that's 10 hours right there.
There's no TSA on the road, and there's no power hungry airport officials, and you can bring a whole lot more stuff with you too.
And if you're not an inpatient selfish prick, then you can use the car time well. The book on tape is a nice deal it can make 10 hours go by really fast. And your travelling companions can all ge tto know each other better.
But one thing is right: road trips are hell when you go with the wrong PEOPLE. With the right people, road trips are great. Unfortunately if YOU are the wrong people, then you can't get away from yourself, and every day is hell for you.
Richard Nov 4th 2009 11:46AM
It's not the destination, it's the voyage.
erictheolson Nov 4th 2009 12:17PM
If everybody didnt always take the Interstate roads it would be more of a adventure but its hard not to.
Jessie Kwak Nov 4th 2009 4:44PM
Aww, I love road trips! I agree with point number 10, though--nothing is more stressful than three days trapped in a car with people you thought you knew better than you do.
Last year I took my old Eclipse from Seattle to Tucson just by myself, though, and that was amazing. For me there's nothing more peaceful and meditative than staring at miles and miles of empty (and gorgeous) Utah highway, pulling off whenever the mood strikes and chatting with the locals as you fill your tank.
Granted, point number 3 is not too far off--I knew my car was on its last legs when I started off, but at least he stayed running until we sputtered together to a halt back in Seattle! (RIP little buddy).
Great article, though, thanks!
Jessie
www.knkexplore.wordpress.com
Michelle Nov 4th 2009 10:01PM
I must be a freak, then, because I will take a road trip over being cooped up in a tin can in the air any day. :)
No smokers complaining they need their fix. No security to deal with, rifling through my private belongings. No children kicking the seat/screaming/throwing up on me/crawling on me - I have nothing against children, but I don't need to deal with kids I don't know when I'm in my own car. No people with bad b.o./overbearing perfume.
Sure, some rest areas are scary, but so are some of the airport bathrooms I've been in. It's really about using common sense in choosing where to pull over and learning to trust your instincts.
I've also had my share of bad traveling companions, but even more horror tales of seat mates when in the air.
And that 43 hr drive from NYC to LA can be some of the best moments of my life with memories to last a lifetime...not to mention blog posts.
For me. traveling isn't just about the destination, but the journey to get there, as well. Road trips rule! :D
http://www.zengrrl.com
Chris Cavs Nov 5th 2009 1:51AM
I dunno, all the things you point out as bad, well, yeah, they're part of traveling in general. You could say similar things about air travel, train travel, foot travel. They all have their downsides.
But since I sense a bit of sarcasm here, i'll let you off the hook.
Manami Tosh Nov 5th 2009 12:25AM
My boyfriend and I went on an epic road trip this summer: three months, 12,000 miles, 31 states, on a budget of less than $50 a day. On a motorcycle. I thought I would never want to hear the words "road trip" again, but as soon as we got home, we began planning the next one.
I think that we get so caught up with our final destinations that we often forget to appreciate the remote, off-the-map type places that make up most of America. This, I think, is the spirit of the road trip: embracing the spontaneous as much as the planned!
http://steinbeckforlovers.wordpress.com
Legal Nomads Nov 5th 2009 11:03AM
Road trips are awesome, as sometimes the 'getting there' part is as important as the final destination. My brother and I have a rule that any relationship must first pass the "road trip test": you must take a road trip - over 3 hours long - with the your new object of affection and see if they pass. If, during the course of said road trip, conversation does not wane and you end up thinking that the person was more fun than at the beginning? A+ in road trip 101. We're not a critical family at all ;)
joep Nov 9th 2009 11:02AM
We are just back from an RV trip. Solves every one of the above problems. Try it.
1. Time is OK at 70 MPH (and no airport headaches),
2. no bathroom stops,
3. Rent one
4. Driver hops into bed when tired
5. No carsickness if you are watching movies, playing cards, eating dinner
6. Watch movies
7. Avoid traffic and cities
8. No road rage - people sympathize with you - just don't cut off truckers
9. Hotel is with you
10. ???
From my last trip -
http://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/Las-Vegas,Places-to-Visit.aspx
nevergoodenough Nov 11th 2009 1:14AM
yeah... wrote your reply on my blog, stop by and read it sometime.
http://nevergoodenough.wordpress.com/
Australia ETA Nov 11th 2009 10:07PM
I disagree at some point, I still believe that road trip rocks it's on your hand to enjoy even on a bad weather conditions. Like others say, always bring a little sense of humor on road trip.
Good Post!
Australia ETA