How to Survive a College Road Trip

Anna Hewlett

How to Survive a College Road Trip

Whether it is a study abroad program to another country or a weekend trip to a different state

with some friends, one of the greatest opportunities one can take in college is to travel.

The road trip has always seemed to be an easy and mostly inexpensive way for students to get

away from school for a weekend. It may be an easy feat to pack up a car and go, but to avoid potential

on-the-road catastrophes one must carefully plan and be prepared for any and all problems that can

come up while travelling.

The way you get to your destination is one of the most important things to plan for on a road

trip. In a world with global positioning satellites, there hardly seems to be a reason anymore to look at a

map, and most students only use their GPS systems to get where they want to go. However, many

unsuspecting students are unaware that their directional technology is not updated, but they usually do

not find out until the trusty GPS recalculates with off-roading as an option.

Richard Martin, 22, is a senior at Auburn University and has always enjoyed taking weekend

road trips with friends. He also sees the importance of having directions prepared before getting on the

open road.

“I do have a Garmin and I like having GPS,” said Martin. “But, I always end up looking up the

directions online the night before, just in case we get stuck somewhere.”

Long car trips can be boring, but having music to listen to can fill the silence and even spawn

random sing-alongs. Making a road trip playlist for an iPod or assigning someone in the car to be the DJ

can both successfully pass the time.

Unfortunately, many students forget that all this wonderful technology has to be charged to

work. So, to avoid a long trip of listening to a crackling radio and deciphering maps, make sure to charge

the batteries on all devices before leaving.

Another great way to be prepared for a road trip, especially one that is longer than four

hours, is to have snacks in the car, and plenty of them.

“My friends and I have gone on eight and ten hour trips before, and sometimes we don’t want

to stop for food,” said Martin. “There is not a whole lot to do in the car anyway so it is nice to have

something to eat if you get hungry.”

Gas station snack food is convenient and cheap, so if a different person refills the snack supplies

every time you stop for gas it won’t hurt your wallet.

However, there are snacks that are not appropriate for a car ride, especially if they could be left

in the car overnight.

“I do not usually like eating junk food, so one time I brought bananas as a snack,” Martin said.

“They were fine on the way there, but we left them in the car overnight and the next day the smell was

unbearable.”

All of this pre-planning is helpful in preparing for a trip down the highway, but there are many

things that can be learned only from experience.

It may not often be thought about, but if students are going on a weekend road trip, it can be

safely assumed they will travel home on Sunday afternoon or night.

The problem is, if the thought of stopping on the road to eat does cross the mind, students will

not have many options. Many times the only restaurant that will be open on Sunday nights is Subway,

and, more often than not, it will be a Subway attached to a gas station.

Another piece of road trip wisdom that can really only be gained from experience is to keep

extra toilet paper in the car. There will be a time where the only gas station to stop at only has a

bathroom on the outside of the building, and that bathroom will probably not have toilet paper.

For every trip taken, there will be a new piece of road trip wisdom to add to the list, so every

trip down the highway students may be better prepared, but will get a rewarding new experience every

time.