Unless you are going on a road trip with your family, in which case you have no choice, selecting your road trip companion(s) is one of the most important elections you do when planning your vacation.
Road trip companions that seem obvious, like your best friend or your boyfriend or girlfriend, may not be the perfect choices you think they are. Road trips are the litmus test of relationships – you’ll discover your true compatibility as your journey progresses. As Mark Twain wisely said, “I’ve found there’s no sure way to know if you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
Then what do you do? Where to start?
The right thing
Start by choosing someone you generally get along with in most situations. If you and your best friend tend to have a lot of fights and fights (even though you love each other), maybe your best friend It is not the right person. My ex-best friend and I took a road trip to Block Island that literally ended our friendship because we were fighting so much.
Also, make sure the person you are traveling with has the same travel mindset. If checklists of must-sees and running from place to place are your thing and it’s all about kicking back and exploring in a relaxed way, you’re probably in trouble.
Your destiny
Whether you’re traveling with family or friends, selecting a destination you’re excited about can make a world of difference. It may seem like a no-brainer, but many people don’t take the time to sit down and make a decision as a group, either because they’re too busy and just choose the destination that comes to mind, or because they don’t feel like dealing with the whole process. to get together and work it out (and possibly deal with some disagreement).
The best way to do this is to have a little party: order pizza (or something that appeals) and great drinks (alcoholic or not) and invite your fellow travelers over to your place. You will all be in a relaxed state of mind and this will really help you to work something out in a nice way. Be open and listen, but don’t settle for anything less than full and enthusiastic agreement about your destination.
Good vibrations
Once you’ve selected the perfect partners and destination for your road trip, be sure to take care of one last and very important part of the cleanup. If you and your fellow road trippers have anything that has been bubbling under the surface of your relationship, something that one of you is angry about or there is an irritating quirk that you have been ignoring, now is the time to bring it up.
Why not just let it go? It’s been so long, right? Well, a road trip is a lot like a pressure cooker, and a problem with your relationship is like a ruptured seal on that pressure cooker. All that time coupled with very little personal space in the car, driving for hours and getting tired, and occasionally getting lost and upset are all realities of road trips (along with all the fun, laughter, and bonding you’ll have on your vacation). . You put that problem (pause) into the intensity of a road trip (pressure cooker) and something is going to explode!
Sit down and talk to him softly. Never talk about the problem with anyone other than the person you are having the problem with, as this will drag the other person down and make everything worse. He speaks from “me’s” point of view: “I’m not really into country music, and I know you are. Can we think of something we can both live with?” not “Your country music drives me crazy. Don’t you dare play it on our road trip!”
Taking the time before you go to select the right person, choosing a destination you’re excited about, and addressing these potential issues with your fellow travelers can make a big difference in the quality of your road trip.
