4 Life Lessons We Learned From Road Trips
August is through. Which means that Labour Day weekend has also come and gone, and so has the season for road trips. And while we welcome the looming fall weather, we’re reflecting on the road trips, both this summer and summer’s past, that gave us a well of knowledge. Here are our top 4 road trip lessons we’ve gleaned over the years.
Don’t drink copious amounts of water (or pee when you can)
The rule of thumb is: if you think you have to go to the bathroom, then go. If we learned anything from our father’s during the collective coming of age road trips of our youth, it’s that Dad doesn’t like to make multiple stops unless he has to. Notorious for “hold it in” and “wait ten more minutes” and also “why didn’t you go when your brothers had to?”, there were two life lessons we learned from here: 1) always go, even if you think you don’t have to, and 2) Don’t drink copious amounts of water.
Plan carefully
If you’re a parent, this one is not only crucial, it’s lifesaving. Trust us when we say that you’ll save everyone in the car a lot of time, grief, and headaches if you plan every stage of your road trip with kids. From the backseat quips of “Dad, Robert is touching me!” to “Mom, Samantha is looking out my window” to “Stop breathing so loud”, there is plenty of reason to provide planned stops, distractions in the form of music of their choice, or providing tablets (ah, technology) for them to watch movies on.
Respect Nature
You either learn the hard way or you don’t learn at all. If you’re in the club of hitting a wild animal or, subsequently, being hit by a wild animal (it happens), then you know exactly what we talk about when we talk about slowing down and respecting nature. If and when you see a deer, elk, bear, or other wild animals on the road, slow down, put on your hazard lights for people behind you, and respect the fact that nature sometimes will change direction and bolt across the highway.
Don’t be Lazy. Get Gas
We all have those moments where we think we can make it to the next town and therefore don’t have to stop in that painstakingly long line to fill up on gas. But, as the boy scouts of America always say: always be prepared. What if, between this stop and your next, there’s an accident, and you’re stuck in traffic? That means inching forward every five minutes or so, seemingly at the pace of a snail, or slower. It also means your gas won’t get you to the next pit stop. Think ahead, don’t be lazy, and fill up when you can.