Perfect Road Tripping Partners

Road trips are amazing!  Epic journeys spanning expansive swaths of the country, exposing often overlooked treasures with every passing mile.  Pupils agape full bore, soaking in sights previously unseen or, more likely, unobserved. The best road trips ignite flickers of amazement and wonder deep in the recesses of our being.  Twitching and sparking inside of us long after our destination is reached and the tales are told. 

Finding the perfect road tripping partner to embark on this often worldview altering expedition is, in my opinion, the most impactful decision to be made.  Your experiences with that person will paint defining shades over your memories from the road for years to come.  A travel buddy relationship turned sour quickly diverts a weeklong breakneck excursion from Kentucky to Tijuana, Mexico onto a one-way road through resentment-town with stops in awkward-ville and jack-ass-burgh (my apologizes Holly and Carmen circa 2005). 

Over the years we have established some essential characteristics in our fellow road trippers.

Conversation

600 miles of one sided conversation might as well be a boat ride with Phlegyas across the river Styx.  This is not to say that constant conversation is the optimal alternative either, as it can be equally soul crushing when voluntarily sharing a confined space for extended periods.  The ideal conversationalist is someone that possesses a skill set for discourse that matches your own.  When you toss them the ball they toss it back, and don’t simply let it drop with the dull echoing thud of one word answers and disinterested statements. They too understand the value of story, of relationship building, and a timely and reverent silence. 

Endurance

Strategizing a road trip that doesn’t involve a massive amount of butt-in-seat time is next to impossible. There will be times where you will be tired and possibly bored, but these are the moments for perseverance.  A drive through the night, an AM driving shift on too little sleep, or being able to safely handle the first leg homeward after a long distance mountain run or hike on no sleep at all, are frequent occurrences for the adventuresome traveler.  Managing and mitigating the debilitation of drowsiness is as much a matter of convenience as it is of safety.  An ideal driving buddy will help in creating a fair driving schedule and be able to follow through with manning the wheel for their respective 4 hours, tank of gas, Joe Purdy album, or whatever your metric of time may be.  Maintaining a tight schedule can mean the difference between getting to a shift at work on time or not, and as much fun as being out on the road is, if there is no more money there is no more trip.

Stoke

Maybe I have lived in too many ski and surf towns but few words can so appropriately describe the conglomeration of excitement, enthusiasm, acknowledgement of moment, and reverence as these five letters.  To me this word embodies more than blind fanaticism or exhilaration as it is so commonly portrayed.  It is seeing the moment as it is.  Present, fleeting, and long-lasting only in memory, it is recognizing how glorious an experience can be after long hours of anticipation or preparation. A travel buddy who has “the stoke” makes the long stretch from Barstow to Bakersfield an exciting ramble through ever-changing desert terrain saturated in countless shades of reds yellows and the occasional greens, that play with lengthening rays of a setting sun. 

For a great article on “stoke” check our Brenden Leonard’s article here from my favorite website of all time Adventure Journal.

Cash-Flow

It seems silly to have to mention this but it is shocking how many travelers make reservations for accommodations and amusements only to find out after 200 miles of road time that their partner in crime was anticipating a week of dirt bagging it.  Or they always have to drop a deuce when its time to gas up for the next stint. Once over the age of 21 this is no longer appropriate behavior.  If you are able to pay for your booze you can pay for gas first. 

While each of these characteristics are essential components in finding the ideal travel buddy it is important to note that the necessity of fulfilling each of these categories is directly proportional to the distance of the trip planned.  Most of us can tolerate a couple of hours with an intolerable bore who sulks and scowls in the passenger seat as you do the lions share of the driving.  At the same time, there is no one besides my wife that I could have managed a 9,000mile trip over 6 weeks with. 

Take time in selecting your travel mate.  And remember, just as they can make or break your trip, you can do the same to theirs.

Written by Stephen Stockhausen

Call for comments: What characteristics do you look for in a travel buddy?  Share below!