8 Ways to Love Every Minute of Your Next Road Trip
Why do you love hitting the highway?
"Road trips offer us the chance to drop the baggage of daily busyness and discover the wonders around us—to see a towering waterfall for the first time, to feel the magic of a redwood forest, and to marvel at a star-filled desert sky." —Arlene Wedgwood
"I created a Spotify playlist for road trips, and when the family piles into the car, I put it on shuffle. It's got everything from the Backstreet Boys to Frank Sinatra, and we sing it all at the top of our lungs." —Lyja Levas
"To me, reading the road map and imagining the sights along the way is the best part. I'll make notes on what to see, where to stay. After the trip, I have that map as a souvenir of my travels." —Dusty Rose
"My wife and I have a tradition: On your birthday, you must wake up in a place you've never been before. On a recent birthday road trip, we toured the Pinetop-Lakeside area northeast of Phoenix, then drove into New Mexico. I woke up on my birthday in Ruidoso, a stunning sky island in the desert." —Bob Marsh
"When we headed to Zion National Park in Utah, the rangers told us, ‘Just turn left, and you can see some arches.' It wasn't on the itinerary, but we turned left anyway. Several road trips later, if we see something that might be interesting, we ‘just turn left,' and we're rewarded every time." —Roxanne and Chuck Cowan
"We always bring two folding chairs, plus a cooler of food for picnics along the way. We also pack a bag of books, and leave them at the Little Free Libraries that we pass." —Valerie Kyte
"My family is currently on a 5,500-mile road trip. We make no reservations, so we're not tied to a schedule. We love being able to take an extra day in a beautiful place or stop at an unexpected sign that promises hot springs up a short trail." —Michelle O'Neill
"Flying across the country in a matter of hours is a miracle of convenience, but you're also 37,000 feet above it all. Road tripping puts you right there, among the trees and lakes, the smells and sounds. There's nothing like it!" —Karen Nunley