All kinds of travel open your eyes. It makes the mind stronger and sets the spirit free. But a good old-fashioned road trip is the only thing that really shows what it means to be free.
When you go on a road trip, it’s not just about getting from A to B like when you fly or take the train. It’s about how they got from one to the other. The road IS the destination, and each small town, strange sculpture, and strange museum along the way is a surprise.
If you need a little push to hit the road and take advantage of the summer road trip season or some inspiration to get you excited about the trip you’re about to take, these quotes should do the trick.
“Sometimes the roads you didn’t plan to take are the most beautiful ones.” – “Once Upon a Time,” Angela N. Blount
It’s a figure of speech, but it can also be taken literally. Like when we got lost between France and Germany and ended up in Luxembourg by accident, or when we took the wrong exit at a roundabout and ended up at the best pastry shop in all of France.
“Adventure is good for its own sake.”
– Amelia Earhart
Yeah, sure. Only if you want to fly and become famous.
“Let a compass, not a clock, guide your life.” – Stephen R.
Listen. Internalize it. Live it.
“Dude, this is why I love road trips. It’s like doing something without really doing anything.” – John Green, “A Lot of Katherines”
But, ain’t it? Except for the driver, I mean. If you drivin’, you got work.
“You can’t find some beautiful paths without getting lost.” – Erol Ozan
Yup. And you can’t get lost in an aeroplane unless you have the worst sense of direction in the world or are the pilot.
“Now, on this road trip, my mind seemed to relax, breathe, and find a cure for a disease it didn’t know it had until now.” – Elizabeth Berg, The Year of Pleasures
All done. That’s all there is to it.
“The world changes every hundred feet.” – 2666, Roberto Bolaño
And you have to stop every few hundred miles for gas and snacks.
“Road trips required a well-balanced diet of caffeine, salt, and sugar, as well as a great playlist of songs, and directions, of course.” – Books Can Be Deceiving, Jenn McKinlay
The most important parts. Except for how to do it. Those are not required.
“And just like that, we’re on our way everywhere.” Emery Lord’s “Open Road Summer”
What freedom is all about.
“I hit the open road, healthy and free, with the whole world in front of me.” “The Song of the Open Road,” Whitman, Walt
What freedom is all about x2. This was written before there were cars!
“The freedom of the open road is alluring, lucky, and incredibly freeing.” – Aaron Lauritsen
What freedom is all about x3.
“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep rolling under the stars.” – Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”
There might be a theme of freedom here.
“As always on the road, there’s nothing behind me and everything ahead of me.” – Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”
Kerouac again. Try reading “On the Road.” It’s kind of like one long quote about driving.
“Don’t worry about the bumps in the road and just enjoy the ride.” – Babs Hoffmann
In life and on road trips.
“It’s not on any map, because real places are never on maps.” – Herman Melville and Moby Dick
False, but beautiful.
I also knew that Idaho wasn’t real.
“God made the Earth round so we couldn’t see too far ahead.” Isak Dinesen’s “Out of Africa”
We could see over the steering wheel because the dashboard was made flat.
“Any road will get you there if you don’t know where you’re going.” – Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland.
Why is a real road trip a real road trip? Places to go are for fools.
“Roads were made for trips, not for getting somewhere.” – Confucius
Told ya.
“Getting to your destination isn’t the best part of a road trip. It’s the crazy things that happen along the way.” – Emma Chase Tamed
The truth.
“Road trips are like the wings of a person. Just ask me to go on one. We’ll stop in every small town to learn about its history and stories, get a feel for the place, and get a sense of its spirit. Then we’ll make it our own story that will be part of our history and that we’ll always remember. Because things aren’t as important as stories.” — Vicky Erickson
It’s not just talk. Studies have shown over and over that having experiences makes us much happier than having things. So instead of putting a spoiler on your car to show off to your friends, put that money in the gas tank and take them on an adventure.
“There is a road, and it will always be there. You just have to choose when to take it.” –Christopher Humphrey
So, why don’t you just do it?
