[road] trippin': five reasons to seize the open road

1. nothing feels more liberating than cruising down a partially empty highway with a full tank of gas, windows down, and your music blaring! when the wind whips past my face, it's the closest i get to feeling wholly free, fast, and flying.
2. the exploration of new lands lends itself to an amazing educational experience. if i wasn't forced to drive through places to which i would probably never fly (like tuscaloosa), i would've never known my perceptions about alabama and its inhabitants were utterly ridiculous. i got to meet some of the nicest people at gas stations, on the university's campus, and at the park by the tuscaloosa river. it's something i will never forget.

3. road tripping really forces you to learn how to navigate without relying totally on your gps app because there will be plenty of cell phone purgatories along the way. sure, when the robots take over, maps will be a thing of the past, but whipping that atlas out, smoothing out the creases, and routing your trip is so empowering. that mix of pride, excitement, and forgiveness of yourself when you unintentionally go off-course must've been akin to euphoria to the explorers of the past. 4. hitting 75 on the freeway actually forces you to slow down. driving gives you lots of time to yourself to think about things you may have never given yourself the time to think about. it's hard to stop and take it all in when you're juggling the ins and outs of regular life, but being alone (or with a thought-provoking partner) with nothing ahead of you but time and road brings about a peace that is perfect for contemplating, hoping, and remembering.  5. getting in the car is the quickest way to just get gone! even if you have no specific destination, hitting the road at a time when it's not so congested gives you an uninterrupted break to just let things go. be it five minutes or five hours, it's an escape that you don't have to book or reserve ahead of time. just get in, turn the key, and let it happen.
next road trip: tomorrow destination: memphis ♥
Britt