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Road Trip Travel Done Right – Part 1

So, you want to travel but you aren’t 100% comfortable taking to the friendly skies just yet. Or perhaps you just prefer to be ground level when you venture out to new places so that you can completely take in your surroundings. Or maybe your family of six wants to bond on an RV adventure.

Whatever your personal reasons for deciding to take a road trip – it’s a grand old slice of Americana that will never go out of style. The excitement of traveling through undiscovered areas of the United States, the folks you meet along the way, the road trip games you play for hours on end, the never ending “Are we there yets” from the back seat … ok maybe not that last one – but you get the idea – road trips are a fabulous vacation option!

Today I am here to tell you that in addition to all of that – road trips are actually good for you in many other ways – and for many other reasons. In fact, they are full of benefits that you may not have even considered before. Well – fear not – because Ms. Thia is here to let you in on just a few of those bonus benefits that you can expect from your road trip and to help you discover why road trip travel is so incredibly good for the soul!

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Mobile Mental Health Medicine

Photo by Jed Villejo on Unsplash

Driving along in the comfort of your own vehicle – whether solo, as a couple or with friends and family by your side is a fabulous way to decompress – no matter what that looks like for you. It could be blasting the radio and singing at the top of your lungs (which may go over better if you’re a solo traveler 😉), engaging in deep, meaningful conversations, telling jokes and anecdotes, playing games to increase your brain power or perhaps just being silent and in the moment. Whatever the elixir is for your mental health – take that “medicine” seriously and enjoy the ride! And please – leave the road rage at home. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your final destination so you won’t feel rushed and go at a calm, unhurried pace. And should you encounter someone who hasn’t got the no road rage allowed memo – simply bless them and wish them well – you never know what someone is going through – spread love not hate throughout your journey.

Wellness Behind The Wheel

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Following closely in the footsteps of mental health is wellness – or well-being. How can you practice wellness on a road trip? Well – you can do so while in the process of getting to your destination – or destinations – in addition to through your pre-planned or spontaneous stops along the way. For instance, while you are actually in the vehicle you can perhaps choose to listen to inspirational podcasts, or you can roll down those windows and take in the fresh {insert type or air here – ocean, forest, rural, etc.}, or even bring along your diffuser to pump out some relaxing scents as you drive along. As for outside of the vehicle – you can make certain your stops along the way are ones that bring you happiness, peace and joy. And again – this is all about your preferences. If you like nature, add a botanical garden to your itinerary. If you like adventure – stop at a theme park. If you like quiet – visit a temple or cathedral. Wellness encompasses the mind, body and spirit. Your mind, body and spirit. What makes you feel whole and alive. In other words – you do you.

Steering Through Scenery and Landscapes

Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash

One of the perks of driving vs. flying is that you are not seeing the country’s amazing geography from thousands of feet above and at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. Not that this is not a cool way to see it – but you certainly can bask more in the details when you have your feet – or your wheels – on the ground. Getting out on the open road as a means to get to your destination means you get to take in all the amazing landscapes that this glorious country has to offer somewhat up close and personal. You have coastlines, mountain ranges, canyons, lakes, rivers, vineyards, farmlands – my goodness the list can go on and on. So many of us are focused on checking off other countries on our bucket lists when we travel – which is not a bad thing! – but sometimes we forget to check out our own country. Once you start driving through and exploring different cities, towns, counties and states you’ll most certainly gain a whole new appreciation of our beloved country. Sometimes we are not aware of our surroundings until we are actually deep within them.

The Car As A Classroom

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Oh my gosh, the things you can learn on a road trip! And I am not just talking about your stops at historical sites, monuments, museums and landmarks. Although those definitely count – and are fabulous opportunities to expose your children – and perhaps yourself to a different kind of learning. Not one from a textbook or a computer screen. One where you actually walk in the footsteps of where the actual events took place – a living history if you will. But with all that time in the car – you may be surprised at what you learn about those you are traveling with – and quite possible about yourself. With road trips comes togetherness and bonding time with others or solitude and quality time alone – just you and your thoughts. And since that togetherness is in close quarters with others or completely solo – you can’t help but learn more about yourself and those you are with – both good and possibly some annoying – but hey we can all be annoying! And besides, that just presents a great opportunity to practice understanding and acceptance.

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And there you have it my friends – my thoughts on what makes road trip travel so special. Of course there are many, many more benefits that I have not touched upon – so please feel free to share some of the things you have taken away from your road trips in the comments below. And don’t forget to contact me to start the conversation and get to planning the road trip of your dreams!

Yours in Travel,

Thia

PS – You may have noticed this blog as being marked Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk road tripping in a one-on-one video interview!

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