I have become quite intrigued with van life. Unfortunately van life is not in the cards for me, and I have to admit, I’m not sure I can tough it out. Road trips are the closest I would get to van life. I really enjoy the idea of packing essentials and necessities in the car as we hit the road. Below are the pros and cons of going on a road trip. For today’s edition, I will take a pro, con, pro, con approach.
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Con – Glued to a Map
If you are looking for mental relaxation, being glued to a map is not the way to go. Even with Google Maps GPS, we still need to keep our attention on high alert. It is very easy to miss an exit. Accidents can happen at any point in time, which trigger a detour. Compared to taking a train or plane, which come with different issues, but at least there is no need to constantly refer to a map. Having to constantly refer to a map has its own stressful moments to consider.
Pro – Control and flexibility
On the flip side, having a map means that we have more control and flexibility on when and were we are going. Compared to joining a bus tour, having a car allows us to change our mind or make necessary travel adjustments at a moment’s notice. When something comes up, it is easy to pull over. I do appreciate the ability to stop and go any time.
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Con – Time Consuming
There is no doubt that driving 8+ hours in a day (not counting stops) is way more time consuming than a 2-hour flight for the equivalent distance. Even if you factor in traveling to and from the airport and assuming not delays, a 2-hour flight can much more time efficient and less exhausting than being in the car.
Pro – Cost Effective
The more people in the car, the more cost effective driving becomes. A family of four in the car compared to four flight tickets? You can definitely visit a higher volume of places on a road trip, rather than doing the equivalent by train or plane.
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Con – Fatigue
It can get mentally and physically draining to go on a road trip. It is important to space out the drive so that we do not overwhelm. The formula that I found works best for me is that my first day on the road, I plan my drive as far as I can. That way, I get a good distance out of the way early when we still have some energy. Then ever day after that, it is better to keep it down to 0 to 3 hours per day, all the way back home. So even my last day of driving is under 3 hours. This makes the trip more relaxed and enjoyable. For example, one some days, I set it up where I would drive one hour in the morning to reach my destination. Enjoy the day, and then drive one hour in the evening to the next place I am trying to get to. By breaking up the drive this way, I save a lot of time with a lot of forward progress. The downside is you have to be willing to check in and out of the hotel.
Pro – Scenic Exploration
Having a vehicle makes it easier to visit more places outdoors. There are many remote places, lookout points and other hidden gems that are only accessible by car. A big reason to take road trips is to visit those places that we cannot otherwise get to by plane or train. An alternative is to take a tour bus, but bus tours tend to visit the more obviously places. One of my favourite part of a road trip is to do a panic at random scenic stops.
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Con – Hotel Hopping
If you want to go a vast distance, you may not be able to make it in one day, so the savings from the flight ticket goes into the hotel room. This also adds a lot of travel time and fatigue (both mentioned above) to the overall trip. For example, if want to drive somewhere that takes 24 to 30 hours, you will need several overnight stops along the way. For people with limited vacation time in a year, this really eats into the amount of time you can spend elsewhere.
Pro – Hotel Hopping
Imagine checking in and out of a hotel, only to go to the airport every day to move to the next destination? That would really not be cost effective at all.
However, hotel hopping is more realistic when going on a road trip. if you are like me, I love hotel hopping. When I do road trips, I love forward moving. Sometimes, we would check into a hotel, relax, spend the day visiting some thing interesting in the area. Wake up, check out and move on. Hotel hopping can also be fun if you make it that way. It depends on a person’s perspective.
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Final Thoughts
Another topic I had in mind in the future could be advise on how to make a road trip more enjoyable. For example, as much as possible, I avoid backtracking on the way back. Perhaps we would do a loop to come back or completely different stops. Packing the car with supplies is also an enjoyable activity to me lately because I think about how people in van life live and I get to do part of what they are doing. Another idea I have been doing is driving longer distances on the weekends, when there is less traffic on the road, and enjoy the entertainment or destination on the weekdays, when that would be less busy as well.
When we get to the bottom line, a big part of road trips are psychological. It will only feel fun if we make it fun. Otherwise, it can easily feel like a drag because of the amount of time being spent in the car.
Please let us know your thoughts on road trips in the comment section below!
