Reasons why everyone should take a road trip at least once in their life

Do you know what a road trip is? What are you missing out on if you've never done one? It will be one of the best travel experiences and life events of your existence.

The simplest definition of a road trip might be something like this: a long journey by road, typically undertaken by car. But such a vast and profound concept cannot be defined in just one line. A road trip is much more than a simple drive down a long highway. It is an experiential journey, where the traveler seeks intense experiences that break away from the ordinary and change some aspect of their life forever.

When you get in the car to start a road trip, you must do so with an open heart and a willingness to undergo changes along the way. Asphalt roads become a tangle of sensitive nerves that will eventually root themselves in you.

The first recorded road trip in automotive history was undertaken by a woman. In August 1888, German Bertha Benz - wife of Karl Benz - traveled from Mannheim to Pforzheim. The distance between the two towns was 106 km, which she covered driving the third experimental prototype of the automobile invented by Karl.

To experience this journey, she took her teenage sons, Richard and Eugen, and didn't tell Karl. According to Bertha, the excuse for the trip was to visit her mother, but in truth, she considered it a brilliant marketing move since that car had only been tested over short distances. Karl's initial anger subsided when he saw that the idea had been a success, giving unprecedented advertising support to his invention.

Although road trips took place starting in the early 20th century, this type of journey did not gain significant popularity until the 1950s. Moreover, the ultimate push did not come from its German origins, but from the United States.

Between 1947 and 1950, American writer and traveler Jack Kerouac made several journeys discovering deep America, most of them hitchhiking. In 1957, he published his most iconic work, 'On the Road,' considered the Bible of the movement known as the 'Beat Generation,' whose most notable figures were Kerouac himself, William S. Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg. All three undertook major road trips and tried to dismantle the structures of American society while experimenting with drugs.

Now that you know what a road trip is and how the idea came about, let's convince you to jump off the couch, grab your suitcase or backpack, and start the engine of your car to begin your new adventure on the road. Here are five good reasons to do it:

Traveling by car allows you, to a great extent, to set your own pace and choose the route you desire. You can stop at all those places that catch your attention. Drive faster through stretches that don't interest you or slowly through landscapes or villages you want to admire.

If one day you don't feel like driving, you can just walk around or simply spend the whole day lounging in bed. On a road trip, you set the pace of your adventure, which you can't do when traveling by plane, train, boat, or bus on a fixed route.

In addition, you will surely meet people during the trip who recommend this or that place you hadn't considered, and you can modify your route as many times as you want.

Taking a road trip is usually cheaper than being part of an organized trip or using other means of transportation. In fact, one of the best options is to rent a car, as today, with tools like the Skyscanner car rental finder, you can find rentals for as low as $1 a day and avoid adding unnecessary kilometers to your vehicle.

Additionally, having the freedom to move allows you to shop at grocery stores or choose cheaper restaurants, look for the most economical gas stations, or sleep in motels, hostels, or hotels with good value for money. Depending on the part of the world where you take your road trip, you could save between $20 and $80 a day compared to a conventional trip.

Normally, it's much easier to reach places where tourism is a consolidated sector using public transport or organized excursions. There's usually an easy way to see the list of top tourist attractions to visit in a country.

However, if you want to get closer to the true culture of a destination, you're likely to find that treasure away from the more touristy spots. On a road trip, you can delve into those small towns, forests, farms, mountains, and rivers, where both nature and human inhabitants will exude flashes of pure authenticity.

A road trip encompasses two types of travel: one physical and the other emotional. If you embark on a road trip with companions, after a few days or weeks of intense and unusual experiences, you will all get to know each other much better. This is not always good, as the challenges of such a journey will bring out both the good and the bad in each person, but at least you know that everyone will end up showing their true colors.

On the other hand, if you travel alone, it will serve to help you understand yourself better, as the road will present challenges you've never faced before, and you won't know how you'll react. A true journey of self-discovery.

Closely related to the previous reason, when you embark on a road trip, you are more exposed to unusual occurrences than on other types of trips. The road is a slippery and unpredictable snake - in this case, asphalt - that can surprise you at any moment.

Adventure will be the order of the day, and you will almost certainly face challenges that will make you a more resourceful person by the end of the trip.

Now that we've sparked your desire to take a road trip, it's time to learn how to plan it for it to be a success:

You need to be clear about which part of the world you want to explore in your car, but remember one of the reasons why you fell in love with this travel idea: a road trip is the flexibility of the route made reality. Therefore, although it's good to have a preconceived idea of the itinerary, you must remain open at all times to possible unexpected turns along the way.

This, as with any other journey, is fundamental. Calculate your budget for gas, accommodation, food, tolls, and, of course, potential repairs. This is essential to avoid getting stranded without money in the middle of nowhere. Having to cancel your dream road trip because you ran out of funds halfway through is quite frustrating.

On a road trip, your best travel companion will be your car. If your vehicle is not up for a long journey or you prefer not to wear it out more than necessary with a long road trip, we advise you to opt for a rental car. This way, you can choose the model that suits your planned trip best, and if you book in advance, it can really be quite affordable.

Choosing your companions for a road trip is not a trivial matter. A bad choice in this area can lead to a disastrous trip. In this adventure, you'll need people who are very much like you, open to changes, adventure, and stepping into the unknown. And if you're unsure about your candidates, remember: better alone than in bad company.

The weather also plays a significant role in the success of a road trip. It's not the same to drive in the rain or snow than to be able to roll down the windows to listen to the birds singing and breathe in the spring air on a sunny morning. Plan your route seeking good weather, which not only enhances the trip but also life in general.

Getting lost on a road trip doesn't always have to be bad, as it can lead you to discover new secrets. However, it's better if it's done intentionally and you know how to get back. To make a road trip with certain guarantees, it's better to download some map application that functions offline. Among those we recommend: Google Maps, Maps.Me, and HERE WeGo.

It is the most iconic of all the road routes in the world. A road trip of nearly 4,000 km that takes you from Chicago to Los Angeles (or vice versa) to discover all the ins and outs of the United States.

A beautiful stretch of just over 240 km along the coastal fringe of the Australian state of Victoria. The road runs from Torquay to Warrnambool and was built between 1919 and 1932 by Australian veterans of World War I. It takes you along a stunning coastline where you can admire beautiful cliffs, eucalyptus forests teeming with koalas, century-old lighthouses, and the crown jewel, the Twelve Apostles cliffs.

This 830 km road trip takes you through the best scenery along Scotland's coast. Starting in Inverness, it embarks on a circular route heading north. Along the way, you will find Iron Age structures, solitary white sandy beaches, mythical lakes, multicolored wind-swept mountains, and narrow roads where you are more likely to encounter a sheep than another car.

No less than a route of 2,500 km connects the towns of Kinsale (in County Cork) and Malin Head (in the northern County Donegal). On this spectacular road trip, you will get to know the ancient and hospitable Irish culture while passing through tiny colorful fishing villages, ancient thousand-year-old churches, hostile islands still inhabited by some brave souls, Neolithic archaeological remains, dramatic cliffs, movie-like beaches, and, of course, pubs... Many pubs where the beer and Irish music will make you want to stay forever.

Iceland is a place where humans are relegated to the background, and nature dominates everything. This road trip of over 1,300 km takes you to see Iceland's best natural attractions. Huge waterfalls, volcanic landscapes, black sand beaches, wildlife (whales and puffins)... Also, try the local food, dive into hot volcanic waters, and talk with the locals you meet. In the end, the best part of any route is its people.