5 Uncomfortable Truths About Road Trips

With watching mountain sunsets, living on fast food and gas station doughnuts, and exploring national parks you had only ever seen in pictures, road trips can seem like an idyllic break from reality. But reality still calls, and there are a lot of uncomfortable truths about road trips, in addition to all their wonder. Now, which of those truths you will experience on your trip depends on how long and far you are traveling. My 2017 road trip was spent driving all the way from Oklahoma to Canada, passing through the Rocky Mountains on the way there, then along the Pacific coast and through the southwestern states until I was back in Oklahoma—all in just nine days.

Having just graduated from college, I was eager to travel—and that meant trying to see as many places as I could in a short time frame. To achieve that, I had to drive eight to ten hours a day. That did not give me much time to explore each state, and most of the trip was spent inside the car.

So, here is a list of the difficulties you might face, and ways to prevent them, based on my own road trip experience:

1. Your legs will cramp. A lot

This is something that a lot of people do not anticipate, considering all the amazing things you will be seeing outside your car windows. But it is hard to enjoy those beautiful sights when you are desperate to appease your exercise-deprived muscles. I relished the times when I could finally get out and walk around, even if it was just to get gas. Sometimes, it is better to take the time to just pull over and stretch, no matter how eager you are to reach the next city.

2. You will be aching for a bathroom break

With hours on the highway, you sometimes will not see any rest stops or gas stations for miles. And with a full bladder nagging you on the drive, you might start to resent the smooth, endless land. You will never feel more grateful for the sight of an upcoming city or town, or just any place with facilities, than when you are on a road trip. That is why you should never miss the chance to go. Same goes for picking up food and other things you might need.

3. It can take forever to find a place to sleep

Finding a campground, setting up your tent (or just laying blankets out on the backseat of your car), can be really time-consuming, especially when you have been driving for most of the day and just want to rest.

A few times on my trip, it was past midnight but the closest campground was still hours away, so I ended up at a motel instead. It is hard to stick to a budget when you are just desperate for some sleep. Once it starts getting late, you are better off just stopping as soon as you find a nearby campground, even if it means catching up on driving the next day.

4. You will be craving fresh food

The first few days of peanut butter sandwiches and honey buns were all right, but after a while, I just wished I could eat a home-cooked meal. Too much-packaged food gets old pretty quickly. Plus, if it is warm in the places you are traveling, any food that you bring will probably start to go bad. During the times when the air-conditioning was off, the bread I had brought along became really warm, soft, and damp—not exactly appetizing. However, I probably should have brought some better foods, particularly ones that would hold up better in the heat.

5. Sometimes, nature can be harsh

In my case, there were wildfires as I passed through Oregon. It started out as just a smoggy gray sky in the city areas. Then, while driving near the mountains (and near the source of the fire), the sky turned an eerie, apocalyptic rust color. As more and more roads were closed due to the fires, finding a safe route meant going around some of the cities I had wanted to stop in, like Portland.

Later on, during my trip, I was exploring a forest in Vancouver when I encountered a swarm of bees. It happened while climbing down a hill to see a nearby waterfall. As soon as I got to the bottom, I felt a sharp pinching feeling on my arm. That is when I noticed the first bee, and the rest soon followed. I went into fight or flight mode, climbing up that hill as fast as I could, but not fast enough to avoid getting several more stings. From that, I learned that sometimes it is best not to roam too far off the trail, especially when you are in another country and have no idea what kind of insects are lurking about. The trail is there for a reason.

Despite these uncomfortable truths about road trips, they are still extremely rewarding. Seeing the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the geysers of Yellowstone and the vastness of Lake Tahoe were experiences I will never forget.

My suggestion would be to plan out your trip thoroughly, especially when it comes to locating campgrounds, calculating how much time you will have to spend in each place, and finding out potential weather conditions. Give yourself time to see each place you plan to stop at. Planning things might seem to damper the excitement, but it is well worth it. Quality beats quantity; you are better off fully seeing a few places than barely seeing a bunch.  Bring lots of blankets, and lots of snacks, too—preferably your favorite ones.