| Unless you're going on a road trip with your family | | | | appeals) and great drinks (alcoholic or not) and |
| - in which case you don't have a choice - the | | | | invite your fellow road-trippers over to your place. |
| selection of your road trip partner(s) is one of the | | | | You'll all be in a relaxed state of mind and this will |
| most important choices you make when planning | | | | really help you work out something in an |
| your vacation. | | | | enjoyable way. Be open and listen, but don't settle |
| Road trip partners who seem obvious, like your | | | | for anything less than complete and enthusiastic |
| best friend or your boyfriend/girlfriend, may not | | | | agreement on your destination. |
| be the perfect choices you think they are. Road | | | | Good Vibrations |
| trips are the litmus test of relationships - you'll find | | | | Once you've selected the perfect partner(s) and |
| out your true compatibility as your trip | | | | destination for your road trip, make sure to take |
| progresses. As Mark Twain wisely said, "I have | | | | care of one last and very important piece of |
| found that there ain't no surer way to find out | | | | housekeeping. If you and your road trip partners |
| whether you like people or hate them than to | | | | have anything that's been bubbling under the |
| travel with them." | | | | surface of your relationship - something that one |
| So what do you do? Where to start? | | | | of you is mad about or there's an irritating quirk |
| The Right Stuff | | | | that you've been ignoring - now is the time to |
| Start by choosing someone that you generally | | | | bring it up. |
| get along with in most situations. If you and your | | | | Why not just blow it off - it's been this long, |
| best friend tend to have a lot of blowups and | | | | right? Well, a road trip is a lot like a pressure |
| fights (even though you love each other), maybe | | | | cooker and a problem with your relationship is like |
| your best friend isn't the right person. My ex-best | | | | a break in the seal of that pressure cooker. All |
| friend and I went on a road trip together to Block | | | | that time together with very little personal space |
| Island that literally ended our friendship because | | | | in the car, driving for hours and getting tired, and |
| we fought so much! | | | | occasionally getting lost and upset are all realities |
| Also, make sure the person you're traveling with | | | | of road tripping (along with all the fun, laughter |
| has the same travel mind-set. If you're all about | | | | and bonding you'll be having on your vacation).You |
| must-see checklists and running from sight to | | | | put that problem (break) inside the intensity of a |
| sight and they're all about chilling out and exploring | | | | road trip (pressure cooker) and something's going |
| in a relaxed way, you're probably going to run into | | | | to blow! |
| trouble. | | | | Sit down and gently talk it out. Never talk about |
| Your Destination | | | | the problem with anyone other than the person |
| Whether you're traveling with family or friends, | | | | with whom you have the problem as this will drag |
| selecting a destination that you're all excited about | | | | the other person into it and make the whole thing |
| can make a huge difference. It may seem like a | | | | worse. Talk from an "I" standpoint - "I don't like |
| no-brainer, but many people neglect taking the | | | | country music that much, and I know you love it. |
| time to sit down and make a group decision either | | | | Can we figure something out that both of us can |
| because they're too busy so they just pick | | | | live with?" not "Your country music drives me |
| whatever destination comes to mind or because | | | | crazy. Don't you dare play it on our road trip!" |
| they don't feel like dealing with the whole process | | | | Taking the time before you go to select the right |
| of meeting and figuring it out (and possibly dealing | | | | person, pick a destination you're all excited about, |
| with some disagreement). | | | | and address these potential issues with your |
| The best way to do this is to make a little party | | | | traveling partners can make a huge difference in |
| out of it - get some pizza (or something else that | | | | the quality of your road trip. |