Road Trip!
Photo from toddweinstein.com
How do you survive a road trip with your significant other? Years ago, my ex-boyfriend and I drove from Toronto to Quebec City to visit my parents. I had done that drive a million times on my own, so I had no interest in taking time to stop and smell the roses. My ex, however, is the type who likes to take frequent breaks, get a coffee, look around and stretch his legs. A drive that normally took me about 8 hours with one pit stop took over 10 hours because we stopped numerous times. At the time, the trip felt painfully long, but in hindsight, it was the only time that I have ever checked out the Big Apple in Colborne. I have fond memories of buying a pie (delicious!) and petting the animals they keep in the back.
According to Women’s Health, here are some aspects of a road trip that could cause a spat or two:
- each wanting to follow a different route
- arguing over who gets control of the radio
- getting lost
- boredom
- where to stop to eat
Is there anything you would add to the list? Do you have any war stories you’d care to share? Click on the No Comments/Comments link below. Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is ROADTRIP. It’s good until May 23rd.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Add inability to majically find/create a bathroom RIGHT NOW, and “I’ve seen that, been here lots, but you Don’t need to see it, let’s go here instead” to the list of Trip tick-offs.
Sound like I’ve been there done that?
Yup.
Not twice.
PLAY!
Carly’s Note: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I joined my neighbours on their annual drive to Hilton Head, SC. I sat in the back with their 4 year old son the entire trip. Luckily, before built-in vehicle VCRs and DVDs, they rented a portable TV/VCR player for the long journey. I remember having to watch the same movie over and over again and answer the same questions about the movie (Star Wars I think)over and over again. I guess I learned that when I pretended to sleep, the kid usually left me alone.
Yes, I agree roadtrips are trying, but I’ve had some great times with those neighbours - the wife was from New Jersey so me and hubby got a chance to check it out too.
I miss those guys - SIGH
Carly’s Note: Don’t get me wrong - there’s something very liberating about hitting the road. It’s just that small problems get magnified because you can’t get away from each other!
May 21st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Sounds like you guys needed a GPS system and satellite radio.
When I take a road trip, I always take with party sanwiches.
Carly’s Note: Satellite radio??? Lori, all you need is Jack FM! Toronto’s Best Rock Variety! Sandwiches that broker peace in the car? Those must be quite the sandwiches! Give us the recipe.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Here are more items I’d add to your list:
Not only arguing about who gets control of the radio, but how loud the music is.
Eating & drinking in the car
The temperature inside the car (some people like it cooler, some hotter)
By the way, Carly, I don’t think you and I could take a long road trip together. I’m more like your ex, plus I don’t drive as fast as I used to, but I’m going to Florida in the summer and we’ve got a hybrid car, so maybe I can drive a little faster.
Carly’s Note: Temperature is an excellent addition to the list! Nothing worse than having too much hot or cold air blowing at you because someone else likes it that way. Btw, I can live with not driving too fast and like the idea of a hybrid, but frequent pit stops are not for me. I like to stop and make it count - food, washroom, fuel in 30 minutes flat.
May 21st, 2008 at 7:50 pm
The summer of 1989 my husband at the time, our two kids myself and a baby on the way drove for three days to catch a boat to Newfoundland. It was the longest 3 days of my life hubby insisted on us driving for the entire time. We did not stop and sleep a hotels along the way, take a snooze in the car. I was even made to drive the car although I told him I was too tired, which he didn’t believe until I nearly hit the guard rail a few times and drifted into the next lane beside us. When we finally arrived in NFLD, I was so tired, my eyes were swollen shut. The kids weren’t too bad, they slept most of the way, lucky them.
Carly’s Note: When someone says they’re too tired to drive, best to take them at their word.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:34 am
Hi Carly,
About 10 years ago i went on a business trip with one of my colleagues in our office to the Maritimes. This trip was to last 10 days.
we had just met each other and really had nothing in common so i was dreading the trip as i’m sure he did too.
I liked to have a few beers and socialize whereas he was a teetotaler and strict family man who also never used any profanity.
After a few days though we endured some adventures on the roads of New brunswick and Nova Scotia and i have since settled down and he has come out of his shell.
We have also become really good friends too.
One of our funniest adventures involved going to a convention in Nova Scotia where we were the only guys wearing suits and ties and we were the only non-white guys(he’s black and i’m asian) and the stares that we initially got until we found some people there we knew.
Another adventure involved when my ex-wife and i were going to Sherkston Shores for a weekend.
She had been there before but i hadn’t so she told me to wake her when we hit a certain town so she could give me further directions. i forgot to wake her so when i fianlly realized we were lost i was afriad to wake her but did and then we had a huge fight which lasted half the weekend. Although she was a lot smaller than me it still amazes me what fear she struck in the hearts of me and all of her family and friends. Now that i think about it i wonder why we even got married? Just kidding….sorta.
The last thing that comes to mind was a camping trip i went on when i was 17 with 4 good friends. we got booted out of the provincial park at grand bend for “bad language” and on the drive home we nearly got killed when my friend tried to pass a truck on a 2-lane country road when an oncoming car was in the opposite lane and nearly crashed into us.
Its hard to believe we all went to university and got married and had kids and are now middle-aged guys in our 40’s. We miss those days but they were a long time ago!
Have a great day Carly.
Carly’s Note: Your stories have one thing in common - the trips either solidified relationships or assisted in driving a wedge between you.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 am
The never ending arguement over who’s turn it is to drive!!!!! Somehow I always end up doing most of the boring drive home! Maybe because I have a lead foot and my husband knows it.
Carly’s Note: When I was younger, I liked to do most of the driving, but now I’m happy to sleep and read.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:45 am
I had a brand new Prelude for a week (1990) and drove with my best friend from Peterborough to Montreal (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu) at night. I fell asleep somewhere around Cobourg (yes my buddy was driving!!) and woke up an hour or so later expecting to be around Trenton-Belleville. I noticed we were going really fast, everything was a blur. Given his rate of speed (230 km/hr) we were almost mid-point between Kingston and Cornwall!
Our argument was whether my tires were speed rated to 220 km/hr or 240. No need for a pit stop on that trip…I was too afraid to go!
Carly’s Note: You had dumb luck on your side (emphasis on “dumb”). Today that would net you guys a street racing charge and the Prelude would be impounded and that’s a best case scenario.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
On a roadtrip years ago, my brother and I were traveling from upper Michigan to West Palm Beach with my aunt and uncle in 2 separate cars. We accepted the fact that they would drive slower than us, but after numerous stops at “sit-down” restaurants and bathroom breaks, they stopped at a motel for another nights rest. We had already stopped for a night at a relatives place in Detroit, so needless to say we were getting rather impatient.
As they pulled in to the motel, we rolled down the window of the car and said, “we’ll see you guys in Florida” and continued on through the night. My brother and I were in our teens at the time, so getting to the Florida beaches to see the “sites” was really important.
My advice to those that want to travel fast: (or slower) Travel with somebody of the same generation or with the same motivation to get there.
Carly’s Note: Same motivation is key.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I find that no matter how much effort I put in to making it comfortable, my wife always complains about riding in the trunk.
Carly’s Note: Mrs. Rocco is such a lucky woman! What fine specimen you are.
May 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I say whoever owns the car dictates whats on the radio. What do you do when your outta jacks range though?
Carly’s Note: Ownership, interesting. When you’re out of Jack’s range? You turn off the radio and make conversation.
May 25th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Hubby likes to do most of the driving when we go on trips to Ottawa or Montreal. Most of our arguments centre around directions - I like to have the route mapped out with the mapquest printout so we know exactly where we are going. The trip to Ottawa last year for our 10th anniversary was a nightmare.
We had not brought the mapquest printout. We knew which highway cutoff to take, but ended up starting our journey later in the day than expected. I had saved the link to the directions on my laptop, but we couldn’t get any wi-fi access at any of the roadside stations. We finally found the correct highway, but it was getting dark and I was getting tired. Then we ran into construction just outside of Ottawa where traffic was down to one lane. We left Burlington at 3:30 p.m. and pulled up to the Chateau Laurier at 11:30 p.m.
Our usual routine on road trips is that the driver gets to pick the radio station. I keep it on Jack until the signal disappears if I am driving. Hubby likes listening to classical music, which puts me to sleep, or to old radio shows like The Green Hornet or Superman. The weakest bladder determines the rest stop (usually mine). In general we stop about every two to three hours to switch drivers and do the pit stop thing.
Well, I figure since we survived the Ottawa road trip, we can survive pretty much anything.
Carly’s Note: Sounds like you guys have it all worked out. As for the 8 hour drive to Ottawa - ouch! That would make or break a relationship. I hope it only took you about 5 hours on the way back.