The 7 Stages Of An Excruciatingly Long Road Trip | The Odyssey Online
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Student Life

The 7 Stages Of An Excruciatingly Long Road Trip

As the road progresses, you go from excitement to boredom to excitement again.

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The 7 Stages Of An Excruciatingly Long Road Trip
whenonearth

It's time. You've spontaneously decided to drive to a concert across the country, visit your family in another state or meet up with long distance friends. Whatever your ultimate plans are, you're going on a road trip. A looooong road trip. Here's what you can expect:

1. Sleep-deprived Excitement

You have a 14-hour drive ahead of you, so the goal was to wake up with the sunrise at six. More realistically, after forgetting everything from your toothbrush to your phone charger, you get on the road at 10 a.m.—exhausted, but excited. You have everything you need: a kickass playlist, a travel compatriot and plenty of food. The open road stretches before you and you are free!

2. The Driving Zone

Ok, so it's been a couple hours, and the euphoria of travel is wearing off a little. The highway is becoming monotonous, but you knew this would happen. You've prepared for every possibility of boredom, and you bust out the snacks and favorite audiobook. You're in the zone. The driving zone. You don't even need to stop, you've got this. Driving is awesome!

3. Complete and Utter Boredom

You have to stop driving. Right. Now. Everything looks the same and you've been traveling in a straight line for hours. Are you even moving forward? Is the world always so flat? It feels like that was the same cornfield you passed 50 miles ago.

4. Hanger and Frustration

Your snacks are gone, leaving their greasy residue on your car seats and your soul. You've been driving for decades going on a century, your muscles are loudly protesting, and you really need to pee. It's probably a good idea to pull over at this point and refuel at your favorite restaurant.

5. Renewed Energy and Elation

You've made its halfway there!! That break was rejuvenating, you're FREE and ALIVE in the glorious universe. Life is golden, because life is long road trips with your friends traveling to your favorite places.

6. Are We There Yet?!?

You're so close, but so, so, far. As the sun drops in the sky, so does your motivation. Maybe you should pull over and sleep for a while. You just want to get there, make some tea and crawl into bed.


7. Success and Euphoria

As you near your destination, endorphins flood your body and suddenly you're wide awake. You've made it. It was definitely a struggle at times, but you're grateful for the time to just chill, listen to music, and catch up with loved ones. You're definitely going to romanticize this trip now that it's over, because of the pure excitement you felt right before you made it was worth the whole long, excruciating drive.







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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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