I feel like a road trip is one of those feats you and your friends never got around to conquering. The plans were always bulletproof: you would have the stops penned out in your math notebook that was filled more with doodles than equations. Luckily for us, we didn’t have to scan a Thomas Guide, rather we had Google Maps tell us exactly how long it would take from stop to stop (and where the nearest McDonald’s was). Then followed the scramble for funds and it wasn’t long after that that the sails lost wind and the fantasy dried up on the shore. If not obvious enough, it’s fair to say I’ve routed a few expeditions that never made it past paper. I’ve always longed to be on the road with my two best friends and play music in a different city every night since the idea of tour first sprouted in my head. That was about two years ago. It took until the beginning of this year for us to finally hit the road.

Ironically enough, Facebook turned out to be my biggest asset. Locating DIY venues and art spaces my “mutual friends” had played on their past tours wasn’t difficult, but pinpointing who set that specific show up was a little more tricky. Once I had a list of contacts, I crafted a well-spoken and thoroughly detailed ‘instant message’ and sent it to anyone I thought might be able to help. This process spanned the entire fall semester with staggered replies, some glad to offer a helping hand, while others only took the time to write, “sorry, too busy.” Still, I was far more grateful for those responses than the ones who only had enough interest to read the message.

Even so, I managed to round up 15 dates in cities all along the west coast. In a time where Facebook is already old news to any kid with an iPhone, this site single-handedly booked our tour for me. I was able to access and talk to people I had never met before and ask them to help set up a show and possibly lend us their floor to sleep on. I had never been to Oregon or Washington, but with the help of this social media platform, I now had friends and a place to sleep in cities I didn’t even know existed. I’m not advocating messaging strangers and asking to stay in their home, I’m just curious as to why more people aren’t doing this.

In an age where we are so connected with one another virtually, no matter how far, it’s mind-boggling to me that this sort of traveling isn’t common.