There you are, planning for that fun weekend or spring break you are going to have away with your friends. You have the trip itself planned out, but are you really prepared for the make-or-break hours that are the journey to your destination? If you've ever been in this situation, you know that those long hours in a small space are no small thing, and you know all of these moments if you've ever spent more than five hours in a car with your friends at one time.
Stage 1: Initial Excitement
We all know it, the lame shouts of "ROAD TRIP" and the one person who always sticks their head out the window in weird excitement.
Stage 2: The Awkward Lull
The fact that you will be in a small space together for many hours is setting in and you realize you have already covered most topics of conversation in the first thirty minutes.
Stage 3: Cabin Fever
The road is a little too windy, your phone doesn't have service, you've been waiting for what seems like years for your next stop, and you're pretty sure you might die if you don't get out of the car in the next five minutes.
Stage 4: The First Stop and Excitement Resurgence
After three hours, you've finally been able to breathe air that hasn't been sitting in the car with you and your friends in a small space, you got to stretch your legs, and look for a snack without the company of your road trip partners for a glorious five minutes. You're ready to get back in the car and knock out the next part.
Stage 5: Loud 80's Music
You've got new energy and your lungs are ready to belt out "Bohemian Rhapsody" or dance in the worst way possible to "Electric Avenue" with no shame when it comes to passing cars.
Stage 6: "Are we lost?"
You're using Google Maps but you're still not totally trusting since that one time you wanted it to take you to Starbucks and you ended up in the middle of a bad neighborhood with no coffee in sight.
Stage 7: Existential Conversation
It's starting to get a little bit dark outside, your "get psyched" playlist has gotten pretty old, and someone brings up a touchy subject, and there's really no going back from there. You have reached the point of no return, the heart to heart.
Stage 8: You Have Reached Your Destination
The moment you've all been waiting for, when you can finally be more than three feet away from one another.
If you survived through all of these stages and you don't totally want to murder one another, then you must truly be the best of friends and ready for another round when you have to go back.
