The 8 Stages Of The Long Road Trip | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

The 8 Stages Of The Long Road Trip

The make-or-break moments for any friendship.

40
The 8 Stages Of The Long Road Trip
Rolling Stone

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.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

1896
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments