Hit the road

Spring Break offers opportunity for students to spin their wheels

In a few weeks, with midterm exams out of the way, college students will be looking for new adventures to preoccupy them during their 10-day hiatus from school. Given such a short time for traveling, some brave students will attempt to lasso their friends, favorite music and their eagerness for a little unpredictability into one particular experience — a road trip.

Choose your own adventure
Although the ultimate road trip requires spontaneity, Spring Break sets some limits on highway freedom. One only has 10 days to arrive at a destination, sightsee and return to campus unscathed. One should select a destination that conforms to the school calendar. While celebrity-hunting in Los Angeles is a fine way to spend Spring Break, there is no way the trip will get off the ground given the 10-day travel period, unless the vehicle of choice morphs into a Boeing 747. A travel-friendly Web site, www.free-trip-tips.com, suggests researching the weather, cost of local items, tax and tip rate and road conditions of one's destination when planning a journey.

Map it out
Once the destination is picked, plan the route. Do not spend Spring Break as a pathetic Jack Kerouac-wannabe who merely threw a duffel bag into a car and sped off. The classic rebel-without-a-cause road trip of independence and youthful rebellion will have to wait for another time. Until then, take into consideration the safety, comfort and interests of the passengers, the condition of the car, the number of adequate drivers and the duration of the trip.

Evaluate each trip mate's level of adventure when planning the route. Suzie might not bat an eye at the thought of using the roadside as a bathroom, but Betsy may go into cardiac arrest when she catches the scent of a gas station restroom. Plan to stop for bathroom breaks at a facility that will please the entire group.

By the same token, take in sites that are palatable to everyone in the group. A Recreational Vehicle Web site, www.rv.com, includes an online road-trip planner that allows visitors to browse dining, lodging, camping, cultural or historical sites and other attractions along the route to and from their destination. Other Web sites, such as www.randmcnally.com, also feature online trip calculators, maps and tools to simplify the search for accommodations and points of interest along the way. The "Road Trip USA" book series by Jamie Jensen also may come in handy, and fits in a glove compartment.

It's also important to decide whether to rent a car or use one's own. Which car will handle the wear and tear better? Collaborate with the other trip mates on a driving schedule so that one driver doesn't bear the brunt of the road time. After researching the route and stops along the way, determine a per-person budget for the duration and add an extra sum to cover emergencies. Junior Grant Schafer and a friend of his decided to journey to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during the summer before Schafer's sophomore year of college. Schafer and his friend decided to use the friend's five-speed car for the trip.

"Since I wanted to help drive, we went for a practice drive around town before we left," Schafer said. "We switched off driving and arrived that evening to go around the [nature] park a bit before it closed, eat and then set up our sleeping bags."

Sophomores Morgan Neil, Greg Kruck and Ruth Ripley took a road trip to New York City in December. After scouring www.mapquest.com for directions, Neil and her friends piled in her car equipped with nothing but a map, an iPod and a paperback guide to New York City. Neil, who had opted to drive the entire route round trip, only had made one stop on the way to New York when the trio encountered a traffic jam as they neared Baltimore.

"Ruth ended up having to go to the bathroom after two hours [of traveling]," Neil said. "So, we stopped in at a Sheetz [gas station] outside of Baltimore to go to the bathroom and get food."

Neil also said that she had never driven through a tunnel before, and was slightly overwhelmed when she arrived at the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City, as large volumes of traffic pass through it heading in both directions.

Also, be sure to consider whether the group wants to take a scenic route to the destination, or a more functional — perhaps even toll-riddled — detour.

"We left midday and drove through the outskirts of the North Rim," Schafer said. "The sunset on the Northern Arizona skyline was breathtaking, and the best part of the job."

When planning the trip, be sure to distinguish between preparedness and hyper-preparedness. There is a difference between having a first aid kit on hand and handing one's trip mates a planned-to-the-minute itinerary as they buckle their seat belts. Keeping the trip simple and reasonable, yet being carefree, is integral to preserving freedom and fun.

When a duffel bag won't cut it
Any well-planned road trip can take a turn for the worst, especially if the travelers aren't equipped with the right tools — or, at the very least, if MacGyver isn't buckled-in with the rest of the crew. In preparation for his visit to the Grand Canyon, Schafer packed a hiking bag with clothes, a sleeping bag, some granola bars, a water bottle and money to get into the nature park at the North Rim, as well as some money in case he went out to eat. When packing, road trippers should consider taking maps, travel guides, flashlights, batteries, cell phones, car flares (and other car needs or equipment) and first aid items. Weather-specific clothing and supplies (e.g. umbrella, poncho, appropriate footwear, etcetera) are musts when traveling into unchartered territory. Be sure to toss a camera and a journal in with the usual items to preserve the trip long after the 10 days are up.

For the journey, don't forget to stash snacks and music in the car. A simple online check reveals roadside dining options and highway soundtracks. A Web site dedicated to the all-American road trip, www.roadtripamerica.com, features a listing of road trip-specific playlists and books on tape (including the ultimate guide, Jack Kerouac's "On the Road").

Neil and her friends used her iPod as the main source of diversion during the route. The girls' musician of choice during the trip was Clay Aiken, whose music they played against Kruck's will, Neil said.

"I usually choose upbeat songs at the start of a road trip so that it'll keep my mind off of the long drive ahead of me," Neil said.

'Til we run out of road
As with any trip, the road trip is what the passengers make of it. Approach it with some preparedness, yet expect some surprises.

"We took some gorgeous pictures, and I was glad that I was able to make it to the North Rim," Schafer said. "Now, I can say that I have seen all 360 degrees around the Grand Canyon. I feel that everyone should take advantage, if they have the opportunity of seeing this wonderful feature of nature."