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Advantages and disadvantages of the road trip

Many people are wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of the road trip. The road trip is primarily a vacation style and the question is whether it will suit you or not and it can meet your holiday expectations. Here is a small list of advantages and disadvantages, although these are unique to everyone and that fans of the genre will see only benefits. Imagine a road trip from New York to San Francisco. Maybe you’re going to visit twin peaks while you’re there. That will help you set the mood for reading this article.

highway with road trip text on it

Benefits of the road trip

Mobility

This is the very principle of the road trip. We return to our nomadic origins to move regularly. The advantage is to see the scenery, take breathtaking roads by their beauty while moving from one point to another.

Seeing a maximum of things according to the time allotted

Usually, a road trip is well filled, the mobility side makes it possible to explore large regions, the Canadian provinces or the American states. It can often make good use of time and find a compromise between many things to see and time used to discover them. Attention contrary to what we believe, it is better to plan your road trip especially if you have limited time.

Exit the tourist circuits

The big advantage of the road trip compared to organized tours (although some are called road trips) is that it allows you to think outside the box, to go elsewhere, to take your time to visit what interests us, and to move faster on other things.

The unexpected

It’s part of the road trip. Points to discover on the way, a hook to see a point of view, a stop along a river, a detour to go through a Scenic Byway, a stop in the middle of nowhere, … Even planned, the mobility that will get you the road trip will leave plenty of room for the unexpected and discoveries you did not expect.

Disadvantages of the road trip

Little rest

The road trip offers little time to rest and idleness. But again, it’s a question of choice. If you opt for the choice of car + camping, you will have to assemble and disassemble the tent very often, hurry to visit a maximum of things on the allotted time … However, nothing prevents you to take 2-3 days in the middle of the one to relax, it’s up to you.

Lack of comfort on a road trip

The lack of comfort can sometimes become heavy for some. Indeed, not everyone wants to spend several weeks in a tent sleeping on a mattress. But this is once again choice and budget. Between cutting your road trip nights in a motel, or rent a camper to gain comfort are choices for which you can opt.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of the road trip. Do not think of all the little hassles that could slow you down and leave to taste the joys of the road trip.

After a long road trip, you might experience post-travel depression. Read this article about how to cope with it and some general all-around great information.

Post travel depression

Post travel depression

Lady thinking about beach to cure post travel depression

You will always receive advice from people on how to behave when traveling abroad. You are advised on how to cope with different cultures and morals, what to do and what to avoid. However, nobody tells you what to do when you get back home. There are different emotional changes that one is supposed to deal with after spending a long time abroad. Many people now ask whether post-travel depression is real.

 

Why does it happen?

We already agree that traveling is a great teacher. The lesson begins with the freedom it gives you. You get to travel to far off places where people don’t know you. You get to do numerous things and experience different activities, cultures and then it comes a time to go back home. The freedom you get from traveling is what enables you to do different things freely. You get to realize that you are a tiny piece of a puzzle, which is the world. Not everyone gets to realize this. The people you know, do not look beyond the country and thus see it as the puzzle. As a result, you feel that they no longer understand you. You become less common with the same people that were your close friends. It gets sad and makes you want to go away again.

 

When you return

At first, everything is smooth and nice. Everybody wants to interact with you. They want to learn about your experiences and adventures. This becomes a routine and you feel like you are talking about the same things every time. Everyone you interact with asks the same questions and thus you are always giving the same answers. What was exciting to talk about suddenly becomes boring. Sometimes people ask certain questions out of ignorance about something you don’t even enjoy describing. Sometimes you feel that they are not seeing things from your perspective. Inside you, you start to develop something that is difficult to express. This is mainly because people no longer understand you which is frustrating.

 

Dealing with it

Amid all the frustrations, some people keep on traveling. Other people become expatriates in countries that have different cultures. Some, however, decide to settle down, hanging their travel boots. This is not a solution that fits everyone. At such times, it is significant to follow your guts. Use all the lessons acquired during travels to grow in the right direction. Although a great part of transformation happens due to traveling, personal growth only happens within. If you travel with a group, you can always chat it up with them to help deal with any depression you have.

 

Planning a group trip successfully with the least stress

Planning a group trip

Planning a group trips has several advantages. It could help teams to bond or helping to cut travel costs. Arranging a group trip can however be a nightmare. The excitement of having the group trip vanishes when you have to plan out the details. Whether you love or you have reluctantly accepted to be the tour leader, you do not need to panic. Just be organized and give your family, friends or colleagues an excellently executed experience. These tips will help you achieve that.

 

Communicate clearly

Imagine being added to a big WhatsApp group about a certain event. One friend keeps posting one-liner messages leading to notification overload. The second friend only communicates using emojis. The thirds friend turns up 100 messages deep and asks so many questions whose answers can simply be found by scrolling up. You will be irritated, right? Such things can easily happen when you are planning for a group trip. While instant messaging is very useful in such scenarios, it can also be a source of confusion or irritation. Always be concise and clear when sharing information. When seeking to gather sensitive information, check in with the attendees individually. Some people fear to voice their concerns in the group if they feel it goes against other people’s suggestions.

 

Planning a group trip means agreeing on dates early enough

It can be tricky sometimes to settle on a specific timeframe. This is particularly when it has to do with large groups. It is important therefore to pick the dates as early as possible in advance. Consulting multiple people to get their desired dates can be tricky. Different people are going to have varying preferences. You can take advantage of scheduling tools such as Doodle to get an easy and quick way of locking things down. Once you have confirmed the time frame, communicate it to every attendee and insist that they stick to it.

 

Select appropriate accommodation

Small groups working on a tight budget can find it suitable to book a six or eight-bed hostel. It is private enough for the group and provides the needed privacy. Renting an apartment if you plan to stay long provides more comfort. These options are usually cheaper than paying for hotel rooms and offers you extra space such as a living room and a kitchen. If the only option you have is a hotel, consider directly contacting them. If desirable, you can request for rooms located on the same floor. Also, try to negotiate for group discounts for a better deal.