Go on a Road Trip

So there I was, imprisoned, when suddenly, like a shining light through the darkness, an offer letter to intern at Squid Labs split my shackles, and I was free. There was only one caveat: I had to make my way across the country to sunny Alameda, Californ-ai-ay.

Rushing around Cambridge, I formed an alliance with prank, who was moving out to the city of the angels.

We piled our earthly possessions into his prius hybrid, sent the rest ahead by post, and pointed west. We blasted through a last desperate line of mole people and were free, rocketing westward at some fraction of the speed of light.

Step 1 Acquire Stuff

stasterisk says:

What you need:

• A Car
• Music

What you may want:

• Maps (click and drag your route, at google maps!)
• Lots of water (especially if you're crossing a desert at any point)
• A buddy (ideally, one who can drive)
• Cash
• A First Aid kit
• A spare tire
• Things to sleep on
• Other entertainment (books?)
• A camera
• A patch of free time

prank says:

• A Towel

what else would you need?

trebuchet03 says:

• Oreos
• AAA - $50/year gets you awesome maps of everything! And Trip Tiks!
• Tire Pressure Gauge

Comments

[magpie21]

Where is this at, exactly?

[porcupinemamma]

I would love to take a road trip that has stops at antique and flea markets. Do you know of any site or book that might chart out a route?

[RiddleOfSphinx]

Now, what are the chances of seeing the exit sign for Cozad,NE on instructables....Interesting.

[Douglass]

As soon as I get My license I'm going on a road trip !!

[Derin]

Ankara-Istanbul is a single toll road,and we have OGS

[chardster]

Its polluted on every coast in the US

[chardster]

Thanks for driving a Prius!

[chardster]

IM taking a road trip in about 4 1/2 hours

[hondagofast]

My dad went across the country in a 1967 Ford Econiline van (in '74). Starting point: Long Island, New York. Destination: Arizona. Trip time: two weeks.

[jamiesoncostello]

MY dad went across the country too. Starting point: Also long island new york. Destination: texas. took him 2 weeks, but he hitchhiked the whole way. Now thats a trip haha.

[roadrally]

good article. im going on the next road trip rally in the fall, this is quite helpful for planning, especially since we'll be needing to travel light. (still looking for another team member if anyone wants to join, check out the website www.nextroadtriprally.com and email me)

[Rishnai]

On my last two week road trip I literally took 70 rolls worth of photos. I'm serious, I counted the receipts.

[billymurray]

I've taken my car and only came back home 1 month later ! what really helped me was wearing that cafepress T-shirt with "I WANT TO GO ON A ROAD TRIP" written on it.

[stasterisk]

Nice! Post pictures!

[MarkusMaximus]

This is a pretty entertaining instructable. Road trips, best done in the fall when you don't have air conditioning(105 and your car breaks down isn't fun). I've been from east coast to Alaska several times so I know how how it goes.

[Brennn10]

The Lewis and Clark expedition!

[stevoIution]

All road trips end in california? I thought this was supposed to make road trips sound inviting.

[stasterisk]

Really? I thought it was just supposed to tell you how to take one.

[stevoIution]

:o

[Weissensteinburg]

No pictures of you at squid labs?

[stasterisk]

The picture taken at the Pacific is very nearby. Also, you can see me in my other instructables, at squid labs. Is there a picture you're thinking of, or interested in?

[Weissensteinburg]

nah, I was just wondering why there wasn't a picture of your finishing point.

[trebuchet03]

It's not the destination... It's the journey... or something like that :p

[Weissensteinburg]

But when the destination is squid labs...

[stasterisk]

Here's a better version of the panorama,
and a picture I took of SFO from Squid Labs:

[Weissensteinburg]

Very cool! Muffinator and I plan on going to burning man once I graduate HS...I just realized that we can use this instructable!

[stasterisk]

I made this panorama from the roof of the Squid Labs air traffic control tower

[lemonie]

Getting there's not the point, it's the trip (how does Easy Rider end?) I appreciate your perspective, but that would make this "How to take a road trip to Squid Labs", a different thing altogether. L

[Weissensteinburg]

But when you're on a road trip, you want to get some where. And once you get there, you take a picture =]

[lemonie]

Well maybe, but I think it's about the journey. Have you ever set of with no particular intent or anywhere to go? L

[stasterisk]

I set off with no particular route in mind. It turned out pretty well.

[abnor]

that's also called exploring. but, who does that anymore when you have maps?

[Weissensteinburg]

That's not a road trip, it's a mid life crisis =P

[lemonie]

You lack something, a sense of adventure?
E.g. one Saturday we decided to go to Newcastle to watch Rugby in a pub (not that exciting, and doubtful whether is was worth the 2 hour train ride).
However, we stopped off in York, and then Durham, and got there long after the match had finished. Getting there was not the point (and it never was), taking a trip in the general direction of somewhere was.
And it was a great Saturday too.

L

[Weissensteinburg]

But you had the intent of going somewhere =]

[abnor]

road trips in general are trips ON the road. not really a trip to go anywhere. the guy who made the instructable just used the excuse of having to go somewhere ( or being invited ) to go on a road trip. if he had named it squid labs trip, then it may have been shorter, less funny, and wouldn't have included the pacific and atlantic coast.

[stasterisk]

I definitely considered flying instead, but decided to drive for the adventure. So I went on a journey on the road. If I'd flown in an airplane, it wouldn't have been a road trip. If it makes your rigorous definition of "Road Trip" correlate better, I did eventually return home.

[abnor]

hehe, well, i'm glad you didn't get lost

[lemonie]

Yes, somewhere, but we weren't really going anywhere. L

[Weissensteinburg]

Still though, it's a road trip if you had an intent of going somewhere.