Allow yourself freedom of the open road.
Avoiding big crowds and high-traffic public spaces is on everyone’s mind right now. Aside from the coronavirus-related reasons to avoid air travel, there are a variety of other benefits to choosing an All-American road trip for your next getaway. Sure, there will be occasions where time or distance is a factor and you have to fly. But if you have to choose, we think these 5 reasons are important to consider to ensure fun and enriching travels.
You Can Bring Your Pets
Lake Hefner
After all, it’s not a family getaway without the whole family! Skip the pet fee and opt for having your four-legged companions by your side every step of the way. Anxious animals will have a much better time riding in the car than going through boarding without you alone at an airport. Road tripping allows you to care for your pet whenever and however it’s needed throughout your travels, whether that’s fresh water or pit stop potty breaks. There’s plenty of pet-friendly attractions on Adventure Road that they’d love to experience with you, too!
You Save Money
Chickasaw Travel Stop - Thackerville
Airline prices have understandably dropped recently due to the pandemic. Still, the option to split costs of fuel and lodging among the passengers in your car is a great benefit. With everyone chipping in, affordability is a logical reason for choosing a road trip over flying. Even if your fellow passengers are your kiddos, and they aren’t splitting the fare, the money you save on plane tickets will surely outweigh the cost of plane tickets for all of you. Not to mention, you get to pack whatever you want without any risk of getting overcharged for a heavy suitcase. Just have to make sure your trunk closes!
You Escape the Hassles of Airports
Lake Texoma State Park
Imagine a getaway that doesn’t include waking up in the middle of the night to catch your ride. Even better, you don’t have to wait around an airport for hours until it’s time to board. With road trips, there’s no checking in luggage or passing through security. Granted, we don’t know what kind of vehicle you drive, but we imagine you’ll also be much more comfortable traveling in your own car instead of being cramped in airplane seating. We bet the snacks you pack for yourself on a road trip will beat out the airline pretzels and mini drinks any day.
You Can Create a Flexible Travel Schedule
Veterans Lake in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Whether the kids are screaming, or you want a real, sit-down meal, having the freedom to pause your travels and take a break whenever you want is a true road trip luxury. Plus, especially on Adventure Road, you’re likely to stumble upon unexpected opportunities to extend your trip and take a side road to new destinations you hadn’t yet considered. Want to stay another night at The Artesian and have another day exploring the Chickasaw National Recreation Area? You totally can. There’s been plenty of times we’ve visited Lake Texoma and weren’t quite ready to leave. Because we road tripped, staying an extra night or two wasn’t a big deal because we weren’t worried about airline change fees. Enjoying a getaway and wanting more of it without financial repercussions sounds great, doesn’t it? While flying allows you the most direct, nonstop means of traveling, we’d argue that doesn’t allow for the most fun, which brings us to our next point.
Your Journey Is the Experience
Scissortail Park
It’s a concept we’ve heard before, of course. But it’s really true when you live it. When you road trip from Point A to Point B, you’re seeing the landscape evolve and diversify and suddenly, you’re grounded in the idea that our existence extends much further than our immediate communities. The aerial view from the seat of an airplane is inarguably mesmerizing, but really embracing the journey and, better yet, stopping to experience unfamiliar areas along the way through new foods, local shops and interactions with locals creates much more fulfilling memories you wouldn’t get from an airport. All the while, you’re having these experiences with the people you’re traveling with, which only brings you closer. Quality time with the people you’re vacationing with is the whole point, right? You’re already embarking on an adventure, you might as well enjoy every step.
Did we miss anything? Leave us a comment below telling us your favorite part of road tripping.
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