Hit the Road with Jack

A few flags are still strung up on porches a month after Fourth of July. Patriotism surged more deeply in my chest, however, when standing on foreign soil. The sense of otherness surrounding me reaffirmed my natal identity that I had, ironically, chucked aside to integrate into another culture. It was not until I was abroad that I craved to know the landscapes and folklore woven into the rural fabric of my own country.

If in July you saluted America, August is your opportunity to explore it.

While lounging poolside or swinging in a hammock, thumb through Jack Kerouac’s anthem to American highway adventures, On the Road, and you’ll suddenly get the itch, antsy to be driving somewhere, anywhere. The destination matters less than the journey.

“You guys are going somewhere or just going?”

That’s the spirit behind road trips. I embrace that ideal of freedom and openness to whatever opportunity may crop up around the next corner.

“I was surprised, as always, be how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.”

In the U.S. context of woeful public transit infrastructure and dependency on personal automobiles, roadtripping runs counter to the environmental ethic of fossil fuel conservation that didn’t emerge until two decades after Kerouac’s beat generation.

Bitten by the travel bug but beholden to our conservation principles, I find that one compromise lies in sacrificing our one-rider independence and privacy for the efficiency and shared economy of the HOV lane.

Along with the freedom of the road, how liberating to further open ourselves to the unknown in sharing travel experiences with strangers.

The Internet has thrown a safety net over what is essentially hitchhiking, with rider reviews posted online and websites that screen potential passengers and drivers.

So rest easy, sit back and call out to that guy you just met, “Hit the road, Jack”.

1.) Rideshare
Your musical tastes or entertainment preferences may be unique among your group of friends. Consider ridesharing to one-time events like a fair or festival (check back in the next couple of weeks for posts on these events). Being stuck in a moving vehicle with total strangers who are bonded by but one shared interest at least ensures a safe topic of conversation, but you may just discover that you’re more alike than you thought and make a whole new set of friends. If you don’t click, you can go your own ways during the event and just meet back at the car afterwards.

www.rideboard.com
www.carpoolworld.com
www.ridester.com
www.zimride.com/
www.divvymyride.com
www.rdvouz.com
Rideshare section on Craigslist

Tip: As a rider you’re expected to chip in for gas money, but go the extra mile and bring snacks to share.

2.) Roadtrip on someone else’s dime
Instead of two separate vehicles making the same trip, one because the car has to get there and the other because its passengers want to get there (or just enjoy a journey, regardless of the destination), drive-my-car programs reduce the environmental impact by making it only one drive.

Don’t let the fact that you’re accomplishing a task, actually multitasking by helping someone else out while crossing something off on your summer bucket list, take away from the reckless joy of the open road. Let yourself get loose with the wind in your hair.

http://www.autodriveaway.com
Rideshare section on Craigslist

Tip: Negotiate with the owner before departure to what extent gasoline, tolls, hotels, and other trip-incurred expenditures will be covered.

3.) Cross-country public transit
Swap route autonomy for mass efficiency in bus and train.

www.us.megabus.com
www.greyhound.com
www.trailways.com
www.amtrak.com

Tip: Bring enough food to cover for unplanned meals caused by delays.

4.) Group tours
One vehicle for 20 people is better than any multi-family roadtrip could do in a RV. Plus, no squabbling with siblings over campsite chores.

www.greentortoise.com
www.adventurebus.com

With wheels we are continent-bound, but journeys inevitably broaden our horizons.

“The road must eventually lead to the whole world.”

Carrie is an environmental educator, anthropologist, and translator. She took her passions for ecological, health, and women’s rights advocacy from the offices of Washington, D.C. to the streets of South America. Now in Colombia, she is slowly opening women’s eyes to the wonders of “la copita de luna” (Moon Cup) and Keepers.