Looking back on college memories 20 years from now, certain things will stick in our minds. We'll remember sledding down Jeff Hill, commencement, our first roommates, the parties we threw and maybe even how to draw a supply and demand curve. But we'll definitely remember taking road trips.
The road trip is a delicate thing. If well planned and executed, to a decent locale with good friends, it can be a success you'll be talking about for years to come. But if you're not prepared, it can be a highway to hell.
Here are a few simple dos and don'ts for your next road trip.
Do: Remember while highway driving to use the left lane only to pass. Staying in the left lane is illegal no matter what state you are in. You can be pulled over for failure to keep right and be detained for 40 minutes by a New Jersey State Trooper on the side of the road.
Don't: Ever leave your car unattended for even five minutes. Not even five seconds, actually. It is a well-known fact that parking services monitor you and your car meticulously and even if you are just carrying a bag into a building, by the time you get back you will have a $100 parking ticket - that cannot be appealed until the weekend is over.
Do: Try to save money. Finding someone to stay with is loads better than spending money on a hotel. Call your siblings at a local college or an old high school chum that lives nearby. Otherwise, you could be forced to pay outrageous hotel prices simply because you're students - not that it will matter, because you won't be able to find the hotel until 3:30 in the morning.
Don't: Forget to check the policies of the person you are staying with. If you've forgone the hotel idea, you need to be well-informed about curfew rules at the college where you plan on crashing. If you need to be there by midnight, do everything in your power to speed like crazy and get there well on time.
Which leads us to:
Do: Bring lots of blankets and hand warmers. When you miss the college's curfew by more than an hour (thanks to the state troopers) you will need to find an alternate place to rest your head. Blankets - preferably thick ones - will aid you as you sleep in your car in a parking lot for the night. Honestly, four degrees feels a lot colder than it sounds.
Don't: Offend the locals when you straggle into a bakery at 6 a.m. looking like you just did the Walk of Shame. I know you slept in your car, but put on a hat, chew a breath mint and be courteous to those townies. No one will have sympathy for your plight if you just scare them away with your stench.
Do: Wear good walking shoes. If you want to save money on transportation in and around your final destination, it's a good idea to walk. Also by walking, you avoid drunks on the subway who are two blocks away from throwing up on your shoes.
Don't:: Forget to bring extra pairs of socks. When it's raining and slush is accumulating on the street, the water will begin to rise from your heels to your ankles. And 10 hours later, your socks will still be wet and your feet will be one complete prune.
Don't:: Tell your parents everything that happened on the trip! This is key. They can find out in their own time - or at least tell them so that they have ample time to get used to your recklessness and close shaves with the law before you come home to do your laundry.
If you have a bad road trip story, tell her at katherine.primm@ohiou.edu
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Katie Primm
