This is one of those things I never thought explicitly about doing until I put it on my list. I love roadtrips, particularly scenic ones, but mine tend to have a fixed destination – or at least a fixed direction. Vaguely south, perhaps, or towards the coast, or something.

That said, I suspect part of me always assumed I would do something like this someday. Not that it would neccessarily have been more than an overnight trip somewhere, but I love the sudden rush of relaxation that comes from driving without trying to actually get anywhere. Maybe it is because I am horrible at directions? In all honesty, a trip like this is most likely to begin with me getting lost and deciding that I really cannot be bothered trying to navigate any more. If the next day is not a workday, I can picture myself just deciding to meander for a while. It would hardly be the first time I have slept in a car – or splurged on overpriced accommodation on a whim.

Now that I am thinking about it, however, I start to wonder where I might want to do this. Europe, maybe? B has done his share of driving around there, and given how small the continent is (relatively speaking) and how easy it would be to cross from one country to another, Europe would definitely be an option. The US would be a contender too, not least because I can never decide what I would like to do on a trip there besides visiting my best friend in Boston.

Where else? New Zealand would be lovely, though I would probably wait a while on that front, given how recently I went on a roadtrip there. One random option that crossed my mind a few nights ago was Japan – not a typical country of choice for a roadtrip, but I wonder what it would be like to explore it without needing to think about plane, shinkansen or bus timetables. And I already know I would enjoy it – after all, it is small and traversable, it is safe, the highways have amazingly clean pit stops where I always end up spending some money on omiyage for friends (or, well, myself), and I love the more rustic, rural parts of the country. They remind me of Totoro, right down to the kindly, slightly hunched obaasan speaking ever-so-patiently to me in keigo thick with a country accent.

:::

I think I like this site. At first, I thought it might make my travel dreams spiral even more out of control, but the opposite seems to be happening instead – I find myself questioning whether I just want to visit a place because it looks spectacular or to do something because it would give me a thrill.

Nothing is wrong with either of those, of course, and I will still be trying to do a lot of both, but the items I actually end up including on my list are ones which tend to have deeper roots inside. Patagonia, for example – that one seems to sink in further each day, though I have no idea why or how.

Now it is probably time for bed and another kind of dreaming altogether. Goodnight. 19 months ago

Literally, in fact. We packed our bags, threw them in the car and went to dinner. At the table, we rolled the die after assigning a direction to each number, and started driving in that direction. South.

I’ve got to say, that was one of the best roadtrips I’ve ever taken. The company had a lot to do with it, but we packed so much into that weekend it was unreal. We ended up on an island off the coast, exploring historical forts and wildlife estuaries, museums, nightlife, and an alligator preserve. We also reconnected with a mutual friend from 20 years ago, by happy accident.

As an aside, traveling with someone is an excellent way to learn more about them, and a great test of compatibility. Gooood stuff, I say. Good stuffs. :) 19 months ago

Of course, my long running affair with 43things is going to come up, and did my wanderlust and love of travel. I told him about this goal, which I’ve seen here on 43 for years, and we both agreed that it was time to indulge our wanderlust and knock out a awesome goal at the same time.

Here’s our plan: He’s coming to my place Friday and we are taking a four sided die (Yeah, I’m a geek) and assigning a direction of N,S,E or W to each number, rolling it and then jumping in the car and heading in that direction. No plan. No reservations. No preconceived notion of what we are going to do, where we are going to be, or what construes a good time. Just let it happen.

Who knows, this could be hellish. Or it could be the time of our life. We could end up driving 14.5 hours for a single photograph of a sunset and coming home, or we could end up stumbling into something incredible 3 hours away that we never knew existed. Maybe I’ll meet someone’s grandfather. Maybe I’ll meet you. No matter what, it’ll be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I get to do it with one of the most amazing men on the planet. Hey..you…its ok to be jealous. ;) 20 months ago

I have many other goals that deserve a spot in my 43 things, and this goal will have its time to shine when I have more time and money to spend on it. 22 months ago