Roadtrips — Why Do We Love Them So Much?

FQ movie roadtrip 2014: Approaching NYC

Every now and then, I scroll down on our blog’s front page to look at the countdown to one of our biggest roadtrips ever, and a mixture of panic and excitement takes over.

Soon! 05 weeks 03 days until the Great Movie Roadtrip 2016!

“That’s like, just a little over a month! We’ll be on the road soon again! YAY! …But wait, we still haven’t confirmed half of the stuff we need to confirm. What about the car rentals?? The hotels?? Oh god I need a new lens and a backpack and comfortable shoes! I won’t be ready in time!”

We’ve done this so many times before: had the idea of a trip by car, decided to do it, set the dates and hit the road. And it’s always been amazing, and we’ve always been really good at it. There’s never been any serious trouble (aside from that one time at Lake Powell), but there’s always been lovely, helpful people and super cool experiences all the way.

So why is planning a roadtrip still more nerve-wrecking than hopping on a plane and flying somewhere?

FQ movie roadtrip 2014: someone in our rearview mirror

Maybe it’s the fact that anything can happen on the road. Your route is set, but you might get lost. Your car is well maintained, but you can still burst a tire. You can get into an accident, no matter how careful you are, because someone else might not be. It’s all these what-ifs that go through your head when you start planning.

There are far less what-ifs when you fly into a city, an island, a beach and just spend a week in a hotel.

The best things about roadtrips

But that’s just it: roadtrips are unpredictable, and that what makes them amazing. Of course, there are always risks, but you’re not really in any danger as long as you keep your wits with you.

When you’re roadtripping, you’re free.

We usually have a set schedule on a longer roadtrip: two days here, three days there, catch some sleep somewhere halfway from A to B and continue driving in the morning… that sort of thing. But sometimes things come up. New ideas arise in the middle of carefully planned days.

Like in 2014, we’d planned to stay for about three days in New Orleans. When we got there, we heard about the filming for The Walking Dead in Atlanta and how they were already on set and the internet folk knew where. We knew we had to go. So we saw all the places in New Orleans we really wanted to, snapped most of the sceneframes we’d planned to and started driving. After less than 24 hours in NOLA (which we really hope to visit again because boy, that was not enough!)

We drove all night, saw nothing but darkness when crossing Alabama, but it was all worth it in the end.

When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.
— Forrest Gump

 

FQ movie roadtrip 2014: overtaking a truck in the dark

Always bring a good friend…

One of the most crucial things about roadtrips and what can make them worse or better, though, is the company you choose to travel with. You’ll be spending hours, days or even weeks (like us!) in the same car, probably even in the same hotel rooms. That means almost 24/7 of being together. That’s when you really, really need to get along.

Everyone has flaws and annoying habits, be it chewing loudly or snoring or something else, and there aren’t many occasions in life when you can’t really escape them. A roadtrip is one of those occasions: you’ve chosen your travel partner for this 2,000 mile ride, and this travel partner is who you are stuck with. So you’ll have to tone down your own annoying habits and endure the ones your companions might have.

But if you choose wisely, it’s incredible. Our roadtrips are pretty easy these days. We know each other’s habits, we’re used to them and most importantly, we accept them. Trust, patience, sense of humor, being considerate and talking about stuff that bothers you — these things will carry you a long way!

FQ roadtrip 2014: crossing a bridge somewhere

So, back to this year’s roadtrip

Alright, so. Our 10,000km roadtrip is coming up in a little over 5 weeks. We’re working on the practical stuff in full-mode now to make sure we’ll have a smooth ride once we hop into our cars in Iceland and the States, and make our way through the northern parts of the country and some of Canada.

But really, even with all this stress and worrying about the details, the biggest feeling is excitement. There’s nothing better to us than to see the world on four wheels, to watch the scenery change and morph into something else mile by mile and to feel completely and utterly free.

I. Can. Not. Wait. 

FQ movie roadtrip 2014: Entering the dust…

Collaboration post: Some parts of our movie roadtrip 2016 was done in collaboration with Icelandair, hotels, businesses and tourism offices. All opinions, experiences and views, however, are 100% our own. One simply can not buy our love ❤