I have not always thought of myself as someone who would want to go on road trips, despite going on them with my family as a child. However, there was something about this trip that makes me want to do it. The "want" of this trip probably comes from my passion for food; a passion can drive you toward anything (no pun intended). What started with a gift from my roommate (a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives book) has pushed me toward wanting to do this road trip.
I have always been a somewhat independent person. Which is why I guess I would want to take a trip that is not filled with creature comforts and 5 star hotels. That is not to say that I wish to stay in a hovel. I think that the best way to travel and learn about the place you are in is by experiencing it first hand; through doing the kinds of things that locals do, and in this case eating as the locals eat. Which in its self describes me as a tourist.
As far as reflections go, its hard to reflect on a trip that I have not yet taken. I still think that I can say when you have an experience that matches up with your passion and your accompaniment is someone whose company you enjoy, its hard not to have an enjoyable time. Even when having a good time its hard not to think of home; but sometimes when you are doing something you love and immerse yourself in what you are doing you begin to develop a sense of home where you are. Through food, culture and good company just about anywhere can make you feel welcome. I enjoy traveling, seeing new places and getting to know the people who live there, even if it is just for a brief moment. When you experience something or somewhere new, it changes you on a truly profound level. While we may not be the same people we are at home as we are when we travel I believe that we take a small part of the traveling version of our selves along with us, long after the trip has ended.
On a not so reflective level, I think I need to give some total estimated cost of this trip so to give a full rounded picture of it.
Gas: assuming I still have the same car in two years that I do now, and without estimating the eventual price of gas, I can only guess that I will be spending an estimated 300-450$ on gas alone. This is relatively high, but still not quite the price of a round trip plane ticket.
Hotel Stays: Will cost an estimated total of 615$ which would then be divided by myself and Madison (costing around 307$ each)
Parking and Transit: assuming that parking is a hotel amenity parking will cost an estimated 200$ (again divided by two)
Food and drink: an estimated 400-450$
Total Estimated cost: 1,665$
Thanks For reading
-Rebecca Cowley
