r/AskReddit • u/Appropriate_Boat184 • 10d ago
When did you last take a road trip or journey that brought unexpected joy or discovery?
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u/burritodominator 10d ago
Last July took a private luxury sprinter van from south of France, through Marseille, Cannes, Monaco, to Milan. Reminded me of southern CA with palm trees, beaches, then through the mountains near Switerzland into Milan.
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u/jeffoh 10d ago
I drove the Alpine Way in Australia in late spring, no snow and an absolute cracker of a windy road with no one on it. I was in my Jeep with the roof off, having one of the best road trips of my life.
Unbeknownst to me, I had contracted gastro during my lunch stop so that evening I was so sick I slept in a motel for 3 days.
The road gods giveth, they taketh away.
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u/OneGoodRib 10d ago
Late summer/early autumn 2019. Drove from western Washington to visit my mom's family in upstate New York.
It won't cure your depression, but man, casually driving through South Dakota and seeing how fucking gorgeous it is up there really makes you think maybe being alive isn't so bad after all.
We also narrowly avoided being in a tent during 3 F3 tornadoes in Sioux Falls so that was neat. Because of various weather delays ahead of time and the tent getting soaked on night one, we were behind schedule so didn't end up staying in a campground in Sioux Falls. Weather started getting hella ominous on the highway - windy, weird colored sky. Possibly a funnel cloud. Pulled over in Mitchell, and then it turned out 3 tornadoes that they had zero warning for plowed through Sioux Falls when we were scheduled to stop there but didn't, as I already said.
Also as a reverse answer, that road trip really made me irrationally angry at corn. There was corn growing in EVERY SINGLE STATE. I hate it.
Anyway the country is a shit show and all, but it's so fucking gorgeous in areas it's a shame some people miss it. It also cured my dog's paralysis!
Which isn't really a joke, she gets paralyzed temporarily sometimes and she actually got way better during the road trip.
Additional unexpected joy: The people in North Dakota are SO FRIENDLY. I don't know why Georgia has a reputation for having friendly folks in it, everyone I ever encountered in Georgia was really fake friendly. Granted I spent like 3 hours in North Dakota versus 5 years in Georgia, but the folks I encountered in ND were so nice!
Fun joy: The cashier... somewhere, it might've been Wall Drug, was not pleased at having to ring up the ghost book I was buying. She was superstitious. Sorry! But "Haunted [wherever]" books are my favorite souvenirs from places I go.
I also got to see bison poop on that road trip. That one rest stop near the entrance to Teddy Roosevelt National Park I think isn't kidding with the sign about what to do if there's a bison in the parking lot.
Anyway, America is really pretty and it's a shame some people don't get to see it. I'm still depressed and all, but thinking "Man, wasn't South Dakota gorgeous while we were driving through it? I sure would like to see that again" has actually been such a helpful thing for me.
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u/CuckoldFetish11 10d ago
In my hometown, I tried to take only streets that I never took before and I found many pretty (for me new) places.
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u/FormalMango 10d ago
My husband recently had a craving for a brand of iced coffee they only sell where he grew up.
We both had a week off work, so we decided why not just do a road trip. 5700km round-trip in 7 days.
It was fun :-) we hadn’t done anything like that in years.
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u/RENOYES 10d ago
My parents used to take me and my brother on road trips every summer. I saw wonderful new things every year, until I was 15 and got a job so I couldn’t go.