I’m taking a break from packing (yes, right after I UNpacked from my trip to Buffalo, I started packing again). We’re heading to San Francisco tomorrow – driving this time, not flying, so we don’t have to worry about flight delays. Just traffic delays. Most people seem to think it’s crazy to drive across the country instead of flying, but I think there are pros and cons to both. (I mean, I thought it was pretty crazy to sit inside an unmoving plane for four hours on Monday…)
When you fly somewhere, the whole trip is about the destination. The flight itself is usually nothing memorable – although my mom will occasionally take a few pictures of whatever plane she happens to be flying on when she goes on vacation, so it can have a place in a scrapbook. But let’s face it – one plane pretty much looks like all the others, so it’s not like if she pasted a photo of the same plane over and over in different scrapbooks anyone would take much notice. Whereas with driving, the destination is only part of the trip – with driving, the journey itself can become as remarkable as the final location.
When I was young, my parents used to pack up the car and travel with Eric and me to various vacation locations every summer. We went on so many road trips when I was young that by the time I was a teenager, I’d visited all 48 contiguous states and many parts of Canada. (I added Alaska and Hawaii to the list a few years ago, so I’m covered on all 50 states…) And one of the things I learned from all that driving is that every state – no matter what our preconceived notions might be – possesses something beautiful or interesting or unique. Take Kansas, for instance. I’ve never thought of Kansas as a particularly appealing state. It conjures up images of waving brown wheat and tornadoes. But drive down the interstate in Kansas at the right time, and you’ll be rewarded with fields full of sunflowers – miles of lemon-yellow petals perched atop brilliant green stalks. It’s a striking sight, and one that would be missed at 32 thousand feet…
And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to apply this same lesson to all of my travels (and even to people). I don’t like to judge a place before I’ve visited it, and I don’t like to judge a person before I get to know them. I figure if every state in this country has some kind of beauty to offer, the same can be said for every country in the world (not to mention a lot of the people who live in all those countries). It’s a simple lesson, but I have to wonder – would I have been the same person if I hadn’t taken so many road trips? If a butterfly flapping its wings in some far-off place can affect the wind currents (or however that goes) then perhaps a person can be shaped by something as trivial as a cross-country drive.
Personally, I think driving is more convenient. Not faster, by any means – but when it comes to plain old convenience, it’s hard to beat. Flying may get you from point A to point B hours (or even days) sooner, but it’s certainly not without its aggravations. When you drive, there are no lines to check-in and no lines to go through security. You can keep your shoes on OR take them off – it’s up to you. None of your toiletries explode (unless you happen to be driving up a mountain…), and if you have ten bags, it’s fine – as long as they’ll fit in your car. You can eat what you want, when you want. You can start your journey whenever you’re ready, and end it whenever you feel too tired. And if the person next to you is talking too much, chances are you can just tell them to shut up without worrying about much of a consequence. True, driving means paying for gas and hotels, but for a hotel junkie such as myself, the experience is worth the money.
So this week, as I’m driving toward San Francisco, I’ll not only be focused on my ultimate destination, but I’ll make sure to pay attention to everything along the way, as well. Dallas, Albuquerque, Las Vegas – and all the places in between. Because you never know what you can learn if you pay attention…
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