Let me start by saying this is going to sound a little… out-of-the-box. When you first start planning a road trip you typically don’t think to ask “what is my intention?”. This is likely because you think the intention is obvious: my intention is to travel, my intention is to take a vacation and see the great USA. That’s all true but it’s also a very broad intention. If we’re talking specifically about intentions we need to be more specific. The reason for this is that your intention sets the tone for your entire trip. I have 3 easy steps to follow to set your intention with this road trip:
Step One
Ask yourself “what do you hope to gain from this trip?”. To find this answer we need to think about how we want to feel after the trip. The easiest way to frame this is: what stories do we want to tell after the trip? Are you hoping to tell people the epic story of how you hiked all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and literally stayed overnight there? Maybe you’re looking more for that kitschy tourist trip to fill that family road trip void inside yourself (think worlds biggest ball of yarn, Griswold family vacation). Perhaps you want a trip where you experience monuments and museums like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Museums from Natural History to the Ice Cream Museum pop-up. Maybe you even want to channel your inner Guy Fieri and come away with the most epic Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives inspired Instagram feed when you’re done. The bottom line is whatever you choose to get out of your trip is going to be what you talk about forever. Trust me, I still talk about my very first (very epic) 2017 road trip like it just happened. Decide what you want to recount forever and then mark this step complete.
Step Two
Decide on your level of disconnection. Sometimes it’s nice (if not a little difficult) to disconnect. I recently took a trip where I had no Wi-Fi and no service, my phone was essentially an iPod touch from 2009, if I didn’t have music, movies, or games downloaded then my phone, like the iPod touch, would have essentially been a brick. That was actually really nice and I’m now looking forward to doing one wholly disconnected trip a year, but it’s not for everyone! So, decide on your level of disconnection. Do you want to put your phone on airplane mode and connect with your surroundings? Would you prefer to just limit screentime when you’re at certain places? Maybe you don’t want to change your connection at all, and that’s fine. Think about the human connection also, if you have family across the united stated consider finding ways to reach out to them for a meal or maybe even a free place to stay the night as you pass through town and give your wallet a break! The bottom line is you will have a great trip no matter your level of connection, but it’s important to think about it now, especially if you’re traveling with a large group and are looking for more outside-your-phone interactions with each other.
Step Three
It’s time to create your mission statement. Consider all that I’ve proposed to you in the above steps and write one sentence about what your trip intention is. For example, you may say “My road trip intention is to visit all 50 states and have a story to tell from each of them.” Or “My road trip intention is to unplug, reconnect with myself, and see where the road takes me.” It could even be “My road trip intention is to connect deeper with my family/friends while we make unforgettable memories together.” No matter what your intention is remember that it’s there to guide you while you plan and while you’re on the road. There will be times where something goes awry or you have to choose between a couple activities or even become faced with cutting out an entire portion of your trip to make another thing happen and this road trip intention is going to help remind you what your priorities are which will help clarify and de-stress any situation.
Now that you have your road trip intension you’re ready to start planning the most epic adventure of your life!
If you’re ready to get started with me my plans open in September of 2022. Once you select one you can fill out my epic adventure quiz form to start formulating your road trip. Once I have your form I will review it and get in touch with you and we can really start making your road trip dreams a reality.
If you’re still not sure how to set your intention or you’re still not sold that is important, that’s OK, I got you. Reach out to me using the contact page or e-mail me at [email protected] and I will be happy to help you set your road trip intention. I’m always happy to help and I love to hear road trip stories so please, if you have them, share them with me here, by e-mail, or on social media.
I can’t wait to help you plan your dream road trip!
-Taysia