Road Trip - I

Saturday, July 5, 2008

When Jerome K Jerome wrote Three Men in a Boat, he might not have anticipated that things would change so much in a century. Boat for one, became an obsolete mode of travelling. Two, with at least three intervening generations separating Mr. Jerome from us, perspectives changed too! The weekend that just went by saw us revisit the thumbrules again. Only this time, we were on a road-trip. A 16-hour dash on what should ideally have been a "retiring period" on an overcast Sunday gave me enough things to write about.

See for yourself and take a few hints when you are planning a getaway.

1. Never Plan - They don't work anyway!

I really don't know why people plan. C'mon guys, you didn't even plan your birth but are still doing good living to this day. If your life was not your decision, why bother yourself over trivial plannings for a trip to some place. Ideally, they will have no lasting bearing on your future course of lives. So, take my word - Just go for it.

2. Don't seek opinions - They are meant to confuse you

The truth is that disagreements outnumber agreements by a huge margin. So, the probability of someone giving you an opinion that would help you make a decision is definitely low if not zero. Opinions give you options and each option needs evaluation. Evaluation stresses you and that defeats the purpose of a getaway. Keep the funda simple. Pack your bags and hit the road. You will reach some place worth spending time.

3. Rock the playlist - Keep awake

No one likes to be the black sheep in the group and there is something about these rock songs that prevents you from admitting that you don’t understand a word of what those freaks mouth. In this case, ignorance comes as a blessing in disguise. Even though 4 out of the 5 people don’t get a hang of the music, they still show attentiveness to appreciate any hint of familiarity in the songs. Rock songs are also high adrenalin stuff, so that perks you up and keeps you from sleeping.
That's called hitting the road with a vengeance!
4. Drive Sane – Keep the high testosterone guys away from wielding the wheels

Living in a pacy world, it is indeed difficult for me to believe in the adage slow and steady wins the race but I can vouch for the fact that slow and steady at least completes the race. It is fun to cruise at 140-150 kmph in a small family sized car till you have to jam on the brakes. Dude, if you dreamt of being a pilot, why get caught in the wrong job of driving and put your life at stake?

5. Finances in one hand - Choosing the Accountant

The most boring part of any travel is probably settling the expenses. Pool in the money at start and keep it with one person who keeps a track of all spending. While choosing the accountant, bear it in mind that the chosen person is closer to the ‘stingier’ end of spending spectrum. That keeps a tab on the expenses. Praising the efforts put in by the accountant, getting him a cool drink and laughing at some of his most silly jokes help him overcome the stresses that come with shouldering this thankless job that he is not even paid for.

Well friends, the guidelines I talked refer to what you should do while undertaking the journey. There is lot’s more that happens during the stay. I will defer talking about it to my next posting.

2 comments:

Ajay Kumar Singh said...

thanak GOD Gautam u did not mention the name of the pilot....but u have aptly described the premise of the journey well...Looking forward to enjoy the other parts of the series....[:)]....

Sensible Garbage said...

The Pilot was Schumacher - born and brought up in the holy land of UP, India. The other parts are forthcoming. But please don't look forward to it. We don't want a 'Love Story 2050' repeat here :)

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