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How to Pick a Road Trip Buddy When you imagine roaring down the open road, exploring new places and seeing new things, who’s riding along with you? We put together this little Q&A of pertinent questions to ask each other when picking a road trip buddy.
What’s your favourite style of driving music? If they say country and you’re into Broadway musical soundtracks, someone should pack ear buds.
Do you like to sing along? If you do, too, then it could be a karaoke good time. If they ruin every song ever made, it could be a painful ride.
What are your favourite snack foods? This is important for long road trips. Imagine sitting in a vehicle cabin with unwelcome smells, loud crunching and lip-smacking, or having the car messed up with sticky liquids and crumb dust. On the flip side, if they bring “the good snacks,” you can negotiate a share.
Do you know left from right? Lots of people commonly mix up left and right, and that can lead to lots of confusion on the road. Not a big issue with a passenger, but if it’s your navigator there’s gonna be a lot of “Take the next left… No, not your left, my left!”
Can you read a map or use a GPS? Things can get tense if you lose your way. It’d be helpful if one of you could master direction.
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Have you ever changed a tire? Ability to change a tire or do any other minor roadside repair can raise a road trip buddy’s profile instantly.
Do you have a valid driver’s licence and insurance? It’s always good to have more than one qualified driver on a road trip. If one gets tired or injured, there’s a spare to carry on.
Do you get motion sickness? Why would someone who gets car sick want to go on a road trip? Who knows? But it’s better to find out early and pack Gravol.
Do you take your shoes off in the vehicle? You’re going to want to weed this one out early.
Are you a back seat / passenger seat driver? Few things suck the fun out of a road trip more than a passenger constantly pressing their imaginary breaks, “helpfully” pointing out speed signs, and randomly asking you questions from the driver’s test “for fun.” (On the other hand, if they only do that in the car with you, you might want to take the hint.)
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