I love traveling more than a tipsy college kid loves Waffle House at 2 a.m., but I rarely have time to travel as much as I want to. So, I'm always looking forward to the summer.
Summer is the time for fun, friends and road trips.
There's nothing more exciting than going somewhere new, meeting fresh faces and learning how that particular area of the world conducts itself from day to day.
There's just something about it that makes it uniquely American.
But with rising gas prices, lowering morale due to the economy and the advent of the fail-safe GPS and cell phone as ever-present travel accessories, will road trips ever be the same?
Will it remain out of reach for those who may so desperately seek it, even while the purity of true travel disrupted by always knowing where we can find the nearest Target or gas station?
I wholeheartedly understand the services that modern technology provide, as tools that make life easier for the masses, but sometimes you just need to let it go.
Auburn, it's time to take a study break.
Specifically take a look at my favorite book, Jack Kerouac's On the Road.
Published in 1957, it documents Kerouac's frenzied trips across the U.S. during the 1940s, searching for meaning in life through the romanticism of the road and jazz music while talking to everyone and seeing everything under the sun. His journey is an exotic cross section of the America dream .
The book was more than an inspiration to me, and got me started on exploring my world around me in a deeper and more constructive manner.
Little did I know that so much was still out there, waiting to be discovered.
I'm asking you, Auburn, what happened to the passion of traveling on a whim?
There still has to be a certain appeal of rolling along rural roads, passing through sleepy towns and happening upon some place that has the best clam chowder in Oregon (true story).
Does anyone even have the will to search the world anymore, or does everything have to be planned out and purchased according to the rules of safe living?
I've learned a lot when I've gotten lost in strange locales, and I don't know if I'd like to see it any other way.
The future for those looking to travel extensively by car certainly does look bleak, but fear not.
I'd like to hope that some creative minds are focusing on renewable energy resources to get the road trip up and running again for everyone even better than before.
Smart cars have been available for a while, but affording one of these fuel-efficient beauties may be out of the financial reach of college students, not to mention that you can barely fit a suitcase in the back.
Why aren't there widely available solar powered cars yet?
Whatever happened to the Chevy Volt being a part of the "eco revolution"?
This summer, I encourage everyone to travel somewhere that they've never been before, whether it's near or far.
Take a walking tour of someplace. Further explore the area that you've lived in for awhile.
Even within Auburn, nooks and crannies exist that you'll never notice from a car.
If you've got the will, why not find some place out of the way?
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