I adore road trips. There’s something about being able to travel and go so far away within a few short hours that is incredibly liberating to me. I like going on trips and I enjoy seeing new things on a new day. And today, I’m here to tell you how much my travels helped me become a better writer.

Space And Time

I know driving isn’t for everyone, but for me, driving helps clear my head. I’m no longer stressed and worried about all my other things in life, I’m focused on the road, and my head clears.

The last time I did a road trip was a few short minutes up to the local national forest. It was perhaps a thirty minute drive at most, just at dusk. Immediately, all stresses left my shoulders, and I was free to contemplate what I might see in the trees, what I might do in my stories, and listen to music that inspired me. There was nothing else to do but think. Stressing would get me nowhere – I was in a car, it’s not like I could do anything but drive – and instead, my mind turned to creative avenues. I rolled down my window in the chilly winter month and inhaled the crisp air. 

This time away granted me space to simply be with my characters and my stories. Nothing else needed my attention (besides the road, of course), and I was able to think about what I wanted to make next. 

And if driving isn’t your thing, I’d encourage walking, or biking, or whatever else you can do to get out and away from your stresses. To grant you space from your life worries and be able to simply just think about your creations. 

New Sights

A huge aspect of my personality is my deep and undying love for seeing something new. I love exploring new places, I love coming across new things. Be this in my own small area, or across the continent, I love discovering and seeing something I’ve never seen before. For instance: surely I’ve seen snow and ice before, but have I seen it on a cold October afternoon, on a trail through a Northern Idaho National Forest, just as the sun glints across the sky and begins to melt all that has fallen? I’ve surely seen a bug before, but have I seen it sitting atop a small plant, perched quietly and unmoving, while I kneel in the mud to peer at one moment of its tiny life? 

New sights do not need to be hours and days away. They can be right outside your door if you take a new chance to see them, to tackle them in a way that you may not have tackled them before. Experiencing a different perspective will help you in several ways within your writing. Not only will you be able to look at the world in a different manner, looking for these instances of newness and surprise, but you’ll also come to focus on what that means for you and your stories. 

When I went up on my last road trip to the National Forest, I stopped on the side of the road just as night had fallen. Snow lay heavy across the ground. I left early, but up in the trees, the sun had already set, and night loomed as a dark force overhead. I stepped out of my car and considered my plan: I came up here to take a small walk into the trees, to take pictures and look around. Was it safe to do so? Was it wise? 

With camera in hand, I decided I would not go out of sight of my car. I wanted to just walk up a small path, take a few photos, and come back. I’ll never forget how loud the crunching of my boots sounded across the still trees, how my breathing filled my ears. And when something stirred in the trees, snapped branches, and began to follow and stalk me on the way back to my car, I’ll never forget the way my heart beat, the way instinct rose up in my throat, how wide my eyes grew and how quick they flickered back up to the the hill at my side, where the noises emanate from. 

Now, I’m not saying you should go out and put yourself in danger. I had gone perhaps fifty feet from my car in a straight line, if that. I had already shouted to scare off animals, and had protective gear on me in case something happened. But the experience will stay with me. Next time I write the feeling of being stalked, I’ll remember this moment, and I’ll remember how I felt.

Not only that, I’ll remember that time I hiked so long my lungs hurt. The time I slid on mud and all my toes and fingers buzzed with a floaty numbness. The way my knuckles scraped across cement and how I could not feel the pain until I warmed up. Each experience you have as a creative is something you can use, something you can claim and pull from. Going on road trips, seeing the way the sun breaks across a new horizon, smelling the air in a place you’ve never been, or even taking a few uncertain steps onto a snow-covered forest – all these are moments you’ll have. Road trips are a great way to bring you to those new experiences.

Lunch Breaks On The Road

One of my favorite things to do on longer road trips is to bring a pre-made lunch with me. I’ve done sandwiches, wraps, take-out, onigiri. I’ve done a little of everything, and nothing beats having a familiar meal in an unfamiliar place.

A few years ago, I took a road trip to Portland with an ex-friend. On our way back to Idaho, we stopped before what was called the Jade Mountains (or, at least, I could’ve sworn a sign called them that). This massive incline lead up to a bundle of trees near the peak. Before we reached it, we pulled off to the side on a lookout, where we could see for miles the valley that lay before us. The sun glinted across sunburnt lands; hills cast long, dramatic shadows over the untended fields; the air filled with the scent of pine and sun-baked wheat and grass. I remember perching upon a large, hot bolder and chewing on the lunch we had made for the trip, silently taking the scenery in. It was lunch time, and there was nothing to distract me from taking notes of how the world looked, how it smelled, how it felt upon my skin. And from all that, I could take my experiences and elevate my writing that much more.

Road trips are one of my favorite things to take and even if car travel isn’t your thing (I get car sick when I’m not in the front seat, so I get it may not be feasible for everyone), I’d encourage you to go out in your local area and experience things that you may not have noticed before. Have you stood on the sidewalk in the middle of a winter storm, smelling the air, feeling the biting ice? 

As always, be careful and smart with where you choose to travel and the experiences you partake in. It’s best to be safe. But if you can safely experience something new, or something similar with a new perspective, it can help you improve your writing. Highly recommend! 

And that’s it! Stay safe everyone <3