For the past 3-4 years now, my friends and I have made it an annual event to embark on an adventure on the road. The idea isn’t just to travel to a new destination but also live on the road. It’s a place where we meditate, come up with ideas, get to know each other more, explore new places, and meet new people.
That feeling of freedom, that thrill of speeding by a police officer and not having them notice, those moments when laws are broken, and exploring new places that most have not yet seen are what fuels us.
Exploring while on the road is an essential part to the adventure and the stops along the way are equally as important as the destination itself. We aim to find new places as much as we love to revisit the old ones. Nostalgia follows us and we crave it even more. That feeling of freedom, that thrill of speeding by a police officer and not having them notice, those moments when laws are broken, and exploring new places that most have not yet seen are what fuels us. The devastating break down of our vehicle and the exuberance we experience with that sound of engine turning-on that sends us on the road again! Those are the feelings that make these road trips addictive; it’s a sort of drug that we need to feel alive again.
This particular road trip went from France to the Spanish Sahara in Bardenas, Spain, where we spent many hours inside the car. Being confined within a vehicle doesn’t mean boredom either; we dream, amuse ourselves with jokes, small pranks. Sharing stories becomes a part of the adventure. While driving on the road we are inclined to get to know each other better, swap stories and share experiences. It’s what makes each ride special, those moments we create inside the car.
It goes with out saying that while driving for long stretches of time, it will take a toll on the vehicle and problems will arise. While driving down from Amiens, France we almost lost a wheel, all the while a truck nearly missed hitting us. We were unaware of the actual cause of the problem but the van was jerking hard and we decided to pull over and inspect the problem. We noticed right away that the back right wheel was almost about to fall off. But being the optimistic people we are, we took care of the situation and made it an adventure. When you are living in a moving home there isn’t time to become upset or discouraged when we are faced with problems. It’s a situation that has to be dealt with right then and there and usually becomes a great story afterwards. Everything has a solution and we just have to find it.
It goes with out saying that while driving for long stretches of time, it will take a toll on the vehicle and problems will arise. While driving down from Amiens, France we almost lost a wheel, all the while a truck nearly missed hitting us. We were unaware of the actual cause of the problem but the van was jerking hard and we decided to pull over and inspect the problem. We noticed right away that the back right wheel was almost about to fall off. But being the optimistic people we are, we took care of the situation and made it an adventure. When you are living in a moving home there isn’t time to become upset or discouraged when we are faced with problems. It’s a situation that has to be dealt with right then and there and usually becomes a great story afterwards. Everything has a solution and we just have to find it.
Bardenas was more than we expected, with wonderful views of the desert, great locations to relax, and the tranquility of being alone in such a vast place. We explored a few abandoned houses and continued to roll down the desert until we set up camp for evening. Our stay was a short one in the desert since we had a long journey back home but the sun guided the path for us to return. We added another story to our adventure and another reason to want to do it all over again next year.
Story and images by Emmanuel Rosario
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