Why You Should Avoid Spontaneous Road Trips

You will miss out on many experiences

When I asked my brothers where we were going next for a road trip, they winced. The younger one replied, “plan it out better first” and the older one nodded. My eyes widened but I shrugged in agreement.

While spontaneous road trips might be a nice adventure, planning the trip will prevent regrets.

Hotels are expensive last minute

We drove west from our home around nine in the morning to Big Bend National Park in Texas. During our nine-hour trip, we listened to music and took pictures of the scenery on the way there.

What I didn’t account for was hotel prices being inflated during Thanksgiving break.

Upon arrival at Big Bend, I told my brother to park at the Quality Inn so I could ask about prices.

The double bedroom was triple the price of what I was used to paying.

I asked why the price was so high, seeing as how online the price was under $70. The receptionist apologized and stated there was an art event going on that weekend in Big Bend. All hotels in the area would be marked up.

In other words, they were banking on the high traffic going on that weekend.

Out of frustration, I called the other hotels, and they priced over $200, despite not being high-end hotels. Out of frustration, I told my brothers we would drive to El Paso instead and leave Big Bend for when we returned from the Grand Canyon. They pouted but understood the situation.

As we drove out of El Paso, we stared at the art event, and I began to regret leaving Big Bend. The art event seemed like something we could’ve enjoyed, but I had already made up my mind to continue driving.

If you plan to book a hotel, always call the morning of or sooner to avoid inflated prices that might occur as a result of an event going on at the time. Hotels will increase their prices the fewer rooms they have, depending on demand.

Missed opportunities and experiences

The first missed opportunity was the art event going on. I saw people dancing to local musicians, art walks, and lots of fun events going on. While I wished I had spent the night at Big Bend to experience the event, there were other experiences I wished I hadn’t missed out on.

When we arrived at the Four Corners National Monument, I didn’t know members of the Navajo tribe sold handcrafted items in small booths around the monument.

Once we were done taking pictures at the Four Corners, I went onto Airbnb and found there were places where we could experience the local Navajo culture, like making handcrafted items and eating local foods.

It’s a missed experience and something I regret about our trip, but we trekked on to the Grand Canyon.

Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon, we asked the park rangers about the hiking trails available. The park ranger provided several options and warned us about possible dangers.

As the park ranger told us about our options, I realized we weren’t ready to go hiking down into the Grand Canyon. Our water supply was low, and we weren’t equipped with the right gear. Instead, we walked around the outer edge of the Grand Canyon and took lots of pictures.

After a couple of hours at the canyon, we departed to Albuquerque, New Mexico to head home. However, as we left the Grand Canyon, we saw a sign that said “Deer Petting Zoo, Next Exit.” My eyes widened, desperate to take the exit we just missed. I looked at the sky and realized that the location would probably be closed, as it was late at night and it was raining.

While I do support animals being free and in the wild, this was the experience I wish I hadn’t missed the most.

Whatever you’re planning to do on your next road trip, make sure to look into what’s available in the area. You might be surprised by what you find. It’ll provide you with many more experiences and memories to look back on.

The long drive

The worst part of my spontaneous road trip, according to my brothers, was the driving.

“Why can’t we just stay an extra night at the hotel here instead of driving at night?” they asked.

Looking back on it, I agree. We left Four Corners, the Grand Canyon, and Albuquerque’s National Nuclear Museum around three in the afternoon. We drove for six to eight hours to the next city and didn’t enjoy the scenery very much, waking up at 11 a.m.

Had I planned the trip, we probably could’ve eaten Navajo food for dinner, purchased supplies to hike in the Grand Canyon, and pet deer once we hiked back.

Conclusion

There were many missed experiences I regret not doing, all because I winged the road trip as we went along each day.

However, there were plenty of moments I did enjoy. I supported local businesses as much as I could, like local coffee shops and restaurants. I purchased souvenirs handcrafted by the Navajo tribe and ended the trip by taking my brothers to the Museum of Nuclear History and Science in Albuquerque.

While they were frustrated with the poor scheduling of the trip, they did seem to enjoy the trip overall, and they are looking forward to the next trip (so long as I don’t wing it next time).

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