Finding myself stuck in a rut for the past year I decided to make a change. Last month I sold everything I owned, stuffed what was left in my old 1996 Monte Carlo (158,000 miles and still going strong) and road tripped from Kansas City, MO to San Diego, CA. I love road trips. I feel free on the highway, for a short time it is just me and the road and the sights.

If you find yourself in a rut, life is the same old rerun and has been for quite some time now, take a road trip. There is so much to see in the beautiful USA, and I venture to say every country is the same. A different horizon, if even for only a few days, can clear your head, lift your spirits, fill you with a new perspective, and be downright challenging. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, for example is awe inspiring, filling you with a ‘you and me God feeling’, and producing a realization of just how minuscule we are in the scheme of things. Road tripping is the closet we have these days to setting out on horseback and hitting the trail. Let me tell you, the cowboys had it down.

If you live in the city and do not get much opportunity to experience the wide open spaces, a road trip is exhilarating. You get an appreciation for how much open space there is when you drive through the plains in Texas, the plateaus of New Mexico, or the mountains and desert of Arizona.

I have opted for road trips rather than flying all my life and have road tripped a great deal of the country. Observing the differences in the terrain from state to state, along with its peculiarities (examples: dust storms, tumbleweeds,) or experiencing the powerful roar of the ocean as you watch the rolling waves beat down on the shores edge along a seaside road fills you with wonder and recaptures your youth.

Experience the historical landmarks, and dissimilar architecture of differ cultures and geographical locations. Some places are so steeped in the country’s history that you can almost sense the characters of generations before you, experiencing their triumps and defeats. Another interesting and amusing facet of road trips are the names of towns and streets and the history behind those names as well as local legends.

To fully enjoy and educate yourself a road trip does not have to be a three day trip such as I recently took. Short road trips within your state to a historical or recreational landmark can be just as exhilarating. Pack up an ice chest with drinks, fruit and sandwiches, or carry energy bars, granola and dried fruit and venture out on the free flowing road with a destination in view. Don’t forget the camera and plenty of batteries.

So, the next time you find yourself bored and living the same rerun day after day, break the routine with a road trip. At the very least you will arrive home educated, inspired, with a new perspective and lots of pictures and stories to share.