As the Griswolds could tell you, road trips are a rite of passage. Piling into a vehicle and heading towards a predetermined destination is a fantastic way to bond with loved ones. They’re also a great way to shake up your routine and experience different parts of the country you’d otherwise never see.
In a perfect world, you’d spend your long days on the open road taking in the scenery and meeting interesting people at various pit stops. Of course you’d stop at roadside attractions too, taking goofy pictures with the world’s largest hairball (or at least splurge on a handful of fireworks).
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But not every road trip is perfect. Not by a long shot. Incompatible companions, harsh terrain, flat tires and lost credit cards can derail your dream road trip in record time. And if you’ve ever witnessed scary accidents or had freaky interactions with random locals, you know things can go sideways easily.
We asked friends and co-workers to tell us about their craziest road trips in six words. Here’s what they said.
“Drove ten miles. Car on fire.” – T.J., 27
“Eight-hour drive to Coachella. Forgot tickets.” – Uli, 34
“Severe ‘Deliverance’ vibes, small town Kentucky.” – Mike, 23
“Openly gay. Tennessee. Made me nervous.” – Joey, 24
“Kicked out of live karaoke. Vegas.” – Mara, 23
“Roadside guns, ammo, fireworks, beer, canoes.” – Jennifer, 43
“Not enough gas stations in Wyoming.” – Kate, 27
“Food poisoning. Midwestern plains. No bathroom.” – Tara, 25
“Bedbugs at the Motor Lodge. Terrible.” – Milly, 24
“Convertible. Sunburnt earlobes. Very, very unpleasant.” – Bill, 28
“Two kids. 2000 Miles. One adult.” – Christa, 38
“Three flat tires in six hours.” – Sarah, 30
“Morocco by car. No reverse gear.” – Sarah, 69
“VW bus, desert, lots of weed.” – Susan, 31
“Mom brought Vicodin and fried chicken.” – Emily, 33
“Drove by a tornado in Kansas.” – Eric, 32
“Mushrooms across New Jersey at 95MPH.” – Laura, 22
“Drove 5000 miles in seven days.” – James, 28
“Megabus to Reno. Tripping entire time.” – Josey, 34
“One day. 1500 miles. Blasted radio.” – Thomas, 35
“Totally lost. No GPS. Not great!” – Jerry, 29
“Boyfriend would only eat at McDonalds.” – Taylor, 34
“Ate in car. Peed in bottle.” – Julie, 30
“I almost fell asleep while driving.” – Annie, 32
“Bandmate brought a kazoo on tour.” – Allison, 38
“Brought walkie talkies along. Insanely fun.” – Dave, 33
“Fart app on my son’s Kindle.” – Ollie, 37
“Saw wild bears in the Badlands.” – Joey, 31
“No A/C in the desert. Fried.” – Melissa, 22
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