Mindful. I've been adventuring for over a year now, starting January 2014 with my New Year's Resolution, and my travels have significantly increased since I moved to Texas at the end of February this year. Last year, I planned my trips carefully, staying mostly around my hometown with a few long-distance travels where I took multiple days to enjoy my time. I had a hard time thinking outside of the parameters set by my travels as a child, where any drive longer than an hour or two usually constituted at least an overnight stay, if not more. Why would I change? My "commute" to my job, at the longest, was about 15 minutes, and everything I needed around town was close and easy to get to. If I wanted to go on a trip, how many days I was gone depended on how far away my destination was. Anything longer than four hours away was at least an overnight trip, and anywhere more than twelve hours away was certainly at least a week-long excursion.
I started to change my travel habits last year, starting in February with a five hour drive (one way) to northern Nebraska in a weekend trip. Then came March, and a 15-hour driving day just for the hell of it. My next true "quick trip" was in July for my first attempt to skydive, where I spent nearly 24 of 48 total hours in the car, driving to and from my destination(s). One day in September I randomly drove three hours north to go for a hike, got bored, and drove back home. October was my short and sweet (read:AWESOME) skydiving trip, where I was gone for 48 hours total but did so much. And, of course, December found me driving 12 hours to Texas to visit Jared on a Friday night, and returning 12 hours home on Monday morning.
And then I followed Jared and moved to Texas. Things down here are a lot more spread-out, and if you have to do something, you have to drive. Our job is a thirty minute commute from home, and that's daily. Then there's our second job, which is an hour's drive from home. I would have never considered getting a job in Omaha due to the hour long commute, but out here that same amount of time is nothing to me. Maybe that has something to do with getting to work with exotic animals or something, ya know, but still.
I started traveling more frequently, determined to return to my favorite haunts, even though they are now much farther away. My favorite places in Colorado are 12-14 hours from my house now, instead of 8-10 hours like they were back in Lincoln. And I don't even blink an eye about doing that kind of driving, plus the destination itself, in three or four days. My deserts around Moab, UT are now an 18 hour drive, one way, from where I live, but that didn't stop me from driving there in July, and it won't stop me from driving there again in the future.
I've developed a formula that I adhere to regarding how far away my destination is and how long I will be away from home. I realize that this is probably borderline crazy for the amounts of time I'm willing to spend in a car, but whatever. Judge all you like: for a one day trip, I will drive to a destination that is no farther than 4 hours away. For a two day trip, a destination has to be within 8 hours from home. For a three day trip, 12 hours one way is my limit. Of course, I realize there is drive time on the way home, so during a one day trip I'll spend up to 8 total hours in the car, 16 for a two day trip, and 24 for a three day trip. These are my outter limits, and I'm not crazy enough to actually want to spend that much time in the car; I love driving, but unless my trip is the drive itself, my destinations are usually much more rewarding. The formula continues, essentially adding eight hours of driving for every day I'm away.
Just like with any rule, there are exceptions. I would happily spend two days in a place that is less than 4 hours from home, and the limits outlined above are just that: limits. If a place is 5 hours away, I generally refuse to do that trip in one day. There would be absolutely no time to do anything once I arrive at my destination, except turn around and drive back home. I've done longer trips in shorter amounts of time, and those trips are responsible for helping me realize my travel-time formula; I'd rather not rush once I arrive at my destination. Plus I like to sleep, and I know myself well enough to admit that I'll skip sleeping if it means getting to do something I enjoy while on a time crunch.
So basically, in the future if anybody ever wants to go on an adventure with me, figure out how many days we have available, and follow my formula to pick a destination within our time limits. So...where are we off to next?
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