Roadtrip roadrules

The proverbial “rites of spring” could not possibly measure up to what has come to be the mainstay of summer: the road trip, the quintessential component of college breaks. During the upcoming months, many of you will take part in the age-old ritual, meeting with adventures, crazy times and self-discovery a la Britney Spears in “Crossroads.”\nOK, I might have been kidding on that last one, but the point is that you can leave for a road trip with your friends as one person and come back completely changed. There is something about spending endless hours in a car better equipped to tote around a fleet of midgets rather than full-sized people that can make and unmake relationships, move mountains and truly change your life. Having recently completed a 13-hour drive to Florida with some of my nearest and dearest friends in the world on my trusty steed Sebastian (Yes – I named my car. You have a problem with that?), I present to you, dear readers, my top three rules for getting the most out of road trips:\n• Taco Bell is delicious and appropriate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. Sure, the trademark Chihuahua has disappeared from the airwaves, but he lives on in spirit in this magical establishment that exists in pretty much every town in the world, including small ones with sketchy names like Burnt Corn and Catfish Paradise. Where else can you get several pounds of burrito-y goodness for less than it would take you to buy a Coke from a campus vending machine? With prices like that, you know it’s the highest quality food possible.\n• On long drives, bring a few contemporary tunes, but for the most part stick with old favorites that everyone in the car is guaranteed to know. For example, if you throw in tracks from the Gin Blossoms and Boyz II Men, you will have the entire carload reminiscing about the dark ages, singing at the top of their lungs and embarrassing the hell out of themselves (which always makes for a good time). Also appreciated is bad ‘80s music,?the more kitschy and mullet-filled, the better. \n• Finally, take lots of pictures. Do you and your crew see a shrub on the side of the road shaped like George Bush’s head? Snap a photo of yourselves posing with it. Are you planning on stopping to see the world’s largest ball of yarn? Make sure you document it. Do you intend to have crazy nights that few of you or your friends will be able to remember? Then check to see that there is at least someone in the group who has a Polaroid on hand. Even better, keep a digital camera around so you can share your revelry with the entire Facebook community. \nRoad trips are the stuff memories are made of. When you get back to B-town, hopefully you will not only have survived the drive and have “found yourself” in the process, but you will have had one hell of a time.