Road Trip Etiquette

This is one of those posts that I don't talk about fencing, but rather an aspect of traveling life in the US that most of us can relate to.

Road trips are meant to be a fun bonding experience for all of those involved. Even back when we had to make do with Game boys and Game Gears instead of texting and other detractors, we still talked to each other over the course of the long car ride. The awesome part of the long car ride is that it forces you to socially interact with people in an enclosed space over long periods of time. From this environment you learn more about the people in your car and probably about yourself too.

What kills me is people's insistence on using their dumb electronic gadgets to avoid all conversation with the other people in the car. Or better yet, they ignore your conversation until it gets interesting and then quip in until it gets boring again. Thank you for contributing nothing.

I have nothing against sleeping over distances. I understand that someone is tired after competing and all they want to do is sleep. I'll even let reading slide, but the gadget festival in my backseat has to stop.

TALK TO ME! I don't care if you have anything worthwhile to say! I am driving and it is in everyone's best interest to keep me awake! The conversations about the dumbest things are often the best conversations on a long road trip. Don't shield yourself behind Apple, Verizon, Sony, or Nintendo. I am unable to immerse myself in technological escapism. I am within 2 feet of you. I can reach you.

And to continue my rant, do you ever wonder how annoyed your friends must be at you constantly texting them for the next 5 hours? They must think you have no life, or assuming that you texted all of them that you are on the road, are in a car full of boring people. What you have basically communicated to your text friend is that everyone else in the car is awful. I'm not talking about sharing your tournament results or a brief funny story, I'm talking about the 4 hour conversation by text.

The reason your texting your friends about your boring car ride? You are the one making it boring. Yes, you. Not the two people talking to keep conversation and morale up, no, it's you. So the next time you text someone with "bored LOL," think about your responsibility as a road tripping human.