When was the last time you set out on a journey, with no destination in mind? Ready to leave your comfort zone behind, not knowing what you were going to see, what you were going to do or who you might meet along the way?
Sometimes we travel just for an afternoon and sometimes we travel for weeks or months; the tangible pangs of adventure can be captured just the same. Once you’re loaded up, that moment of quiet where you take a breath, look across to the passenger seat and share a quiet smile, turn the key and the journey begins.
Passenger was born from the need to escape and find those spaces to unwind. With autumn we find perspective comes easily, we slip away, reflect and slow it down for a while.
"There’s something about a spontaneous road trip that takes us to places beyond the everyday, routine goes out the window as we find escapism in the open road ahead."
We move where we’re motivated, pause when we’re interested, eat when we’re hungry and rest when we’re tired. No clocks or schedules chase us when we’re in this place.
It doesn’t matter if you’re chasing the swell, climbing to altitude or running from the rain. There’s a freedom to be treasured in being flexible, unaccountable. Maybe you’re travelling alone, disconnecting from daily routine and spending some time inside your own head. Or maybe there’s two or three or four of you, separate from the rest of the world, forming bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.
"No clocks or schedules chase us when we’re in this place..."
Some of the best conversations happen when we’re seated side by side, facing the road or parked up and staring at the sea. It’s the intimacy of the enclosed space, both pairs of eyes facing forward, sharing the same view. We don’t need to look each other in the eye, and sometimes this is the easiest way to share our dreams and fears in a way that we never could in everyday routines.
So make time to wander, to disconnect. Cook on the campfire, fall asleep somewhere wild under a pile of blankets. Wake up feeling a little too cold, but maybe also a little bit more alive.
Maybe this is the dream, a ‘one day’ idea to travel and roam for weeks on end. Maybe right now you feel like life is getting in the way; it’s too busy, too tying.
Go for the day – for the evening. Life is short, so pack the essentials, the blankets and the beanies, and lie out under the sky for a time. Look at the stars or make shapes out of the clouds. Tell stories. Leave your phone in the bag. Switch off.
Plan it now; don’t wait for one day. The road trip is a state of mind, so create it wherever you go.
