im thinking about taking a road trip this summer by myself.

just dont drive tired!
it is quite a hike

Drop The Leash 10 wrote:

im only 16 and an excellent driver. ill turn 17 in august. its about 338 miles away but i honestly think i can handle it if i avoid NYC. my parents are still up in air about it but im sure theyll let me go. idk im kind of nervous about it but i have enough common sense i think. you're thoughts? suggestions?

I did the same thing when I was your age and it was fantastic. Great memories, but it was a different time (this was in 1971) so be careful and be prepared.

Sounds like a fun adventure.
I would take so many more road trips if I had a reliable car..

Just be sure you're prepared. Is your car reliable? Do you know how to change your own tire? Fix your windshield wipers? Jump your battery? Will your cell phone get service during your entire journey? Do you have AAA? Don't forget to bring the card with you. Don't ever try to drive when you're tired, distracted, or have been drinking. Do you have enough money or a credit card to deal with anything that goes wrong? Are you old enough to get a hotel room if you need it? Et cetera....

Have a great trip!

Edit to add: I think the issues with young people taking road trips alone have a lot to do with 1) their decision-making skills/judgement (e.g. are you going to have the good sense to pull over when you're tired) and, 2) their life experience (e.g. are you going to know how to handle it if a problem arises). Thankfully, you have some control over both of these areas.

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

i wouldnt let my 16 year old child take a 350 mile roadtrip by themselves........in a million years....

and any parent that would let their child take a 350 mile roadtrip by themselves.....needs to have their head examined.....

just my humble opinion.............

Yeah... I'll be curious to see whether they actually let him go.

Cateeto wrote:

If you have the free time/money, go for it! There are so many things you'll discover and learn from your journey... Besides, who else will be able to say they've dropped everything and done the same thing? It will be a great adventure for you.

bullshit....

the kid is 16..........

I BrisK I wrote:

Do what your name says, drop the leash and get out of my fucking face.

Just do it.

bullshit.....

the kid is 16............

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

scb wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

i wouldnt let my 16 year old child take a 350 mile roadtrip by themselves........in a million years....

and any parent that would let their child take a 350 mile roadtrip by themselves.....needs to have their head examined.....

just my humble opinion.............

Yeah... I'll be curious to see whether they actually let him go.

I tell ya....

i really dont care what kind or responses i get from my point of view............

but i cant believe how many people here think it is a GOOD IDEA for a 16 YEAR OLD CHILD to take a 350 mile roadtrip by themselves......

sometimes i feel like i live on another planet..........

16 year old children who have had a drivers license for less than a year should not be allowed to take a 350 mile roadtrip (700 roundtrip???) by themselves.....

and any parent with any common sense realizes this...........

Yeah... I'm inclined to agree with you - although I do think there are plenty of factors to consider. I think I'd be more likely to let him go if he were super-mature, had been driving - and working - for a couple of years, was taking a safe route, and was going to meet up with his dying grandmother or something.

But I'm twice his age and just this year decided it was safe for me to take a road trip by MYself. (Granted, that does have a lot to do with me being a woman.) There are just so many thinkgs that could go wrong...

It could be a great experience though... I guess you just never know. But I'll tell you what... if they do let him go, even I'm going to be worried sick until he gets home safely. :oops:

to OP: have you ever done really long drives before,for hours on end? like say, a couple hundred miles? If you havent done it, fatigue is going to be an issue, whether you like it or not. You really need to consider it in your shoes. Also, having people with you would halp as (1) theyll keep you awake while driving and (2) you can do shifts. Just something to consider.

When i look back on myself at that age, i didnt take enough risks. They are the thing that help you mature & harden you up. But i wouldnt have done something like that if i wasnt experienced enough.

is there no equivalent of inter-railing in USA? (in europe, most teens/college students backpack around the continent,but they do it on trains & buses. rarely do people drive it. maybe europe suits that kind of thing more (more cultural changes more often, smaller countries, etc).

either way, be sure you dont crash, get mugged, raped, tortured, or busted for speeding or something stupid. all this shit can happen.

Jennytree wrote:

Jordy, people don't go inter-railing when they're 16, they're usually at least 2 years older.

I find it hard to get my head around the fact that 16 year olds can even DRIVE in the States!

Speedy, chill a li'l :evil:

I realise theyre older, i meant to say that. Theyre older, usually in groups, and not worrying about drink/drive/the other pressures of having a car. Its just that its the European version of American "road trips". I was just curious if anyone there does anythnig like that, even if its a minority.

Americans finish school & all that earlier too though. Different culture. Parts of europe are like that too to be fair.