For those groups of friends who’ve been road-tripping it up for a good while already, the roles of each road-tripper tagging along sort of fall into place rather naturally, but life does tend to get so busy these days and what used to be that regular, spontaneous road trip could be something which comes around once in a while on the rare occasion when everybody’s schedules seem to coincide. You may even decide to take your road trip abroad and rent a camper van through someone like Rent.is so that you can catch up and do the thing you love together, while also exploring somewhere new and broadening your cultural horizons a little. In that case, the roles of each road-tripper perhaps need to be redefined and clarified, just in case there is some confusion, for whatever reason.
The Driver
If you’re going particularly far then the role of the driver will perhaps be alternated between the road-trippers. This role is pretty much self-explanatory in that you’re responsible for getting all of us to our destination, safely, but everybody would appreciate it if you demonstrated a few your advanced driving skills when required, like stepping on it to test the speed limit so that we don’t spend the whole bloody day out on the road.
Nobody wants you to kill anybody however, so everything must be exercised within the confines of the law and no unnecessary risks, please!
Riding Shotgun
Shotgun bro probably has the biggest responsibility in any road-tripping group of friends, a role you should assume and deliver with aplomb since, like the role of the driver, you pretty much choose to ride shotgun by placing yourself in the front passenger seat.
So the shotgun bro is the driver’s right-hand man – or left-hand man depending on which side of the road you drive in your country. This guy is the driver’s extra pair of eyes and should be on the lookout for any dangers the driver may be missing while they’re concentrating on the road.
If it was a couple of decades ago then shotgun bro would have the map in their hands and assume responsibility for the navigation, but now the map has been traded in for the navigation system and although the driver is perfectly capable of operating the navigation system while they’re driving (they’re designed that way), if you’re riding shotgun it’s your responsibility to lighten the driver’s burden and operate the navigation system. This means that route planning is up to you, whether your job at that very moment is to find the fastest route or perhaps to pick out the most scenic or fun route to add to the essence of going on a road trip.
You’re also responsible for ordering the food at the drive-in and distributing snacks at whatever intervals you think are necessary.
The Backseat Drivers
When it’s your turn to be a backseat driver, your job is to keep the conversation going and fuel the camaraderie, between taking in and enjoying the scenes of the road of course. What you must also do is ensure to get enough rest or sleep as possible whenever you can so that you can be fresh and ready when it’s your turn to assume the role of the driver or the shotgun bro again.
