Whenever I get the chance to take a cross-country trip and visit my family, I jump on it.
Now, the appeal is less about seeing my folks than getting out of the house, to be clear.
I love my family, but not as much as I love seeing new sights and exploring my country. But, you know, traveling super far distances by land comes with concerns. This is mostly true because in our country, the outdoor climate will change rapidly as you are moving from region to region. I know, I will always assume that the car can offset the uncomfortable outdoor air temperatures and air conditions via the onboard modern heating, cooling, and air quality control system at my disposal. But, as I have certainly found out, this heating, cooling, and ventilation assumption is not always reliable. A few years ago I went on a road trip and I was extremely upset to find that there was literally no ventilation, heat or AC in the rental vehicle I was riding in. The concern started when I first tried to alter the indoor air temperature by turning on the cooling system in the car. Immediately, I was surprised when lukewarm air started blasting through the vents, followed by burning hot air. I really tried to fiddle with the on-board temperature control unit, but the thermostat did not even cause the air quality to respond. There were uneven hot and cold temperatures fluctuating back and forth for the next 10 hours, blasting me in the face at full power no matter what I did to the thermostat dials. I was either shivering in my seat or sweating through my shirt, no matter how I adjusted the central heating, cooling, and ventilation system until I got to Mom’s house.