The World’s Messiest Cars

by Justin Glow on

You know that feeling you get after a long road trip? You pull into the driveway, finally home, and look around your car to see that every consumable product you’ve touched over the course of the trip is strewn about your car — empty soda cans, bags of half-eaten chips, fast food sacks filled with trash. The owners of the cars in this photo collection have been on a perpetual road trip, where they never really make it home to clean out the car. Take the guy above for instance — look what he found after cleaning out his SAAB!

This isn’t that messy, but I love me some White Castle!

I’m not even sure what I’m looking at here — I’m just so glad it’s behind glass.


This guy is AWESOME! Check out his backseat below:


Yes, please handle with care.


Bottles of rum, vodka, wine, some flip-flops….and a bikini. Why wasn’t I invited?


The toilet paper is there for emergencies, man. Emergencies! Oh and hey — is that OJ’s glove?


Is this thing even driveable?


Volvos are the best!


Care for some Snapple? No? I’ve got some Dr. Pepper too.


This car is so dirty, the trash juice is seeping through the metal.


Mmm…donuts.


Five minutes, give me five minutes and this car would be on fire.


Big Gulp, eh? Well, see ya later!


Aside from having a large pile of rubbish on top of it, this car is actually pretty cool. I mean, check out the vanity plate on that bad boy. Awesome!.

Sudden Journeys

by Willy Volk on

Impromptu trips. Spur-of-the-moment vacations. Whatever you want to call them, the spontaneous “We’re going right now!” adventures are almost always the most memorable, most enjoyable, and most freeing.

National Geographic’s excellent Traveler magazine recently collected a number of last-minute “let’s go!”‘s from notable travel writers, including Pico Iyer — who enjoyed a short jaunt to Bhutan — and Ann Hood — who whirlwinded through a 24-hour round-trip from New York to India to fulfill her lifelong yearning to see the Taj Mahal. Some trip-takers met new friends, while others conquered new challenges.

For these snappy trips to satisfy the soul and clear out the ruts in our daily lives, they don’t have to be monster treks to far flung places, however. They can be simple road trips to Miami. They can be Wyoming-based campfire-inspired experiences. The point of these journeys isn’t distance traveled. The point is learning something about yourself: call it understanding gained; perspective bent; notions shattered. Have a sudden journey this month — and see who you become.

Rock Music Makes You a Bad Driver

by Jonathon Morgan on

One thing I love to do when I’m heading down open highway on some cross-country trip, is crank up the classic rock. You know, the really good stuff — like Bruce Springsteen or Guns N Roses.

Apparently I’m not alone. As promotion for for the release of racing videogame called “Burnout Dominator,” Electronic Arts and AOL have asked voters to choose their favorite driving music, and out of 1,700 votes, classic rock is by far the most popular choice.

But, while it’s great to get revved up by kick-ass tunes when you’re pretending to drive, on real highways, aggressive driving isn’t exactly rewarded.

For the life of me, I can’t find the poll results online, but according to this Reuters article, artists you should be especially wary of while racing down the Interstate are: Meat Loaf, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N roses, and Motorhead, along with more contemporary groups like The Killers, Feeder, and the Prodigy.

Next time you get a ticket for driving like a rockstar, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

21 (+3) Tips For Getting Kids Excited About Travel

by Willy Volk on

Last week, we offered several keeping-kids-on-road-trips-happy ideas, including printable car activities and a car trip check list. Having no kids myself, I thought these tips would be plenty.

Unfortunately, blogger Wendy Perrin called us out on it, claiming that our tips “just don’t work” for her kids. Consequently, we thought we’d try to scrounge up a few other ideas for parents looking to distract their children. Not only did we find a few more tips — we found 21 more.

The folks at We Just Got Back have a round-up of 21 websites designed to get kids excited about travel. From showing them a webcam-preview of your destination (think: bear cam, or panoramic views of Seattle from atop the Space Needle!), to nipping in the bud the inevitable “How does this work?” questions, like How are interstate highways are numbered?, they’ve got a slew of ideas for parents who want their children to fall in love with travel.

Granted, these are all pre-departure activities. For on the road, Wendy suggests revving up the old “engine guessing game.” She’s also an advocate of Crayola Color Wonder paper and pens and Crayola’s flip-top markers to keep little ones entertained.

When I was young, the “Trip Fairy” used to bring me one small toy “if I was good,” each night I spent on the road. I remember being extra-good in order to get that gift. It all worked out so beautifully, until Mom had to push the envelope, and call me as the “Trip Fairy.” Of course, I recognized her voice immediately. Man, my world really came tumbling down when that happened last week.

[Thanks, Christine! Photo: -kirra-]

Car Trip Check List: Handy and Smart

by Jamie Rhein on

Spring break is on its way. This make me think of taking a road trip. Why stay home when there is a new place to go or a relative to visit? As someone who goes dashing about the house to round up items the night before I head out and overpacks each time, I came across this handy check- list for car travel on Family Fun magazine’s website. Instead of wondering what else I need to pack, using this list might help me focus my efforts. The item on the list I absolutely love is wet wipes. I am a huge fan. With wet wipes and a roll of paper towels I can handle about anything.

I noticed that this list is missing a TV, a VCR, a DVD player or a Gameboy. I have to agree. My family isn’t big on gadgets. (Well, my now teenage daughter is and can’t believe her parents are so lame.) Even when we traveled from Ohio to California then onto New York and back to Ohio, the radio, cassette player and portable CD player were our only outlets for high tech entertainment. All those miles with a toddler and an 11 year-old. Yes, possibly we are freaks. When traveling with a toddler or a young child, I can’t recommend sticker books enough.

The car in the photo is not mine, by the way. It’s a Flickr post taken by pinprick. I am impressed, however, with how everything is packed in with enough space that the driver can still see out the window–sort of. I’ve been there.