This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

What do you get when you combine tasty snacks, hip tunes, a rollercoaster of emotions, and hours upon hours of driving? The perfect recipe for a road trip!

Stage 1: Nothin’ but hype

You’ve got a full tank of gas and you’re the epitome of hype! Your level of excitement matches that of a puppy.

Just like One Direction, nobody can drag you down.

Chances are you took the time to concoct the ultimate road trip playlist chock-full of feel good music like Top 40’s hits, Dirty Heads, and of course, Taylor Swift.

Stage 2: The calm before the storm

It has been a few hours, so you’ve probably taken a break (or 20, if you’re me) to pee.

Your energy has dwindled to a mere flicker every now and then. To match your mellow mood, you switch to a playlist consisting of John Mayer, George Ezra, James Bay, 21 Pilots, etc.

Time to ponder anything and everything about life!

Stage 3: We’ve gone delirious *Steve Aioki’s song Delirious plays in background*

At this point, you’re exhausted to the point of delirium. You’ve probably had a mental breakdown, or three, and for some reason everything seems funny.

Your snack of choice? McDonalds, Taco Bell, and all of the 5-hour ENERGY’s.

Goodbye mellow tunes, hello EDM.

Will this road trip ever end?

Stage 4: Home stretch

*A light at the end of the tunnel suddenly appears*

Nothing can keep you awake other than belting One Direction loud and proud. Suddenly you realize you could basically be Zayn’s replacement.

All feeling in your rear end has been lost for hours now, and your bladder is about to explode, but stopping to stretch and pee is no longer an option.

Stage 5: Mission accomplished

“You have reached your destination.” Hearing Siri say those five sweet words is like music to your ears.

Your gas tank might not be feeling so hot, but you just conquered a road trip!

And now…SLEEP.

Photo credit:

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