Road Trip," yelled my friend. Everyone turned to stare at him. We were newly-arrived desis in what was then known as the land of milk and honey. We had come here to earn our Masters degrees and pretend we were 'serious' and 'motivated graduate students.' But each boring holiday that popped up -- say Thanksgiving or Spring Break or even Just-Another-Weekend -- would see us making ambitious travel plans.

Going to New York, Miami or LA would be the most discussed and seemingly 'happening' option; it was also the first one to be discarded (reasons: monetary, monetary and monetary). But the US offers yet another option for all those travel-hungry and vacation-starved souls who desperately need to a break from the cities/towns they live in. It's called a road trip.

I was first introduced to the concept when some friends, who had already been here for a year, took off one weekend for a road trip to the other end of Texas and topped it off with an outdoor camping and hiking spree. Now that sure was sasta, sundar aur tikaoo and sounded like great fun too.

The whole idea seemed even more appealing, considering the US has such beautiful roads and a lovely countryside. The clincher lay in the fact most desi graduate students (at least the new ones) are perpetually broke and a road trip sounded like it would be an economical holiday that would provide hugely enjoyable to boot!

So when my friend yelled "road trip" last fall, I was the first to agree. Of course, assignments and project deadlines put paid to that particular adventure. Instead, I had to content myself with parties and movie-watching sprees at home, after which I sighed over my friends' breathtaking pictures of the Grand Canyon.

Winter came and brought with it half a salary and a nearly-zero bank account. So when some other friends went off to Hot Springs, Arkansas, on a road-cum-camping trip, I had no choice but to ruefully shake my head and wave them goodbye. I, of course, was stuck in this small city called College Station in Texas, bettering my culinary skills and catching up on the Govinda films I used to turn my nose up at while in India!

By then, most of my friends had been on road trips and most of my vacations and opportunities were slipping by mercilessly. So, when school broke for the summer, I decided enough was enough.

A lot of research was devoted to Little Rock in Arkansas, New Orleans, Colorado Bend and other places and it proved really useful. Map.com and Mapquest.com became frequently visited websites.

All my friends were willing and had both the time and the inclination to join me on my very first road trip. The group even included a pal who combined his passion for driving with his passion for safety. Best of all, he agreed to be our chief driver. A long weekend, thanks to Memorial Day, was approaching and Friday was finally fixed upon as the grand day on we'd embark upon our road trip.

The countdown began...

Monday: Meeting to discuss the fact that we'd "definitely" go on a "road trip." We confirmed and reconfirmed that Friday was to be THE day.

Tuesday: Places and possibilities were researched.

Wednesday: One of my friends suddenly couldn't get a break from office even on Memorial Day and another (the passionate chief driver) had been doing the vanishing act ever since we'd last met to discuss the trip. To add salt to our wounds, he was dutifully leaving his cell phone behind at home.

Thursday: The cars were booked, even though the number of us possibly going was still unconfirmed.

Friday: We watched the movie Road Trip at home... it's hilarious!

Saturday: We did take a road trip... to Austin!! It's a two-hour drive from here!!!

Ne'er-say-die Suba Vasudevan is firmly addicted to the steering wheel

Illustration: Lynette Menezes

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