If you heeded my advice from the last Bonnaroo 2018 blog post, you’ve prepared for an extra day of travel and general detox before trying to reenter the civilian world. Depending on how you got to Manchester, TN, you are either looking forward to a short, albeit cramped, airplane ride or you’re gearing up for a road trip back home. In our case, we had breakfast plans at our favorite local restaurant and lodge, a friend to drop off at the Chattanooga airport, and then approximately 1,500 miles to cover on our drive back to Massachusetts.
After meeting up with friends just outside of the festival and saying our goodbyes, we made our way Northeast towards Virginia. My girlfriend and I decided to stop later on in the night to sleep and recharge instead of driving through the night. We found a cozy rest stop, crawled into the back of our van and made room for ourselves among our luggage and festival supplies.
Driving is rarely an issue for me, especially on long road trips. I grew up traveling from across New England every few months and have found highway driving very therapeutic ever since I got my license. The thing is, you never really remember just how long Virgnina and West Virginia are until you have to drive through them up route 81 for what feels like an eternity. Chalk this up to a whiny Yankee who is used to being able to drive to 5+ different states in less than 5 hours, but the wanderlust wears off after the 8th hour spent driving through the same cow-littered, green landscape.
The only real thing of note about our trip back was what happened after a brief pit stop in Connecticut. Just moments after taking the wheel and reentering route 95, my girlfriend was able to narrowly avoid being mixed up in a car accident just two cars ahead of us. An SUV in the high-speed lane looked like it had been bumped from behind, causing it to spin out of control across the highway and smashing into an unsuspecting car in the right lane. Thankfully, we were also accompanied by an undercover police officer who, in record time, managed to establish a parameter, call for backup and attend to the scene.
What’s the moral of this whole story?
Stay safe, don’t do anything stupid, and get your butt home before the post-Bonnaroo blues sets in. There’s nothing worse than spending the best week of the year at Bonnaroo and then having something dumb happen to put a damper on your festivities.
The few days after Bonnaroo can be a tough time for all of us. Here are a few ways to avoid the worst of the post-Bonnaroo blues, recover from your festival debouchery, and prepare for next year:
- Keep the Music Going: Leaving the farm doesn’t mean that you have to leave the spirit of Bonnaroo behind! Embrace new ideas, share your favorite tunes, and always keep the music flowing. I recommend listening to the last few years of Bonnaroo playlists on Spotify during your drive home.
- Keep in Touch: Whether it’s sharing your excitment for next year’s line-up on social media or discussing your road trip plans in a group chat, it’s always a good idea to stay connected with your Bonna-buds in between visits to the farm. There’s nothing like sharing the Bonnaroo vibe with kindred spirits that can help transport you right back to Manchester in the blink of an eye.
- Shower & Relax: You’ve survived another year of Bonnaroo. You deserve a break from all of the vacation you just had. First, I’d suggest a shower, then followed quickly by a nap. Jaccuzi? You do you. A trip to the beach? Have a blast. Enjoy yourself and reenergize, because you’ve got work tomorrow morning and it’s going to SUCK.
Next week, I’ll be discussing some of my preparation plans for our trip to Manchester, TN this June. We’ll be outfitting the van with a bed, packing the bare essentials, and planning our mid-road trip stops. There’s a lot to discuss and only a few weeks left to discuss it! Stay tuned here, on my Instagram, and on Twitter for more updates, blog posts, and musings.
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