After traveling more than 30,000 miles in a van, and doing it in 17 different countries, they’ve found some solid reasons why sex on the road is the best!
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In the past five years, my husband and I have traveled 30,000 miles together in a Mercedes Sprinter van through 17 countries, from the United States to the tip of South America. So to say we’ve had a lot of sex in a ton of different places is a bit obvious.
So to say we’ve had a lot of sex in a ton of different places is a bit obvious.
We’ve done it ancient ruins up against petro glyphs in a tiny village in the Andes of Peru, in a five-star hotel made out of salt in the Salar de Uyuni, and in the back of the van while caught in a roadblock during a scary tire-burning, rock throwing, miners’ protest in Bolivia. According to the tagline on our blog, we travel to “reclaim the pursuit of happiness,” but a certain sex-obsessed Austrian psychotherapist might have said it’s the road love that keeps our odometer ticking.
Why? Because road sex rules. Anyone who’s ever pulled into a rest stop to get some (rest) in the backseat knows what I’m talking about.
Of course the idea of a sexcation is not new. Couples have long noted the spike in libido when they’re not romping in their own bed. In fact, one-third of all leisure travelers say they have more sex while on vacation. Which isn’t surprising. Until 10,000 years ago, we were a nomadic society of hunters and gatherers, happily doing the deed in new digs every few months, as we chased food sources with the change of the seasons.
So why is road sex so much better?
1) “Variety is the spice of life,” as goes the American proverb.
Freedom of choice and strength in diversity are two concepts integral to American culture. These ideas are celebrated in our gene pool as much as they are in our supermarket aisles. Let’s face it: from our sexual mates to our breakfast cereal, we like options. The problem is that we also value and thrive with monogamous pair bonding. So how do we satisfy these conflicting desires?
Taking a road trip with your lover is an adventure that will speak to your loins, if not your soul.
The good news is that we don’t need to go outside the relationship to find the thrill that variety brings. Instead, pack light and take your lover on the road. Cheap motels, fiver star hotels, rest stops, secluded beaches, and (e) for all of the erotic await you.
2) Road sex taps into our primal need for adventure.
Hardwired deep into our genetic code is the need for excitement. In pre-Neolithic times, it would not be unusual to find yourself being chased by a herd of wildebeests or lancing a spear through an elk. But in modern times, we live comparatively boring and regimented lives, driving to the same office every morning, sleeping in the same bed at night. Rarely experiencing the blood-pumping thrill of something dangerous and new, it’s no wonder we grow complacent, inured by routine, even in the bedroom.
Taking a road trip with your lover is an adventure that will speak to your loins, if not your soul. There’s something titillating about sitting side-by-side, driving towards the horizon, knowing that anything can happen out on the open road.
3) Breaking routine allows you to break routine, if you know what I mean.
If there’s a certain position you’ve always wanted to try or something a little extra kinky you want to do or to be done, bring it up on the road and you may be surprised what happens when you pull over.
4) Spontaneity. Need I say more?
Without a fixed schedule and nothing but the open road before you, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want = Hotness.
5) Intimacy is high on the road.
Even though the novelty of new places is arousing, the real turn-on is the heightened intimacy between you and your lover.
So, one way to keep the passion up in your relationship is to engage in novel, exciting activities with your long-term partner, e.g. road trip.
When you’re on a road trip together, you share a common goal and need to work together to make it happen. While one person is driving, the other is reading the map, adjusting the temperature, or finding a playlist on the iPod. With hours of driving ahead of you, conversation flows deeper than it does when exchanging updates with a toothbrush in your mouth after a long day of work. According to modern psychology, self-expansion theory suggests that we are more fulfilled in our relationships when our partners provide us with opportunities for growth.
That’s why the beginning of a relationship is always so hot and heavy; there’s so much to learn about a new lover, so opportunities for self-expansion are high. Conversely, self-expansion slows and passion fades as we get to know our partner. So, one way to keep the passion up in your relationship is to engage in novel, exciting activities with your long-term partner, e.g. road trip. In fact, in a recent study, researchers found that on days when couples experienced an increase in intimacy from the previous day, they report higher levels of passion and were more likely to have sex.
In short, taking a road trip with your lover creates the opportunity to reify your bond by sharing a new and exciting experience, and that’s the best foreplay ever.
So what are you waiting for? Fill up the tank and hit the road.
Stevie Trujillo is the creator and co-writer for Sprinterlife, a blog that focuses on her family of three's overland travels around the world. She writes about love, sex, parenting, human sacrifice, ancient ruins, tacos, toddlers, finding happiness, spiritual well-being, sustainability, stray dogs, breastfeeding, revolution, and everything else that happens on the road.
