18 years old Minneapolis to San Antonio, Realistic?

[Jennea]

Hi :-) My name is Jennea and I'm 18 years old and I was just wondering, for all those experienced with taking road trips, how realistic/safe is it for a group of 5 teenagers ages 17-18, to drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota to San Antonio, Texas for our spring break? We'd be staying with close friends/family in San Antonio and one of the persons who's planning to go has made this trip before; we wern't planning on making many stops and 4 of us have our licenses so we were going to take shifts driving. This would be my first 'big road trip' so I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions or if you'd advise us not to go for saftey reasons. Thanks a lot!

[RoadTripper Brad]

Hi :-) My name is Jennea and I'm 18 years old and I was just wondering, for all those experienced with taking road trips, how realistic/safe is it for a group of 5 teenagers ages 17-18, to drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota to San Antonio, Texas for our spring break?

Welcome to the Forum Jennea!

You should have no problem traveling cross-country at the age of 18. In almost all of the states, 18 is considered Emancipated. However, with that said, the problem you may encounter is with your minor passengers. Before you leave, be sure to have the parents of anyone under 18 sign (and getting notorized wouldn't hurt either) 2 letters: 1 stating that they have permission to leave the state with you, and another designating someone as an pro-tem guardian. When I took a trip from Central Washington to Idaho for a SCA event, my parents signed guardianship to the group leader for the duration of the event, so if I was injured they were legally able to authorize medical services. The same was true when I was your age 2 years ago and traveled from Washington to Phoenix with my 15 year old brother, I was signed as being the guardian.

As far as safety, common sense should do you just fine. Travel with the doors locked, don't offer to give someone a lift, etc. Another thing to do is to check your vehicles emergency equipment, such as tire jack and lugwrench, know where they are, and, practice removing and putting back on a tire. Also keep a quart of oil and some other vital fluids with you. I would also recommend either making sure your insurance has towing coverage or joining AAA and getting the Plus coverage, just in case something goes wrong. I work for AAA roadside and after finding out the costs of commercial services, I just won't leave home without either a membership or towing coverage on my insurance.

Also you should definately get your car checked and fluids & filters changed prior to leaving.

So, don't fear the trip and have fun!

-Brad

[killer]

Make sure the car insurance really covers all of you driving, the insurance companies can be pretty strict about 18 year old drivers, they may have to be named on the policy.

As for practicing changing a tire, I think I'd make do with changing a wheel 8-)

[PNW Judy]

Hey Jennea,
With good judgment, there is no reason why this trip can't be safe for 17-18 year olds to make. However, as a mom I have to say this, that all depends on YOU and YOUR judgment. You and your friends need to make sure you understand how to maintain your personal safety. Young people tend to think they're invincible. Well, you're not.......so learn to keep your personal safety radar fine-tuned and on at all times. This does not mean that you need to be paranoid all the time. It does mean that you should follow your intuition even if doing so seems embarressing. In other words, if the hair on the back of your neck stands up, heed that warning. Also, keep an eye on your friends and ask them to do the same for you. This doesn't mean baby-sitting each other, just "have each other's back", so to speak.

Basically, use the same good judgment that you use in your hometown. Just kick it up a couple of notches to account for unfamiliar people and surroundings.

Have a great spring break!

[Marlin]

You ought not have any trouble. I'm 18 and haven't done anything quite that far, but can tell you with certainty that so long as your parents sign off on it, you're "ok".

Hey, if you need any help with the San Antonio/Austin area or if you hike over to Houston, let me know. I'm a native Texan and know a lot that might be of use to you.

Good luck on your trip!