After mentioning our recent near cross-country road trip last week, you might be wondering how we kept ourselves entertained during more than forty hours behind the wheel. We documented much of the trip with our trusty Flip video camera, and this past weekend we finally sat down to edit the footage into a short, fun musical montage—a road-trip-on-steroids highlight reel, if you will.
If you’re curious to come along for the ride, here’s a preview of what the video includes:
- Some questionable drive-thru choices that made for great, if unhealthy, pit stops
- A little behind-the-wheel dancing that proves long drives don’t have to be boring
- A grade-A display of nerdiness in the form of a geography-based driving game that kept us entertained for hours
- A silly scene of Sherry sharing a bed with another woman (all in good fun, of course)
- Our obligatory shots of Burger, who made the journey too
- No footage of Sherry driving—because she didn’t; that part of the trip belongs to the passenger seat
- Fast-food–inspired decorating experiments that may or may not be recommended for your home
- Sherry with her hair down, for those who’ve asked why she sometimes keeps it up
- A stop at what we called a cultural attraction: the Pottery Barn Outlet
- A sneak peek at upcoming segments featuring time with the Bowers and highlights from my cousin’s wedding, which we’ll share more about soon
Editing the footage into a coherent road trip video gave us a chance to relive the small, memorable moments: the funny conversations, the unexpected discoveries, and the tiny rituals that make long drives feel like an adventure instead of just transit. We culled through hours of clips to select the scenes that captured the mood—playful, slightly chaotic, and full of those candid interactions that only surface on long car journeys.
The montage format let us combine music, short bursts of video, and quick cuts to keep the pacing lively. That helped turn what could have been a monotonous sequence of driving shots into an energetic, shareable piece that reflects the spirit of the trip. We focused on variety: food stops, roadside antics, people watching, and genuine expressions that happened when we weren’t trying to perform for the camera.
We also learned a bit about pacing and storytelling while editing a road trip video. It’s surprisingly satisfying to watch a collection of small moments knit together into a story arc: the anticipation at the outset, the mid-trip silliness, and the warm, reflective moments toward the end. Even the minor details—the way the light changed while we were driving, the quick cut to someone laughing over a bad pun, the shot of a silly souvenir—helped shape the overall narrative.
So, without further ado, please enjoy the virtual road trip below and experience the highlights and goofiness that made this trip memorable for us.
While we’re sharing, we’d love to hear about your summer travels. Do you have a favorite road trip story? Any photos or videos posted somewhere that you’d be willing to describe? If you’ve ever edited a short travel film or assembled a montage with iMovie or another app, tell us about your process and favorite tips. Long drives, in our opinion, deserve celebration—share your adventures and keep the road trip spirit alive!