**Note from the blogger: the following post is the first of a 3-part series based on a recent experience.

Dating can be like watching a baseball game that goes into the 16th inning. You’re trying hard to enjoy the game, wearing your ball cap and eating $10 hot dogs, but the charm of America’s favorite past time—summertime, hot dogs, 7th inning stretch—has worn off. It’s not until 3 am that you realize you’re wasting your time watching a game that won’t really mean anything in the overall standings of your life.

If only you could cram all that “dating” into one inning. You can. It’s called a road trip.

A road trip is a great way to get to know someone in the shortest amount of time. It’s like throwing a date into a pressure cooker—turn it on high and you’ll quickly melt away all the propriety and superficial behavior to reveal true character traits and idiosyncrasies—all at rapid speed.

So why waste 3 months nibbling at the relationship when you can know whether he’s a winner in a week?

And yes, it has to be at least a week. None of this 3-day weekend crap to your family reunion at the lake 2 and half hours away. I’m talking about covering some serious mileage together.

You must plan a road trip similar to the following: 10+ days together, in a compact car (preferably from 1990 or before), sleeping in tent. Only the two of you are on the trip, so only the two of you are the source of conversation. Showers are limited. So should be your cell phone reception. He is there when you wake up in the morning. He is there when you fall asleep. He is…(temporarily)…your life. 

I have just returned from exactly that…with a guy I just met…