16 Apr 2021

Honestly, I think night drives are underrated and we should all do more of them. There is something about night drives that are so different to the day ones.

When you are blasting your favourite song on the radio, driving with no particular place to go and having those deep conversations with your friend, it is like the chaos of life comes to a standstill- you are in the moment.

There is, after all, something liberating about driving in the dark. The streets lie largely empty – little traffic, few buses, just the occasional pedestrian along the way. Lit only by the moon or the odd streetlight. Also, it is the one time the city doesn’t judge you.

You can totally be yourself, step out in PJ's looking your shabby best, you can be yourself without caring about the rest of the world. The world is surprisingly very accepting at night.

In high school, my friends would drive faster than is responsible (whoops) and played music louder than is necessary. We did all the things that teenagers are scorned for, we were reckless, loud and thoughtless. 

However, in that moment, I felt young and weightless. The world was ahead of me and I had so much left in my life to do, but for a moment I could forget all of it.

I think that night drives like those capture what it means to be young. It’s messy, scary, fast paced, invigorating, stupid, and passionate. If you think about it, this is the youngest you will ever be again. In time, you will long to be this young again – to know less and question more, to cry instead of holding a firm lip, to be as passionate, crazy, and adaptive as you are right now.

Late night drives make me acutely aware of all of these facts and that is something in itself. So pick up your car keys, get your comfiest PJ's on, grab your best mate and just drive.

Words by Alicia Amann

Year13 is running an online careers exhibition from May 17-19, and it’s gonna be a red hot viiiiibe. With 30+ speakers and over a hundred exhibitors, this expo is designed to help you find your passion and plan your future, whether you have zilch future plans, or wanna learn how to land your dream job.

Not to mention, there are some sweet prizes being given away left right and centre, (like 3 x $10,000 scholarships that you can put towards anything that helps pursue your passions). Madness!