By Keisha McDuffie/reporter

This Saturday is the start of a 192-hour vacation: Eight days free of professors, exams and parking lot feuds. But the success of this vacation depends on the individual.

Clinton or Obama? To drop or not to drop? Heck, just deciding what to wear can stress even the most carefree scholar.

One sure cure is to leave these decision-making issues in the dust and hit the open road.

Shed the post-holiday stress, the winter blues and those few extra sweater-weather pounds and leave them on a Texas highway far from Tarrant County.

A spare-of-the-moment adventure is the most liberating, memorable photo-op ever. While adventure is second nature for some, the majority of people feel the uncontrollable need to plan. This is a mini survival guide for the worriers, and a checklist for those already in the car.

Have a credible source (it may be you, a mechanic or a parent), determine the following to prevent any unwanted and once avoidable incidents. (Remember, fewer complications mean more time to focus on the open terrain!)