Tomorrow morning, my family and I are driving my brother to Michigan where he'll begin his freshman year of college. Although I enjoy road trips, 11 hours in a car that is packed full of towels, suitcases, and storage bins isn't what I consider an ideal traveling scenario.
Long trips require some preparation, mental and otherwise, so I've compiled a list of some tips for traveling on the road. As Steinbeck suggests, one can do all the planning in the world, and still have things go wrong. But I still think it's always best to venture out as prepared as possible.
1. Minimize the liquid intake.
This can occasionally be quite problematic, especially if you hit the road early and really need your Dunkin' Donuts fix. I drove to Louisiana a few years ago, as a part of a service trip, and the drive was about fifteen hours long. I consumed water only when I ate, which was quite difficult for someone who typically walks around with her Nalgene attached to her hand. Sure, I was a little dehydrated when we arrived (and the humidity sure didn't help), but it was significantly better than forcing thirty people into a rest stop just for me.
Plus, there are often stretches of road that don't have rest areas for miles, and so whether you need a bathroom, some caffeine, or something to eat, you are out of luck. Once, en route to San Francisco, I needed a rest area only to find the nearest one was closed; we ended up finding one soon after, but it's really not an enjoyable experience waiting for one to show up.
2. Bring along some nourishment.
I'm a big fan of eating, so I never really need an excuse for having food around. While rest areas offer us a wide array of places to eat, sometimes, they just don't offer what you want (I'd like a Wendy's at each one). Or perhaps you don't want to break up the flow of the drive by stopping. That's why it's always better to have some food on hand. I really enjoy granola bars and crackers of any kind (though Goldfish and Wheat Thins are among the best), and portable fruits are among my favorite types of snack. Just remember to bring along a trash bag for those apple cores and peach pits.
As an added bonus, snacks are wonderful to have in case you get tired while driving, since the motions of eating help the body to wake up. My Goldfish saved us during a particularly dreadful stretch of our drive up to Boston last month, when we all came a little too close to falling asleep.
3. Always have cash on hand.
My parents have been drilling this statement into my head since high school, but it hasn't always stuck. With the wonders of online banking, there's less of a necessity to go to bank, and so I've often found myself out with about five dollars in my wallet.
My friend and I drove to Philadelphia recently. We were detoured off our intended route of I-95 due to bridges being underwater from the wrath of Hurricane Bill, and thus we were forced to take Route 1. Unfortunately, Route 1 has a toll, but we were without an EZ-Pass, and had a combined total of eight dollars and some change. If the prices on the New Jersey Turnpike were any indication, there was a possibility that we would be unable to pay up. Lucky for us, the toll was only 75 cents, or with my luck, we could have spent the night being detained by the police, rather than with our friends.
Just stop by the drive-thru ATM on your way. Because the anxiety is really not worth it.
4. Try to know where you're headed.
These days, it's very easy for people to hop into a car and let the navigation system handle the rest. Unfortunately, a GPS doesn't always select the best route for drivers. They don't know which roads are best lit for driving at night, or which roads are undergoing heavy construction. No matter what you enter into the system, sometimes it just can't help. Take, for example, the aforementioned trip to Philly, when the detour left us lost in the middle of New Jersey, and the GPS was unable to bail us out. Lucky for us, there was a cop on hand to guide us in the right direction.
If possible, try to have a general idea of where you're headed, or better yet, have some printed directions (thank you, Google Maps) or some maps (AAA always comes through) on hand, just in case.
This tip is especially important for those of you who don't like to stop and ask for directions. Me? I'll pull into the nearest gas station and talk someone's ear off. It's not always easy to know exactly where you're going, especially when you're venturing into new territory, but a little foresight never really hurt anyone.
5. Bring along good tunes.
Good tunes is subjective term, so you'll likely have to confer with your traveling companions (if there are any) to see what music can be played. Or maybe you have the entire backseat to yourself, in which case, you're set if you've got iPod in tow. The iPod is especially important if your dad's idea of good driving "music" is a little less NPR and a little more ESPN. I've been known to watch SportsCenter a little more than the average female, but hours of bickering between father and son over the likes of Michael Vick and Joe Mauer has a tendency to get old.
In some cases, music can also be a bonding experience. I've had several road trips, most notably the one to Louisiana, where music played a big role in my getting to know the people by whom I was surrounded. And on some days, nothing makes a drive more enjoyable than singing along to some music, even if it makes your neighbors on the road look at you a little strangely.
As with every list I make, I hope I haven't forgotten anything on this one, though I imagine I'll find out tomorrow if that's the case. I'm off to make my second list of the day, the ever-important packing list. I'll return in a few days with tales from Michigan!
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