Dos and Don'ts for a Road Trip
I can just smell the chlorine of the pool that is waiting for me in Florida right about....now. In a little less than a week (six days), I will be going on my Florida vacation (not that you don't know...y'know, I've only mentioned it in nearly every post), and I am super excited! But before you start thinking 'what the heck does this have to do with a road trip', let me inform you that my family and I are not taking a plane. We are (like complete money-saving crazos) taking a 17-18 hour drive from Michigan to Florida. Marvel at how amazing we are for not killing each other within that time-span. Actually, this will be our third road trip to Florida from Michigan (we took planes the other times). Other road trips that we endured with one another is to Georgia, Tennessee, and Ohio (not really a road trip, but a few hours commute). But my-oh-my, I once took a road trip with about sixteen other teens (yes, teens) to Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Can we say that I am a pro with getting along with people in cramped conditions? Yeah, I think so.
So, the subject of this post is simply: Dos + Don'ts for a Road Trip. This subject is near and dear to my heart as I have learned quite a few things throughout my road tripping life (or fifteen years - or 10, if you'd like to only count the years since I've been taking road trips). Let me shoot you a little disclaimer before carrying on, though. I am not an expert on this subject. I do not claim to be an expert. These are just some of the things that I have learned did (-not) work for me during my travels.
(A photo that has no purpose. :)
Dos.
1. Wear comfortable clothes. I figured that I might as well put this as number one because it is such an important step that cannot be missed. It is kind of self-explanatory if you think about it, but of course, there will be that girl who wears super tight jeans that has a button/zipper pressing into her stomach, therefore she cannot have a decent (nor comfortable) sleep or trip in general. Wear something like sweatpants, loose jeans/shorts, or a dress (yes! a maxi dress is so comfortable for traveling). I usually wear some sweatpants, a tank top, and a hoodie with my feet shoved in boots (in winter) or sandals (summer).
2. Load your iPod up with tons of music. Music is my best friend (like I so obviously mention on this blog tons a day), so this is a must for me. Jamming out to good tunes (I could never get away with saying jamming in real life...#awkwardbloggerconfession [yes, I just hashtagged on my blog].) and catching some z's (or watching the scenery) is always a fun thing for me to do during a road trip. Or, if your family is not like mines and actually likes the music you listen to, hook it up to your radio and have a grand time singing with each other and just acting like complete (-ly amazing) weirdos.
3. Take/buy tons of snacks. If you are like me, you tend to eat even when you are not hungry. Food? Yes, gimmie! But I do not always enjoy eating McDonald's on the road (horrible road trip experience with that - maybe I'll tell about that in a separate post?), so I pack a lot of snacks - M&Ms, Arizonas, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch, those colorful, sugary candies (I forget the name!), chips, Strawberry Mountain Dew, chocolate covered raisins, and Nutella (yes, I am that gal). The point is, take tons of snacks so that you can distract yourself, and...well, gain a few unnecessary pounds (whatever, it's the start of your vacation; we all deserve to do what we want to do on vacay!).
4. Take an extra pair of clothes that you can easily reach in case of an emergency. This is something that I think everybody should do. Hopefully you will not need to use them, but that one time that you do not have them, that is going to be the time you need them. Anything can happen - spilled drinks, gal accidents, just anything. Don't take the risk. Just do it. [No, this is not Nike sponsored.]
5. Take a camera/phone/iPod. You will want to capture a few shots (at least I do!) throughout the trip. Whether it be your bud/sister/brother sleeping with their mouth open next to you (for blackmail, course), or to get the lovely scenery passing by, some type of camera has proven to be a great addition. I love love love snapping random shots as well as random selfies to [not] upload on this blog.
6. Take a pillow and blanket. "It's summer and it's too hot, my butt!" Nothing is better than snuggling up to something as you stretch (or curl up) out to catch some sleep during your trip. Nobody wants a neck cramp or to be freezing when somebody winds the window down all of the way. Blanket + Pillow = Comfort = Best. Sleep. EVER. (Sleeping in the car is one of the best sleeps for me. They're just perfect.)
7. Take medicine with you. I tend to get headaches pretty easily, so I always have a bottle of Tylenol on hand. This is, in my case, a lifesaver. I do not know what your body is like, so I cannot advise you what to take, but have something. Bring sick medicine with you, pain relievers, headache relievers. Don't let the little things bring down your trip - always have something. You'll be grateful.
8. Bring socks. This one is kind of optional. Nevertheless, if you tend to take your shoes off during a road trip (refer to number 8 in the Don'ts), then you may want to do this. You see, I don't really care whether or not I have on socks - I will take off my shoes. But some people may feel otherwise, so just have a pair of socks on hand.
Don'ts.
1. Eat a full meal before hopping on the road. Eat light when you're on the road for a long period of time. It's just not cool (for me, at least).
2. Bring your whole life into the car. Please don't! It is so annoying when the car is full with crap that does not even need to be there! Like, what is the stuffed animal for? WHY do you have a freaking fold-up chair right there? Y'know, bring a pillow, blanket, yourself, and a purse (camera bag? small bag?) in with you. That's it. Don't clutter up the space or else it will be highly uncomfortable, and hey. Who wants that? Not this gal!
3. Forget your earphones. Worst thing ever. I don't know why this isn't number one. But...maybe this is just me? I usually have to tune the world out after a few hours, then retune, then tune out again...y'know - it's a process. Regardless, this is the absolute worst thing that can happen to me.
4. Be boring. Nothing is worst (besides #3) than a boring person. On a long. $#!. road trip. NOTHING. The fun meter will be brought down to 0, and it will just be horrible. I cannot stand boring people for ten minutes, nevertheless twenty hours. If you're boring, just go on a road trip with another boring person, go alone, or don't go at all. 'Nuff said. (Not really - just laugh, do weird stuff, sing.)
5. Wear uncomfortable clothes. You will not enjoy the trip if you are constantly pulling the hem of your jeans away from your stomach because it's bothering you. Just be comfy. You can be cute and comfy. Just don't vote for only the former - it sucks.
6. Forget gas money. Okay, I don't drive, and this should be self-explanatory, but let me explain. A road trip involves a car/truck...on the road. And what happens when your gas tank is on E? Yeah, that bad boy vehicle STOPS. And you get no where. So, BOOM! Fill up and take money with you.
7. Drink so much liquid that you have to pee every thirty minutes. I cannot even explain how annoying that one person is who does this (if that's you, then dude, just...just stop). It's good to stay hydrated, but if you constantly have to pee, you will never get to your vacation.
8. Wear hard to put on shoes. Most people like to take their shoes off when they're on a road trip (at least I do), so this makes sense. If you're one of the people who does take their shoes on/off, then be sensible with your footwear and make sure that it will not take you a whole fifteen minutes to just put your foot in and get the zipper halfway up. Flip-flops/no zipper/laces boots will work wonders.
9. If you are trailing someone, do not drive ten miles slower. This part really annoys me. It is a prime (and 1 out of 2) reason(s) that I despise traveling with my extended family. When my parents, sister, and I get on the road, we are ready to get where we are going. We'll stop, grab some food, and go. Not stop, grab some food, park for half and hour and eat, then go. Nope. We don't even put the darn car in park. We also don't like to drive slow (or even medium speed). Note that whenever somebody is trailing us, they tend to drive slower, therefore we have to slow down to make sure they don't lose sight of us. So annoying. Don't be that person.
This Dos and Don'ts post actually turned into a mini rant of things that I don't like, and what you should do. (Haha, oops!) Do not take anything that I say close to heart. Do you have any tips for road trip traveling? What drives you crazy?
Song Choice: 'Never Too Much' by Luther Vandross. This song is one of my favorites by this man. He was such a talented guy, and this song is prime example of that! I dare you to give it a listen - you'll love the upbeat tempo, amazing vocals, and the greatness of this tune.
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