- Snacks: keeps lots of snacks in the car. Buy a flat of water to keep with you. For me, stopping for coffee before I leave town is a must, and I always have Clif Bars or granola bars with me. Snacking will keep you going for a long time instead of stopping for food all the time. And if you're a smoker, bring extra cigarettes. Unless you're really casual or you have great willpower, you will wind up smoking more, because there's nothing else to occupy your time.
- Comfy clothes! On my trip, I was driving 9-12 hours a day, so I wanted to be comfy! Find the most comfortable jeans or shorts you own and put 'em on. Shoes that slip on and off easily are nice. And a light jacket, so you can drive with the windows down even when it's a little chilly, is great.
- Pack light. You're driving, you're not trying to impress anyone. If you need to look nice once you get somewhere, put one extra outfit in the bottom of the bag and forget about it. And make sure you pack extra underwear. The more you road trip, the easier it is to remember everything.
- Make a checklist. If you write things down as you think of them in the few days before you leave, it'll make that morning much easier. You won't be running around trying to remember anything, you can just check your list, have peace of mind, and hit the road!
- Music. Music is a whole subcategory in itself. If you don't care about music that much, you can skip this part:
- First off, this is the digital age. If you really feel like changing CDs every 30 minutes, and carrying around that huge book of CDs, go for it. But seriously, just get a stereo with an aux. in or an FM transmitter, and load up your iPod.
- You've gotta have your favorite music with you. I don't ever start or end a road trip without having some Ben Folds blasting, and I don't remember the last time I had a long drive without some Blues Traveler or Hilltop Hoods.
- You need a good variety of music to mix things up. Something funky-fresh to get you psyched up when you leave, but also some chill stuff for the end of the drive. When I've been driving for 11 hours, I don't want to listen to anymore Rage Against the Machine, I want to listen to Damien Rice or Micah Dalton or Elliot (yeah, check them out: Elliot).
- Make sure you have good speakers that work! Nothing can suck more than having your music crap out mid-drive.
- Bring new music so you don't get bored with all of it, but also bring good music you know, so you can crank the windows down, the music up, and sing along like an idiot! :)
- Know how and when to stop for photos. Unless you have lots of time to kill, don't stop for everything little thing. For example, if you see McAndrews Road, don't say, 'LULZ! OMG! There's totally McAndrews in Medford!' It's not that exciting. If you see Jackass Hill Road, yeah, stop and take a picture. I took a picture of every state line I crossed, which I thought was cool for me. Also, learn to take pictures while you drive, it takes less time ;)
- A map is good, but honestly, not necessary. I just drove across the country without printing out a single page. Like I said, it's the 21st century, get a GPS or an iPhone. Actually, just get an iPhone. It's a good investment for life.
- Have people you can call or text while your driving. Er... I mean, don't text while driving, it's not safe. Practice safe text! But seriously, sometimes having a voice on the line can make the difference over that last hour between a safe drive and nodding off at the wheel.
- For my last guideline, I'll apologize in advance to the ladies: sorry, ladies. There are two good reasons to stop: you're having car problems or you need gas. A good rule is to not get on the freeway with less than half a tank, but you can push that with certain cars. But you need to pee? Pee when you get gas. Out of snacks? Buy them at the gas station. In an emergency, take 30 seconds and pee on the side of the road instead of 15 minutes to pull off and find a gas station. Unless you have no time constraints, then stop whenever you please, and stop at cool places to take pictures!
That's it. Those are my ideas, after five days and 3100 miles on the road. If you've got your own road trip guidelines, put 'em up!
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