Help Me Get Past The Dread Of A Long Trip
April 29, 2011 2:34 PM Subscribe
I am looking at a drive of 1300 miles in the next two weeks. How do I get past the dread?
Because of a committment I can't get out of, I have to drive solo from Florida to Illinois alone. I will be leaving my family and don't really want to leave. It's not the driving, but rather the loneliness and solo aspect of the trip that has me dreading the trip. How do I make it less horrific?
Because of a committment I can't get out of, I have to drive solo from Florida to Illinois alone. I will be leaving my family and don't really want to leave. It's not the driving, but rather the loneliness and solo aspect of the trip that has me dreading the trip. How do I make it less horrific?
I drove across the country by myself recently and LOVED it. I brought lots of terrible sing-alongy dancy music, lots of funny audiobooks, and did a lot of listening to local stations on scan to see what was good. Plus I looked around, thought about stuff, and basically had a fantastic time. I'd do it again in an instant. What is it about being alone that you're dreading? What do you do when you're in you're at home alone for a while?
posted by brainmouse at 2:41 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by brainmouse at 2:41 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you are driving 1300 in one stretch, solo, you are probably splitting it over multiple days. The general rule is that you can clear 1000 miles in 16 hours, and if you are solo that's it for the day. If you do a lot of long-haul driving alone, you can cover more miles, but it gets ugly and dangerous.
Make sure you have sufficient music of your liking, and lots of variety. If you have an MP3 player and/or smartphone, fill it with lots of MP3's. Buy a bigger memory card so you can fill that puppy if need be. It's a great time to get a lot of podcast listening done.
Stop every 2-3 hours to get out, stretch, do some sort of minor physical activity. Even on shorter trips of 5 hours I'll stop off at least once to pee, stretch, run around a bit. When it comes to 1000 miles/day. When you stop for food, eat at restaurants where you can talk to people. That might even mean eating at the bar portion of a truck stop restaurant. Scary, right? It's not really that bad, sometimes really good food can be found.
Last thing: get a hands-free device for your phone if you don't have one already. I usually call friends that I don't talk to too much when I'm on the road. Given your general path, there aren't many places where cell coverage will stink other than very rural Georgia and the mountainous part of Tennessee.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:47 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Make sure you have sufficient music of your liking, and lots of variety. If you have an MP3 player and/or smartphone, fill it with lots of MP3's. Buy a bigger memory card so you can fill that puppy if need be. It's a great time to get a lot of podcast listening done.
Stop every 2-3 hours to get out, stretch, do some sort of minor physical activity. Even on shorter trips of 5 hours I'll stop off at least once to pee, stretch, run around a bit. When it comes to 1000 miles/day. When you stop for food, eat at restaurants where you can talk to people. That might even mean eating at the bar portion of a truck stop restaurant. Scary, right? It's not really that bad, sometimes really good food can be found.
Last thing: get a hands-free device for your phone if you don't have one already. I usually call friends that I don't talk to too much when I'm on the road. Given your general path, there aren't many places where cell coverage will stink other than very rural Georgia and the mountainous part of Tennessee.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:47 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Audiobooks and podcast. Here are a couple recent questions asking for podcast suggestions.
posted by rtimmel at 2:48 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by rtimmel at 2:48 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've driven cross country alone twice. I enjoyed myself because I stopped and looked at the weirdest things I could find. Roadsideamerica.com has a lot of great stops if you have the time to see them. I saw the biggest cross in America, an Elvis museum run out of a man's home (Graceland Too), Jesus in a hospital door in Arkansas, an albino raccoon, Palo Duro Canyon, and on and on.
If you don't have that much time, you can still pick a non-traditional route that's off the highway. You will go through some interesting places. I still remember much of the trips I've taken when driving off the beaten path, much moreso than interstate trips.
If nothing else, catch up on music you want to try and, yeah, audiobooks are very entertaining.
posted by amodelcitizen at 2:49 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you don't have that much time, you can still pick a non-traditional route that's off the highway. You will go through some interesting places. I still remember much of the trips I've taken when driving off the beaten path, much moreso than interstate trips.
If nothing else, catch up on music you want to try and, yeah, audiobooks are very entertaining.
posted by amodelcitizen at 2:49 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
While on a very long road trip, I found the audio version of The Areas of My Expertise highly entertaining.
Also +1 for stopping to look at weird things.
posted by griselda at 2:54 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Also +1 for stopping to look at weird things.
posted by griselda at 2:54 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Podcasts, especially chattier ones, would help with the alienation.
posted by entropicamericana at 2:54 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by entropicamericana at 2:54 PM on April 29, 2011
I can't exactly relate (a year or so ago, I spent a couple of weeks driving around the U.S., logging about 5000 miles, and it was by no means my first cross-country solo road trip), but I'd guess that if you're missing your family, staying in touch frequently in some way will help. If you have a smartphone, update your Facebook constantly with pictures of weird things, or stop to buy postcards. Call at the end of every day if you feel like it to share what happened that day. If you have to, talk out loud in the car to remind you of stuff you want to remember to tell people later, or have fun yelling at stupid commercials or people on the radio.
You'll really only have a couple of days of driving (I'd say 1000 miles a day is a little optimistic for someone who's not used to long solo trips), so all of the suggestions about bringing plenty of music, audio books, checking Roadside America, etc are excellent.
If you can, think about all the *good* things about driving by yourself. If you make a wrong turn or bad drive, there's no one around to feel stupid in front of. If you want to stop for lunch at 10 in the morning or 5 at night, who says you can't? Bathroom breaks whenever! Singing as loud as you can with horrible music on the radio. Going whatever speed you want. Making your own schedule. Rolling all of the windows down for no reason. You can do it all!
posted by wending my way at 2:59 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
You'll really only have a couple of days of driving (I'd say 1000 miles a day is a little optimistic for someone who's not used to long solo trips), so all of the suggestions about bringing plenty of music, audio books, checking Roadside America, etc are excellent.
If you can, think about all the *good* things about driving by yourself. If you make a wrong turn or bad drive, there's no one around to feel stupid in front of. If you want to stop for lunch at 10 in the morning or 5 at night, who says you can't? Bathroom breaks whenever! Singing as loud as you can with horrible music on the radio. Going whatever speed you want. Making your own schedule. Rolling all of the windows down for no reason. You can do it all!
posted by wending my way at 2:59 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Get a good sized snack jar/canister you can sit in the passengers seat. Anything you can easily grab without having to take you eyeys off the road.
Do you have satellite radio? You can get a free 7 day Sirius trial for your smart device (it's also nice not having to try and keep finding stations when you get out of distance). Or if you don't want to hear Howard Stern you could also opt for Pandora (or the many similar options).
I always try to get a new comedy CD for trips. Laughing makes the drive a little more tolerable.
Safe Travels!
posted by doorsfan at 3:01 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Do you have satellite radio? You can get a free 7 day Sirius trial for your smart device (it's also nice not having to try and keep finding stations when you get out of distance). Or if you don't want to hear Howard Stern you could also opt for Pandora (or the many similar options).
I always try to get a new comedy CD for trips. Laughing makes the drive a little more tolerable.
Safe Travels!
posted by doorsfan at 3:01 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd say take back roads and pay devoted attention to where you ARE, rather than where you'd rather be.
Being alone on the road is a great American tradition and a fine way to make your own acquaintance. You could return enlightened!
Your question inspired me to think about planning another solo trip.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 3:03 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Being alone on the road is a great American tradition and a fine way to make your own acquaintance. You could return enlightened!
Your question inspired me to think about planning another solo trip.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 3:03 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I found that back episodes of This American Life make excellent listening material on long road trips.
It's certainly better having live company, and I can kind of sympathize with your dread, but it's entirely possible to get into a groove and get through that distance in a couple of days.
posted by adamrice at 3:06 PM on April 29, 2011
It's certainly better having live company, and I can kind of sympathize with your dread, but it's entirely possible to get into a groove and get through that distance in a couple of days.
posted by adamrice at 3:06 PM on April 29, 2011
Podcasts. Got tons of suggestions if you give us an idea of what you enjoy. That or put on some music you've been wanting to check out.
posted by handbanana at 3:07 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by handbanana at 3:07 PM on April 29, 2011
Depending on where you are there may be Waffle Houses. These are great for solo dining, you can almost always find someone to chat with, and if you are concerned about healthy eating by all means have the chicken breast sandwich or chef salad. Not to mention they are open 24/7.
Definitely pile up the music and audio books but also don't hesitate to listen to local radio too. BTW I am jealous. This sounds fun!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 3:14 PM on April 29, 2011
Definitely pile up the music and audio books but also don't hesitate to listen to local radio too. BTW I am jealous. This sounds fun!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 3:14 PM on April 29, 2011
I did about that far two months ago and it was the audiobook that made the biggest difference. I recommend something a couple hours shorter than the drive so that you can definitely finish it, even if you switch to music or podcasts for breaks.
I really, really needed to stop for the night (actually, I stopped two nights, but I had some weird timing at the end that made more sense that way) and I am very glad I pre-paid my stops because I'd hit the edge of town and think "man, I'm fine, this is going great! I should just keep going!" and then 45 minutes later as I was almost to the hotel I'd be all "oh my god my back, my knees, I need a shower." That advice is probably not useful if you can't stop. I'd suggest planning for at least a several-hour break in a truck stop parking lot even if you can't stop for a whole night.
The other thing I realized, though, is that a long-ass drive is actually kind of less annoying than a 3-4 hour drive where so much of the drive has administrative overhead (leaving, arriving). I was not sure that I could handle 10-hour days on the road because I've never done more than 6, but it was only the last hour that was particularly unpleasant.
A month ago I flew halfway back to meet my husband as he made the drive (with three dogs - I do not recommend that format) and was surprised to find that it was actually pretty easy the second time. Yeah, your routine is upset and you're away from your family for a few days, but in the grand scheme of things it's not actually that torturous. Don't build it up so bad in your head that you have no choice but to be miserable the whole time. It's going to be what you make of it.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:18 PM on April 29, 2011
I really, really needed to stop for the night (actually, I stopped two nights, but I had some weird timing at the end that made more sense that way) and I am very glad I pre-paid my stops because I'd hit the edge of town and think "man, I'm fine, this is going great! I should just keep going!" and then 45 minutes later as I was almost to the hotel I'd be all "oh my god my back, my knees, I need a shower." That advice is probably not useful if you can't stop. I'd suggest planning for at least a several-hour break in a truck stop parking lot even if you can't stop for a whole night.
The other thing I realized, though, is that a long-ass drive is actually kind of less annoying than a 3-4 hour drive where so much of the drive has administrative overhead (leaving, arriving). I was not sure that I could handle 10-hour days on the road because I've never done more than 6, but it was only the last hour that was particularly unpleasant.
A month ago I flew halfway back to meet my husband as he made the drive (with three dogs - I do not recommend that format) and was surprised to find that it was actually pretty easy the second time. Yeah, your routine is upset and you're away from your family for a few days, but in the grand scheme of things it's not actually that torturous. Don't build it up so bad in your head that you have no choice but to be miserable the whole time. It's going to be what you make of it.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:18 PM on April 29, 2011
Get a good sized snack jar/canister you can sit in the passengers seat. Anything you can easily grab without having to take you eyeys off the road.
I'm of the mind that you should limit your snacking. More than anything on long hauls, I find myself combating the gross stinky feeling more than the tired of driving feeling. If I limit my meals and snacks to relatively normal periods, stick to drinking mostly water/unsweet things, I can avoid that overall ickiness.
posted by Think_Long at 3:18 PM on April 29, 2011
I'm of the mind that you should limit your snacking. More than anything on long hauls, I find myself combating the gross stinky feeling more than the tired of driving feeling. If I limit my meals and snacks to relatively normal periods, stick to drinking mostly water/unsweet things, I can avoid that overall ickiness.
posted by Think_Long at 3:18 PM on April 29, 2011
Also, I find Altoids Curiously Strong Sours (or some other intensely flavored little candy) very helpful for mental pick-me-ups when the monotony sinks in. They are small, do not require fussing with wrappers, and the sour flavor is jolting. Better than something caffeinated.
Definitely make sure your driver's seat is comfy. Have an extra cushion on hand. I made a cushion out of some memory foam and upholstery scrap which makes a huge difference after 2-3 hours.
posted by griselda at 3:19 PM on April 29, 2011
Definitely make sure your driver's seat is comfy. Have an extra cushion on hand. I made a cushion out of some memory foam and upholstery scrap which makes a huge difference after 2-3 hours.
posted by griselda at 3:19 PM on April 29, 2011
Start early, like before dawn, then you're logging the most miles during the morning awake period. Later in the day watch for a bargain motel near a restaurant, eat a good meal, relax, go to bed early and start off again at the crack of dawn. You can cover a lot of miles, lower traffic, more alert folks around you, good light.
posted by sammyo at 3:33 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 3:33 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Make sure your car is in tip-top shape before you take off. Hopefully, you have a mechanic you trust. Take your car in and tell him about your upcoming 1300 mile journey. The stress of worrying about a possible breakdown in the middle of a long road trip can sour an otherwise pleasant long drive.
Are you planning on doing the 1300 miles over 14 days? That's less than 100 miles a day, which shouldn't be much more than 2 hours or so of driving a day. Or how many days are you planning on driving? If you can afford the hotel rooms, I think you might be more comfortable taking your time rather than pushing yourself to pile on too many miles in a day.
posted by marsha56 at 3:49 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Are you planning on doing the 1300 miles over 14 days? That's less than 100 miles a day, which shouldn't be much more than 2 hours or so of driving a day. Or how many days are you planning on driving? If you can afford the hotel rooms, I think you might be more comfortable taking your time rather than pushing yourself to pile on too many miles in a day.
posted by marsha56 at 3:49 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Start early, like before dawn, then you're logging the most miles during the morning awake period.
If this works for you, great. But pay attention to your own body clock. Some people are more alert early in the morning, some at night. I used to drive 100-miles each way over a weekend to visit my sister and her family. Usually, I would come back on Sunday nights, and I'd be just fine on the road, but a few times, I allowed others to persuade me to sleep over Sunday night, and get up early on Monday morning and drive back. The only times I had trouble staying awake was on those Monday mornings.
My point is know yourself and your own body rhythms. Drive when you're most alert. If you're sleepy, pull over at the very first opportunity and get some rest.
posted by marsha56 at 3:56 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
If this works for you, great. But pay attention to your own body clock. Some people are more alert early in the morning, some at night. I used to drive 100-miles each way over a weekend to visit my sister and her family. Usually, I would come back on Sunday nights, and I'd be just fine on the road, but a few times, I allowed others to persuade me to sleep over Sunday night, and get up early on Monday morning and drive back. The only times I had trouble staying awake was on those Monday mornings.
My point is know yourself and your own body rhythms. Drive when you're most alert. If you're sleepy, pull over at the very first opportunity and get some rest.
posted by marsha56 at 3:56 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Download a shit-ton of Radiolab episodes.
posted by neuron at 4:18 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by neuron at 4:18 PM on April 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Horrific? Christ, I'd kill for a nice long drive about now. (but then, I drove straight from the Grand Canyon to the Canadian border.) Enjoy the time alone. Put together a collection of music you love that your family hates. Get some books on tape. Get completely fucked up on Mountain Dew.
posted by notsnot at 4:23 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by notsnot at 4:23 PM on April 29, 2011
I love road trips. I go on vacation to take them. Here's what I like to do in the weeks leading up to get me more excited:
- Queue up or re-watch movies/shows that are based in (or have scenes in) the area I'm going to be driving through, especially if there are scenes of actual driving. I know my chance of happening upon the actual stretch of road are slim to none, but I'm going for general ambience. For this reason I also prep playlists for specific areas, often based on the soundtrack of aforementioned movie/show, or music that makes me think of that area. This might just be me; I watch a lot of movies and have a thing for making playlists for every little thing.
- Comb the internet (AskMe) for recommended coffee shops, diners, and random attractions along my route. I love beer so I tend to seek out microbrews unique to the area and get sixers/growlers to enjoy at the end of my trip. But the point is to identify something I really want to try each day and make it a mission to get there and eat/drink/experience it. It's like unlocking an achievement or defeating a mini-boss on each leg of your trip.
Do you have any hobbies you could piggyback onto this trip somehow? If not you could start one:
- Do some geocaching along the way, either hiding or hunting stuff.
- Record the journey with a mounted camera and make a time lapse video, or just have a lot of good b-roll for a future project. This is a good excuse to get a new (video) camera.
- Suggest and attend a string of meetups in different towns.
- If you're into SCIENCE! you could measure all kinds of things to determine differences (potentially) due to geography/topography/etc.
It's much harder to address the loneliness aspect, but I'm sure you'll be able to keep in touch via phone or email so if you're doing something to make the trip interesting it'll be a lot more fun when you do provide updates.
posted by krippledkonscious at 4:33 PM on April 29, 2011
- Queue up or re-watch movies/shows that are based in (or have scenes in) the area I'm going to be driving through, especially if there are scenes of actual driving. I know my chance of happening upon the actual stretch of road are slim to none, but I'm going for general ambience. For this reason I also prep playlists for specific areas, often based on the soundtrack of aforementioned movie/show, or music that makes me think of that area. This might just be me; I watch a lot of movies and have a thing for making playlists for every little thing.
- Comb the internet (AskMe) for recommended coffee shops, diners, and random attractions along my route. I love beer so I tend to seek out microbrews unique to the area and get sixers/growlers to enjoy at the end of my trip. But the point is to identify something I really want to try each day and make it a mission to get there and eat/drink/experience it. It's like unlocking an achievement or defeating a mini-boss on each leg of your trip.
Do you have any hobbies you could piggyback onto this trip somehow? If not you could start one:
- Do some geocaching along the way, either hiding or hunting stuff.
- Record the journey with a mounted camera and make a time lapse video, or just have a lot of good b-roll for a future project. This is a good excuse to get a new (video) camera.
- Suggest and attend a string of meetups in different towns.
- If you're into SCIENCE! you could measure all kinds of things to determine differences (potentially) due to geography/topography/etc.
It's much harder to address the loneliness aspect, but I'm sure you'll be able to keep in touch via phone or email so if you're doing something to make the trip interesting it'll be a lot more fun when you do provide updates.
posted by krippledkonscious at 4:33 PM on April 29, 2011
Personally, I love long road trips. One thing I do is go to the library and check out 'Modern Scholar' series on CD. These are college lectures, usually 8 Cd's in length, and I end up getting an education while logging miles, and never have to take an exam, write a paper, etc. They cannot be beat!
posted by rtodd at 4:56 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by rtodd at 4:56 PM on April 29, 2011
If you and whoever you're going to be missing has a smartphone, you can try to find a touch-to-talk app. Kinda like a walkie-talkie through your phone. Obviously not the best if your recipient is at work, but for a night time drive, the easy communication could be nice.
posted by trogdole at 5:04 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by trogdole at 5:04 PM on April 29, 2011
All of these ideas are great. (With the possible exception of the passenger seat feedbag.) But these are the ideas of people who---like me---love road trips. Perhaps we are not taking into account the particular horror you anticipate. Following brainmouse's suggestion, can you describe exactly what it is that will make the trip unpleasant for you? What will happen if you go? Describe what you anticipate as clearly as you can, and you might find it to be unlikely, or not as bad as you imagine, or something that people here can address in a helpful way.
posted by drdanger at 5:15 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by drdanger at 5:15 PM on April 29, 2011
A cheap cb radio. The truckers channel is 19. If you're suddenly stuck in traffic - all you have to do is turn on your handy dandy cb radio and find out what's going on. Truckers also like to announce speed traps. One of the fun things I've discovered is that long haul truck drivers start singing on the cb radio in the wee hours of the morning. I've been told it's to help them stay awake until the sun comes up. Most of the time it's off key hilarity.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 5:26 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 5:26 PM on April 29, 2011
Start early, like before dawn, then you're logging the most miles during the morning awake period. Later in the day watch for a bargain motel near a restaurant, eat a good meal, relax, go to bed early and start off again at the crack of dawn. You can cover a lot of miles, lower traffic, more alert folks around you, good light.
This is excellent advice. It's the only thing that makes roadtrips bearable for me. I find that driving in the dusky times is the worst. Especially if I have been driving all day.
I also will occasionally take a power nap along the way. I find that the constant movement of the road coming at me fatigues the optical sections of my brain. When I fall asleep, 9 times out of 10 I will dream about driving. 20 minutes later, I awake ready to go.
posted by gjc at 6:19 PM on April 29, 2011
This is excellent advice. It's the only thing that makes roadtrips bearable for me. I find that driving in the dusky times is the worst. Especially if I have been driving all day.
I also will occasionally take a power nap along the way. I find that the constant movement of the road coming at me fatigues the optical sections of my brain. When I fall asleep, 9 times out of 10 I will dream about driving. 20 minutes later, I awake ready to go.
posted by gjc at 6:19 PM on April 29, 2011
Satellite radio, and specifically the comedy stations or talk shows, are what keep me sane when driving across the west Texas desert for 15 hours. Also, try the podcasts of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" I like Rick Steves' "Travels in Europe" podcasts, too.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:55 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:55 PM on April 29, 2011
Don't drive too many miles in a single day. Instead, drive a moderate number and stop in a city on your way before dinner time. Have dinner, see the city you've stopped in, and hang out. When you're done hanging out, go to sleep and then get going the next day to your next destination. If you know any people in those other cities, look them up and hang out with them on your way. Every day you'll visit a new place and have a change of scenery.
posted by deanc at 8:57 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by deanc at 8:57 PM on April 29, 2011
Ask for mix tapes/playlists. Made by loved ones.
Any books you've been meaning to read? Acquire audiobook versions (public libraries, less-than contractual places).
My first criss-cross-country roadtrip (middle-Iowa to Toronto/Kitchener to Calgary back to Iowa), I brought a disposable camera with me and took pictures of stuff while driving. This was about 15 years ago and might have been a less common thing then, compared to now (ubiquitous digital cameras). But, wow, different parts of the country during the same season is fucking wildly different. Bog swamps, glassy skies, 5 lane x2 gridlock, (gravel) desert roads, 100kms of straight road from the top of a rise - the entire continent ahead of you, carved ivory bridges spanning inky gulfness...
Well, those ivory bridges turned out into blury darkish shots of pretty much nothing. Driving for 18+ hours straight with only gas stops kinda messes one up. I didn't "believe" in hallucinations until a 6"4 pink teddybear with a white belly buckled up in my passenger seat was telling me that swerving over the cliff, on the way to Calgary from the East, was over-rated.
--
Advice you didn't ask for; eat well. Don't do the 100% fast food diet unless you're already used to it. Get enough dietary fiber - if you aren't going to get it, bring a bottle of metamucil (or whatever) and use it. Get as much of it out of your system before you get into the car. Buildup is bad; short term - it sucks, long term... ugly.
If it's *really* 1300 miles, that's 5+ days. The internet is great, re-plan re-register motel bookings about halfway in after you get a better feel for how long the trip is going to take. I had luck finding rooms, but it was definitely not the most frugal way to do it.
--
Enjoy yourself; you're doing what the Fabled Explorers of your country risked their lives on and took *years* to do. If I was you, I'd leave earlier than planed and expect to spend that extra time enjoying yourself someplace(s) unexpected to be enjoyable. I certainly could have.
posted by porpoise at 9:26 PM on April 29, 2011
Any books you've been meaning to read? Acquire audiobook versions (public libraries, less-than contractual places).
My first criss-cross-country roadtrip (middle-Iowa to Toronto/Kitchener to Calgary back to Iowa), I brought a disposable camera with me and took pictures of stuff while driving. This was about 15 years ago and might have been a less common thing then, compared to now (ubiquitous digital cameras). But, wow, different parts of the country during the same season is fucking wildly different. Bog swamps, glassy skies, 5 lane x2 gridlock, (gravel) desert roads, 100kms of straight road from the top of a rise - the entire continent ahead of you, carved ivory bridges spanning inky gulfness...
Well, those ivory bridges turned out into blury darkish shots of pretty much nothing. Driving for 18+ hours straight with only gas stops kinda messes one up. I didn't "believe" in hallucinations until a 6"4 pink teddybear with a white belly buckled up in my passenger seat was telling me that swerving over the cliff, on the way to Calgary from the East, was over-rated.
--
Advice you didn't ask for; eat well. Don't do the 100% fast food diet unless you're already used to it. Get enough dietary fiber - if you aren't going to get it, bring a bottle of metamucil (or whatever) and use it. Get as much of it out of your system before you get into the car. Buildup is bad; short term - it sucks, long term... ugly.
If it's *really* 1300 miles, that's 5+ days. The internet is great, re-plan re-register motel bookings about halfway in after you get a better feel for how long the trip is going to take. I had luck finding rooms, but it was definitely not the most frugal way to do it.
--
Enjoy yourself; you're doing what the Fabled Explorers of your country risked their lives on and took *years* to do. If I was you, I'd leave earlier than planed and expect to spend that extra time enjoying yourself someplace(s) unexpected to be enjoyable. I certainly could have.
posted by porpoise at 9:26 PM on April 29, 2011
I recently drove from northwestern PA to Baton Rouge, LA and back again. 2500 miles in a week's time! It was AWESOME! Here's why:
1. Podcasts are fine, but wouldn't it be more fun to seek/scan all the radio stations to see what local culture is like? Of course it would!
2. Do something to reward yourself when you reach a goal. For instance, keep track of your odometer and every 100 miles...do something that makes you feel better. This also works for state lines :) I dare not say what I was doing when I got back to the KY state line I JUST WANTED TO GET HOME OKAY? :)
3. Just looking out the windshield at how different everything started to look was frankly 99% of the entertainment I needed on that trip. Pay attention to the different, weird beauty that exists everywhere! Illinois is not Kentucky, which is not Georgia, which is not Florida. It's ALL WEIRD! But that's a great thing! This country of ours is so varied and insane and wonderful. I wish I was you going on this trip! Since I'm not, though, I wish you the best!
posted by deep thought sunstar at 10:36 PM on April 29, 2011
1. Podcasts are fine, but wouldn't it be more fun to seek/scan all the radio stations to see what local culture is like? Of course it would!
2. Do something to reward yourself when you reach a goal. For instance, keep track of your odometer and every 100 miles...do something that makes you feel better. This also works for state lines :) I dare not say what I was doing when I got back to the KY state line I JUST WANTED TO GET HOME OKAY? :)
3. Just looking out the windshield at how different everything started to look was frankly 99% of the entertainment I needed on that trip. Pay attention to the different, weird beauty that exists everywhere! Illinois is not Kentucky, which is not Georgia, which is not Florida. It's ALL WEIRD! But that's a great thing! This country of ours is so varied and insane and wonderful. I wish I was you going on this trip! Since I'm not, though, I wish you the best!
posted by deep thought sunstar at 10:36 PM on April 29, 2011
Once a year, I do a 2,100 mile roundtrip from Maryland to Alabama.
Audio Books and Sirius.
And Cracker Barrel.
I always forget to go to the library, but I've found that Cracker Barrel has a decent selection of thrillers (my favorite genre for driving). You buy the discs and can return them (minus a small fee) at any other Cracker Barrel. Highly convenient, plus they have clean restrooms and biscuits.
I checked, and there are Cracker Barrels in Illinois.
Next year, I'm taking BigHappy's advice and getting a CB radio.
posted by Acton at 5:09 AM on April 30, 2011
Audio Books and Sirius.
And Cracker Barrel.
I always forget to go to the library, but I've found that Cracker Barrel has a decent selection of thrillers (my favorite genre for driving). You buy the discs and can return them (minus a small fee) at any other Cracker Barrel. Highly convenient, plus they have clean restrooms and biscuits.
I checked, and there are Cracker Barrels in Illinois.
Next year, I'm taking BigHappy's advice and getting a CB radio.
posted by Acton at 5:09 AM on April 30, 2011
I drove 3500 miles solo in a month a few years back and found the best days of my driving were those where I would find anything worth stopping at for an hour to an hour and a half which required me to walk a fair amount (I successfully did not trigger any of my typically chronic back issues using this method!!). I'm not at all a tourist type, so I picked places like college towns (where I always feel at home since I'm an academic brat) or areas of scenic interest. Sometimes it would just be on a whim based on road signs (what? the hometown of a famous Canadian country music singer?!?! pull over NOW!!).
study your daily routes ahead of time so that you have a mix of the expected and still have room for the unexpected you'll see when you're at 'ground level' and also make your daily routes reasonable distances to cover in mostly daylight hours (unless you have good night vision).
I also made sure to have plenty of water to drink, too, which also helped me naturally take a few breaks here and there to use the restroom.
Loving the ideas upthread of back episodes of This American Life, etc. or make your own playlists of energetic music.
safe travels!!
posted by kuppajava at 7:13 AM on April 30, 2011
study your daily routes ahead of time so that you have a mix of the expected and still have room for the unexpected you'll see when you're at 'ground level' and also make your daily routes reasonable distances to cover in mostly daylight hours (unless you have good night vision).
I also made sure to have plenty of water to drink, too, which also helped me naturally take a few breaks here and there to use the restroom.
Loving the ideas upthread of back episodes of This American Life, etc. or make your own playlists of energetic music.
safe travels!!
posted by kuppajava at 7:13 AM on April 30, 2011
Everybody loves to get a postcard! They're cheap and a great way to let people you know you are thinking about them. Send one home from every place you stop. Heck, send one to every family member from every place you stop.
I also recommend roadsideamerica.com. Spending some time, even if just for a few minutes, at a strange place is often enough to get your mind off the road.
Roadfood.com and chowhound.com are handy resources if you want to try local foods along the way. Before you leave see if there are any places that appeal to you and make them your goals for a meal/snack stop.
posted by plastic_animals at 8:35 AM on April 30, 2011
I also recommend roadsideamerica.com. Spending some time, even if just for a few minutes, at a strange place is often enough to get your mind off the road.
Roadfood.com and chowhound.com are handy resources if you want to try local foods along the way. Before you leave see if there are any places that appeal to you and make them your goals for a meal/snack stop.
posted by plastic_animals at 8:35 AM on April 30, 2011
Could you clarify what will make you feel lonely?
Is it hrs of solitude behind the wheel - podcasts and such are the answer. Also stop at lively places and be sure to make a point of chatting to people when you stop for a break etc.
If it is missing your family get them to keep you posted with what they are up to and make sure you do the same. Regularly let them know where you are, what exciting/fun/unusual stuff you've seen etc. Make them do the same. Make it a shared experience, even if they can't be with you physically.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:36 AM on April 30, 2011
Is it hrs of solitude behind the wheel - podcasts and such are the answer. Also stop at lively places and be sure to make a point of chatting to people when you stop for a break etc.
If it is missing your family get them to keep you posted with what they are up to and make sure you do the same. Regularly let them know where you are, what exciting/fun/unusual stuff you've seen etc. Make them do the same. Make it a shared experience, even if they can't be with you physically.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:36 AM on April 30, 2011
If it is missing family get them involved in your preparations as well, reviewing your planned route, helping you find hotels etc. Go through what the people you'll miss will be doing in those two weeks as well - it will all make you feel more connected.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:38 AM on April 30, 2011
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:38 AM on April 30, 2011
I didn't see anybody suggest this - try to find a driving companion, at least for part of the trip. Look on Craigslist, college message boards, or other rideshare websites to see if anyone is looking for a ride in that direction. Ask a friend if they want to come partway and look for a cheap flight back. Do you have any family/friends who live along the way - plan to stop and see them. If you feel comfortable, pick up hitchhikers (or NOT, if you're not comfortable with it).
posted by CathyG at 12:05 PM on April 30, 2011
posted by CathyG at 12:05 PM on April 30, 2011
I did 1000 miles RT last weekend.
Key elements that made this trip work:
- stops every 2.5 hrs, or at the hint of fatigue. I had done some research and found at least one good stop in advance for the drive down and back.
- Google maps on the (handsfree) phone
- case of diet Red Bull
- decent audio. I had Grooveshark on my phone with some good playlists, and used a Jabra Cruiser 2 Bluetooth to FM doohickey (Costco, $70) to hook my phone's audio into my ancient FM radio.
- car in excellent shape. I got a big tuneup the weekend before the trip, and the mechanic fixed all sorts of things that could have (probably wouldn't have, but could have) gone wrong during the drive.
posted by zippy at 1:59 PM on April 30, 2011
Key elements that made this trip work:
- stops every 2.5 hrs, or at the hint of fatigue. I had done some research and found at least one good stop in advance for the drive down and back.
- Google maps on the (handsfree) phone
- case of diet Red Bull
- decent audio. I had Grooveshark on my phone with some good playlists, and used a Jabra Cruiser 2 Bluetooth to FM doohickey (Costco, $70) to hook my phone's audio into my ancient FM radio.
- car in excellent shape. I got a big tuneup the weekend before the trip, and the mechanic fixed all sorts of things that could have (probably wouldn't have, but could have) gone wrong during the drive.
posted by zippy at 1:59 PM on April 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by JenMarie at 2:37 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]