Day 219-- Road trip tips

I'll be heading out to LA in about two hours.  My towels are washing, a meal is waiting in the fridge, and if I have an extra 20 minutes I want to get a car wash in La Jolla on the way up.

Road-trips can be spontaneous ("Hm, let's go North" and we ended up in Portland, Oregon circa 2007), or it can be planned out for a few days or a few weeks.  Driving is cheaper than flying, and it allows more space to collect your thoughts and musing about life and your place in it.  There are few things more exhilarating than driving fast and listening to loud music, and when you've got 4 hours, 6 hours, 2 hours to go, there's no better time to daydream and feel alive.

Here are tips for road-tripping*

1.) Clean your room before you leave

You're going to come back from your road trip feeling adventurous, creative, and fabulous; do you really want to come home to dirty towels and your computer chair full of unhung clothes?  Give yourself a few hours before your trip to clean up a bit so you can come home to fresh sheets and a floor you can walk on freely without stepping on something.

2.) Eat a good meal before you leave

I would drive from Phoenix to San Diego (5.5 hours one way) once a month for eight months out of the year for four years.  For too many years I'd simply rush with packing and head out with an empty stomach.  Stupid.  It's a simple fact: you feel better when you're full.  With all of the traffic, expensive gas, and hours ahead of you, make sure you take the extra 15 minutes to sit down, eat a burger/sandwich/slice of pizza, and go forth with happy belly!

3.) Make an upper music playlist

Music is key when driving off into the sunset.  Pick music that's going to keep you awake Hour 6, as well as music that's going to inspire you during Hour 3.  Road trips are my favorite time for Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, but also The Roots, and Coldplay.

4.) It's ok to make stops.

I know you're going to want to get there as fast as possible and you'll feel too pressed for time to stop for any reason, but do it.  Pull off to a side street if there's a sunset over the ocean on I-101, stop for a healthy stretch in Yuma on the I-8, stop for walk around the redwoods on I-5 to Washington.  You won't regret it.  

5.) SNACKS SNACKS SNACKS

A diet of gummy worms, chocolate covered pretzels, and sour cream cheddar chips, are perfect acceptable on a road trip.  Indulge, my friends.

Good luck out there, and happy 'tripping!

*"Road trip", the noun, is two words.  "Road-tripping", the verb, is hyphenated.  Personally I think that "roadtrip" should be one word and I think that in 10-50 years it will.  Cheers!