After completing yet another thirteen-hour drive from Georgia to Ohio, I’m feeling some major sympathy toward politicians, pop stars, and anyone who travels as part of his/her career. Actually, just kidding about the politicians and pop stars. I’m sure that if I could travel as “in style” as they do, my opinions might be much different. Some might love packing up and sitting in a car for that long. After all, getting there is said to be half the fun, but when you’re loaded down in a tiny Impala, with a hedgehog that gets cold easily, a bulldog that gets hot easily, and absolutely no room to stretch your legs or even to tilt the seat back a bit, things get a little uncomfortable. Sure, it’s cozy at first, and it’s always nice to spend time with my husband, but by the tail end up that trip, my inner grouch was in full-swing, and I just wanted to get there.
We all have our ways to cope with long car rides. Might I suggest playing the ABC game, where you take turns choosing a word that begins with each letter in the alphabet. Keep going back and forth, trying to memorize the words, starting with ‘A’, all the way to the letter ‘Z’. It’s a great game to play with kids, but even if you don’t have kids, it’s still fun. You can even spice it up by making it an adult version. Do with that what you will. I’m keeping it rated PG here. You can also bust out the ol’ 20 questions game. An oldie but a goodie. Also, make sure to have plenty of snacks. Go the healthy route with some clementines or granola bars or splurge a little and pig out on some potato chips. When you’ve got four hours to go before the next stop, and your tummy is growling, be prepared. Another simple thing that helps get you through is to trade off driving. Give each other a break from staring at the car in front of you, and take naps. No one likes being stuck behind the wheel for thirteen hours, and for the longest time, I just sat shotgun and dozed off the entire ride. This time, I did my fair share of driving, and it helped a ton. Keep your iPod stocked, get plenty of sleep the night before, and try to pack most of your stuff in the car the night before. This makes your pre-road trip morning so much easier.
Personally, I would just like to give a quick shout-out to my iPod, the saltiest junk food there is, Starbucks hot chocolate, and that adorable, wrinkly bulldog face in the backseat. I couldn’t do it without you.
If you still haven’t traveled back home after the holidays, be safe and keep your ride light-hearted. Relax! It will all be over soon, and you’ll take away some great memories.
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