A Food Fun Travel Guest Post
Surviving long road trips can be tough ―whether you’re driving or not. The stress, prolonged sitting hours and unexpected difficulties can make travelling unbearable, leaving you exhausted upon arriving at the destination.
Back pain, joint stiffness, fatigue, and defective eyesight can considerably affect the trip, making you prone to accidents. Ideally, you should make stops every two hours for a small pause during which you stand, hydrate or get some fresh air. However, depending on the urgency of the road trip or the weather conditions, this might not be possible that often.
Still, you need to make the road trip bearable, mainly when it takes ten or more hours to complete, so here are our tips for surviving it.
Set up your smartphone
In the digitalisation era, it would be a waste not to take advantage of technology. While some believe that paper is still useful, this counts for when you’re climbing Mountain Everest, but a few hours on the road isn’t that dangerous. Starting with the internet connection, you can always have reliable internet for the GPS to work seamlessly with an eSIM if you’re one of the courageous people approaching Route 20, which connects Boston and Newport.
Gathering all important phone numbers for any type of occurrence is also essential in case you’re in trouble. Downloading music, maps and other necessities will help you have it all in one place. It’s also imperative to have an external battery, a USB car charger and even a solar charger if the trip is extended to be prepared for anything.
For example, let’s say you’re on your way to the UK, but your accommodation isn’t available anymore. In this case, you can download and use an app to find a cheap but safe place to stay with eSIM for London for the best cellular data connection and easy communication with companies on your WhatsApp number.
Replenish your forces every now and then
Besides accessibility, how you treat your body will rule the trip’s success. So, it would be best to avoid drowning in caffeine, sugar and unhealthy snacks because your body won’t have enough fuel to finish the mission. You might even be in danger if you consume energy drinks, as you expose yourself to dehydration, heart complications and anxiety. As tempting as it is, avoid snacking around.
Drinking mostly water as often as possible and planning your bathroom stops accordingly is best. This will keep you energised, and you won’t be prone to headaches or lethargy. It would also be advised to have nutritious meals during your stops, but if that’s not possible, you can try packing some healthy snacks, such as beef jerky, popcorn, vegetables and all kinds of nuts.
Stretching after driving a few hours is critical to your well-being, as you might experience back pain and discomfort in the neck, arms and legs. Some easy stretching exercises include flexion in sitting, wrist stretch, chest stretch and ankle circles.
Create the perfect road trip playlist
Music is an essential part of our lives, and we spend most of our time discovering new songs or enjoying the same old ones. While driving for long, music will help you feel more comfortable as you’ll hear something familiar around, keep you energised or allow you to have some fun and sing along to your favourite albums. Although many playlists are created for this specific activity, it’s best to develop your own for it to have an impact.
You can match the music to the setting, so if you’re going somewhere close to nature, try bio music, environmental, ethnic fusion or new age harp. If your destination is in the middle of civilisation, try city pop, a Japanese-inspired genre that covers funk, disco and boogie styles.
However, make sure to adapt your playlist if you’re travelling with someone or are prone to being easily distracted. Sometimes, if you’re busy listening to a song, it might be easy to forget about road signs or pay attention to the maps. But if you can withstand fun songs, add them to your playlist to not feel alone while on the road.
Choose between the fastest and most impressive path
Sometimes, you’ll have to choose between taking the fastest route and the most beautiful but long one, which for many seems easy because you always want to reach the destination immediately. However, the longest path is the best for people who are not hurrying and wish to explore the world.
But in case this is your first time taking a certain path, it would be best to seek advice. Longer paths might include dangerous areas or unfinished roads, so you’re either putting the vehicle in danger or losing yourself in foreign places. Typically, GPS devices guide you towards the easier route, a great benefit of technology, but some of these paths are soulless, and you won’t be able to enjoy them.
That’s why you must anticipate and plan ahead by scanning the road or identifying potential hazards on the way. Whether you do it at home or during the trip, when you can see the road’s condition, this helps you make the best decision. Some apps let you plan the road trip as you like and create the mapping based on your information, so try to blend your plan to the actual road and see what will happen. Lastly, remember to put your safety first, so make sure you make stops mainly during the day and be careful with your surroundings before getting out of the car and watching out for potential risks.
Ensuring a Smooth Ride
Long road trips can be strenuous, especially when driving, but passengers can also be stressed or tired due to sitting too much and eating unhealthy foods. However, there are ways to make such trips bearable by preparing your smartphone with everything you need, packing nutritious snacks and listening to your favourite music. Also, ensure you take care of yourself while stopping or driving in poor weather.
