My beloved Stallion!
As most of you know, last year I installed a foam mattress to transform the back of the trunk into a bed - it still remains one of the most comfortable places I know of! I think I am also pretty much the only person who carries a portable vacuum cleaner and carpet spray in my car - I like to keep it clean on the road!!
I picked up some sheets and pillowcases very cheaply at thrift shops to make up my bed, it tends to stay very warm in the back of the car so it is not necessary to have a lot of big blankets. That was definitely something I learned along the way - to begin with I was so scared that I would be cold, I brought so many blankets with me, and was so hot!
Pardon the imperfect wrinkles on the bed... Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make the bed simply using the side door of the car?
Making the bed is always lots of fun, but sometimes it is hard to keep out little bits of gravel or twigs that always seem to be around the car. I always like to make the bed properly, then, while fully made, fold the mattress over and pack it up and put the seats back up. That way, when I arrive at my stop for the night I can simply put the seats down, clear away the bags of food and clothing, fold back the mattress and everything is all ready to go!
Bed made, folded away (still all tucked and made) and seats back up, ready to go!
For me, some of the biggest things that I have learned about roadtripping have been:
- the importance of little breaks. I am usually a real stickler to schedules, especially if I feel time pressure to get to a certain place, so there have been many times that I have just wanted to drive and drive without stopping. But sometimes, that little stop, that 5 minute rest to have a drink of water, to stretch the legs out - really makes all the difference. You can always push on through and be miserable and grumpy and drowsy as you drive, but those little breaks do the world of good in a roadtrip, get you feeling good again and reignite the joy factor - and really, what else is a roadtrip all about??
- the importance of fresh foods. When you're on the Interstate for a long time, you get sick of gas station convenience stores really quickly.
- baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes - you can use these for literally anything.
- McDonalds - Moan all you want about their nutrition, there is nothing as glorious as an air conditioned, clean, spacious McDonalds to a traveler.
- Filling up at half way - A tip that I learnt that I love and will ALWAYS use - fill up the tank whenever it hits half. It means forced breaks, makes you feel like you are spending less on gas, and gives you assurance that you will never run out of gas on a lonely scenic highway with no gas station for miles (yes, I was in a situation like that once, luckily I got to a gas station at the last second, but it was too close for comfort for me!).
- Be wise (and creative) about food to take - when eating on the road costs can add up really quickly! I always try to think ahead of non-perishable, non-refrigerated items that I can stock up on so that I am not forever stopping to buy food. Sometimes the strangest combinations work, my favourite roadtrip meal ever was a crazy mix-together of canned tuna, canned whole potatoes, mayo and canned green beans. I still remember that meal fondly!
- Take some water but mostly buy it along the way - four words : hot water, not nice.
- Roadtrip music - is there anything more important??
- Pack a tonne of band aids - I think its my biggest travel tip. I always have about two packets worth of band aids with me when I travel - you never know when you might use them - blisters, cuts, fixing things that break - there are 1001 uses for them.
- Pack the little things - When I pack I am generally like a drill sergeant in that I pack super light and simply throw away anything non-essential - and I am really ruthless about it. Well, I have come to the realisation that there are some little non-essential items that make me feel more human, and that's important when traveling and on the road! Case in point, at one point I refused to take a facial moisturiser, and instead only took sunscreen. Then it came to the second or third evening, and I had been slathering on this sunscreen all day, it smelt like sunscreen, I could even taste it on my mouth as it had soaked in during the day. I felt hot and sticky and oily and tired. I washed my face with soap and cold water before going to bed and I wanted to rehydrate my skin by putting on some moisturiser like I normally would, but my heart sank when I remembered that I only had the sunscreen. The last thing I wanted to do was put the sunscreen on again! I'm not the type to really complain, so I just used the sunscreen like I had planned, but ever since then, I have deemed facial moisturiser as an essential item!!
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