Road Trippin’

Recently I have spent a lot of time in the car. Alot. When done right, with the right people, road trips can be pretty awesome and in my case it was.

Check it out:

Nov. 19th – Austin to Hobbs, New Mexico (7.5hrs)

Nov. 20th – Hobbs to Pagosa Springs, CO (8hrs)

Nov. 23rd – Pagosa to Austin (14hrs…in one day)

Nov. 25th – Austin to Houston (3hrs)

Nov. 28th – Houston to Austin (3hrs)

= 35 ish hours

*HUGE shout out to Rabah for driving all but 3hrs of this whole trip. Is my driving that bad? Probably so.

Dec. 11th – Austin To Dallas (3hrs)

Dec. 12th – Dallas to Austin (3hrs)

*Thank you Lou for driving both legs of this trip, especially post competition*

Coming Up:

Dec. 23rd – Austin to Beaumont (4hrs)

Dec. 27th – Beaumont to Austin (4hrs)

Road trips are great because they allow independence, stopping when we wanted, coming and going when we wanted, etc. And it allowed for Chief to go 🙂

Below are a road trip suggestions…in no particular order:

1. PEOPLE. This might be common sense, BUT if you don’t care for someone, being stuck in a small space with them for a few hours, probably isn’t the best idea. Don’t even do that to yourself, it will make for long awkward hours. This includes your pet.
2. FOOD. Don’t rely on gas stations and drive thrus to have good quality food. Pack an ice chest so you can stop a rest stops to stretch your legs or have a picnic lunch. Collapsible/soft ice chest are great (amazon.com has lots of options)…the more you eat the less space it takes up. Below are a few food items that were handy to have (no, not all have to be kept cold which is a bonus).
   • Water by the gallon. Having a gallon of water to refill your water bottle was awesome (I was able to do this while R drove). The gallon keeps down the trash in the car and lets you mix stuff (i.e. protein powder) easily.
   • Beef Jerky
   • Pistachios
   • Plantain Chips
   • Nuts
   • Boiled Eggs
   • Spinach
   • Lunch Meat
   • Fruit
   • Premade Meals (Trader Joe’s has some awesome salads but homemade ones work just as well), just don’t forget utensils and napkins.
3. LISTEN. If I am not sleeping and there is no music, I’m going to talk your ear off. I would suggest downloading 2 of my favorite apps.
   • Casts. This app is worth every penny ($5.99). With over 200,000 podcasts available you are sure to find one that fits you, but might I suggest:
     • Serial
     • Invisibilia
     • Seth Godin’s StartUp School
     • Limetown
     • RadioLab
   • Audible. BEST app you will ever download. EVER. This Amazon Company has a zillion books on file, there is surely one to fit your taste. I am over the radio so I listen to alot of books not just when driving, but doing mindless stuff (i.e. cleaning, laundry, yard care, walking Chief, etc). I would suggest doing with Audible:
     • Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks
       
     • Get the gold membership.
       • Get one audiobook per month for $14.95/mo
       • Receive 30% off the price of additional audiobook purchases
       • Don’t like a book? Return it 🙂
     • Create a “wish list”. When books go on sale and they are on your wish list, they notify you.

              4. PRINT. As digital as we all are, I would suggest, if you are going somewhere new, and it’s out in                the middle of nowhere, I would suggest you print out the directions should you lose service. Store                  them in your glove compartment, no one has to know.

 

Traveling with pets? Here is what we discovered worked best:

1. BED. We literally picked Chief’s bed up and put it in the back seat and it was the best decision EVER. He rides in the car really good, but this was next level. 

1. WATER. Bring water for your pet. Chief has a collapsible water dish that hooks to his back pack that is used normally for hiking, but it works great for road trips because it takes up less space. Dexas Popware for Pets Collapsible Travel Cup, Small, Gray/Blue
2. REST STOPS. These are great if you have pets. There are open spaces and grass for them to do their business. Plus you get to stop and have a picnic from your ice chest.

Do you have anything to add? Or any good podcast? Safe travels to you!