Road trips are a right of passage. Whether it's a road trip to visit a friend at a different school, a road trip to a music festival, or just a road trip to your hometown from your new residence, you haven't really lived until you've loaded up a car with your friends, snacks, and hit the open road.
1. Create a few different playlists
Nobody likes hearing the same thing over and over and over and oh look your copilot has flung themselves out of your car. Give each decade it's own playlist, so when you're done nailing the harmonies of the backstreet boys you can transition into Aerosmith and Celine. It's important to remain eclectic and understand that there is a time and a place for every type of music, and in the car for extended periods of time is the time and place to listen to them all.
2. Bring all the snacks
Variation is key. You're trapped in a car for hours, so while at the beginning of the trip you might want those barbecue chips, by the end of the trip you might want sour patch watermelons. I read somewhere that calories don't count on the road, so focus on what you can eat on the road with minimal to no mess.
3. Collect napkins at every stop
You never know when you're going to need a napkin, literally never know. You could spill, get a runny nose, a nose bleed, who knows. There is no such thing as too many napkins. At the end of the trip if you have too many--as if there is such a thing--you can always toss em.
4. Stay hydrated but not too hydrated
Hydration is important, but unless you're cool with pulling over every hour to use the bathroom you don't want to be overly hydrated. Keep it to one of the really big gulps every 3 hours, your bladder will thank you.
5. Caffeine is a major key
Get rid of the people who tell you that you drink too much caffeine. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life, and you certainly do not need them on your road trip. Caffeinated roadtrippers are happy roadtrippers. Stop at every Dunkin, Starbucks and Wawa you see.
6. Take turns driving
Don't be that jackass that rides the whole time, offer to drive. The driver might be a control freak and turn you down, but at least you've offered. And same for the night shift; split it up. You won't need an entire 3 days to recover from being wrecked driving through the night.
7. Games, Games, Games
Play all the road trip games. Collect all 50 license plates, find the alphabet, never have I ever, F**k, Marry, Kill, google new ones, it doesn't matter. Just anything to break up the monotony of the blacktop.
8. LISTEN TO ALTERNATE ROUTE SUGGESTIONS
As creepy as the all knowing power of Siri is, your girl knows whats up when she suggests an alternate route. Take it, take it, take it, take it. You might be creeped out by the abandoned road she takes you down, but anything beats looking at a sea of brake lights.
9. Bring a toll pass
The time saved not digging for change, and the express lanes make every cent worth it. No getting out of the car for a missed change bucket, no taking up a collection to get over the $14 bridge.
10. Majority rules
If 75% of the car wants to pull over and see the world's biggest ball of yarn, you got outvoted and you're going to see that ball of yarn. Suck it up buttercup. The group's happiness is important, and fairness is key. If you have to set up alliances, so be it, but democracy over everything. And if there is a tie, rock, paper, scissors solves all.
Road trips are fun, they are a great chance to get to know people better, and they are an adventure. Just don't be a road trip grump, and understand the importance of the democracy of the vehicle.
