Going home for college breaks is so exciting, but the aspect of actually getting there is never very anticipated for me. Last year, I used to either bus or fly home because Syracuse University does not allow Freshman to have their cars on campus, but this year I was finally able to drive my car to Syracuse. Due to this, may I now drive myself home during my breaks, and the travel time from Syracuse to Maine is about seven hours. Fun, right?
The first couple hours of this travel is never too bad, although the next five hours after that are exhausting, to say the least. As I have made this trips quite a few times this semester, I do have some experience on how to get through it to my best ability.
1. Grab a coffee!
When I say grab a coffee, I'm really telling you to grab a coffee every other hour—or a Red Bull if needed. My drive usually goes something like this: I stop at Dunkin for a medium iced coffee right when I leave and drink it extremely fast. Then, two-to-three hours later I'll find myself at Dunkin once again, or McDonald's, grabbing another medium iced coffee to sustain me for the next couple of hours. With about two hours left of my travel home, I usually debate whether I am tired enough for a Red Bull (which I usually am!), which then becomes my savior until I make it home.
2. Roll the window down
The reason this works for me is because the travel to-or-from Syracuse is usually extremely cold. I find that the freezing temperatures help me stay awake until I make it to the nearest coffee spot, and the second I turn the heat back on I become immediately exhausted. I HATE cold temperatures, which makes this method very annoying, but extremely helpful at keeping my eyes open.
3. Call your friends
I almost put this first because it helps so much, but caffeine and ice-cold temperatures definitely keep me awake the most. Calling my friends on my long travels helps both pass the time and keep be involved in a conversation to prevent my eyes from slamming shut. My travels to or from school are always after either working a lot or cramming for midterms and/or finals, so I am sure you can see the trend of tiredness by now. My friends understand how exhausted I am so they're generally pretty great at keeping me awake via phone call on my long drives.
4. Download a good (and long!) playlist before driving
I have been using Spotify Premium for years, so this is my go-to method for staying awake and keeping boredom away—always. There have been too many times when I have forgotten to download new music on my Spotify before traveling, and it is truly the worst thing ever. Music helps me get in the zone to drive and helps immensely.
These four tips help me make it to my destination safely on every one of my road trips. I can definitely say that when I go back to school after winter break next month, I will be using every one of these methods for staying awake and entertained once again.