How to have a Successful Road Trip

Just got back from Hershey, PA- about a six hour drive. Here are a few things Matt and I have discovered to make a pleasant trip:

1. Save the caffeine for when you really need it. Otherwise, stick to water. Caffeine is a diuretic, it dehydrates you and makes you have to pee more frequently. Water will certainly make you have to pee, but not more than usual if you don't drink it by the bucket. It will also help keep you feeling refreshed and, obviously, hydrated, keeping headaches and general icky feelings to a min. Particularly helpful when stuck in a car.

2. Pack lots of healthy snacks. Our favorites are cherry tomatoes. Of course for tomato haters this one is out, but they are good for killing a sweet tooth and a salty craving at the same time, and also help with hydration. They're clean; self contained in bite sized packages with no disposable bits. Other things we've taken to bringing are nuts, dried fruit and granola bars. I was hoping to take some pre-popped popcorn this weekend but couldn't find any at Giant Eagle and was too lazy to pop my own.

3. Not to sound like a mom, but make sure your AAA membership is up to date. Mine had lapsed and I forgot about it until Thursday night (fortunately MY mom doesn't read this blog). I renewed it Thursday, but it takes 24 hours to take effect. Obviously nothing bad happened, but with winter coming it's a good idea to KNOW nothing will. The one time I did get stranded in the middle of nowhere I got a decent discount on the hotel room I had to rent and another the next day when I took my car into the shop.

4. Shuffle your music. It helps when there are two or more people on a trip so that some new stuff will be in the mix. Alternate between people to keep things fresh.

5. If you know the rout, plan stops ahead of time. Figure out where the decent places to stop are so you don't get stuck at a McDonalds. We actually didn't do this, but we got lucky on the way up and found a very decent Mexican place around Pittsburgh. We stopped there on the way back too.

That's all for now. Back to normal bloging tomorrow.