Road Trip Tips & Tricks

I spend a LOT of time traveling during baseball season - most of it alone. I can't even tell you the amount of miles I have driven over the past 4 years. This season alone it is probably close to 2,000...not even counting air travel or Spring Training!

Along the way I have learned a few things that make life on the road easier, and I thought I would share!

1. Make a plan. Life in general is better when you have a plan to work from, and travel is no different. I like to plan my packing list a few days ahead of time then pack the day before, so nothing gets left behind. I also make a plan for where I will make food, restroom, and fuel stops on the road. I have found that if I look up good stopping points in advance I won't have to end up using a sketchy little gas station bathroom just to find out I could have driven another 15 minutes and been at a nice clean Starbucks or Chick-fil-A instead ;) 

2. Pack smart. I am a huge huge HUGE fan of packing cubes! You can get them on Amazon for pretty cheap. I like to organize by tops, pants, socks & underwear, and such. Having things separated by category helps to avoid my suitcase turning into a clothing explosion in the hotel room. As mentioned above, I like to make a thorough packing list in advance, and then pack everything except for my travel outfit and toiletries the night before. Anytime I try to pack on the day of travel, I forget things! 

3. Sleep. I am not the kind of person who can survive just fine on a lack of sleep. I *need* 8 hours. But we all know sleeping in hotels can be a struggle. Some things that help me immensely are using a sleep mask, playing white noise sounds on an app on my phone, essential oils, and bringing my own pillow. Maybe I am a diva, but I reallllyyy love my own pillow and sleep much better with it! 

4. Hydration is crucial! I can tell a huge difference in how I feel when I am dehydrated. And unfortunately, I basically don't drink any water on driving days because I like to stop as little as possible. For example, I stop just once in the middle of my 8 hour drive between Corpus and Frisco. I try to drink one full water bottle within the hour before I stop. Because of this, I am always pretty dehydrated at the end of the day! To help combat that, I try to drink extra water on the days before and after traveling. Staying hydrated helps me feel and sleep much better in general. 

5. Bust the boredom. I don't know about you, but I just can't listen to the radio for more than an hour or two until I am bored and need something a little more stimulating. I like to use my drive time for making phone calls, and then I tune into podcasts! My favorites are anything that is true crime, right now I am loving Up and Vanished - the season finale is coming out soon and I am so anxious for it! There are TONS of podcasts on literally any subject you could possibly want to hear about, so check into that before your next trip.

6. Things to keep handy in the car: A bottle of water, Advil (my neck and shoulders start hurting a few hours into a drive), protein bar or snacks, phone charger...What would you add?

Just a few things that make a difference for me! What are your road trip tips?