The best part about a road trip is stopping whenever you want. Our number one rule is road trip with someone who is down for anything at anytime. Kelly and I have been on road trips since we were in elementary school, so we know each other's travel style more than anyone else. Another plus about traveling with each other is we are sisters, so our relationship can't be ruined. I know it sounds a little dramatic, but traveling (especially road trip style) really brings out peoples true colors and the outcome is not always ideal. You do not want to road trip with the wrong person. TRUST ME. Anyway, here's my two cents on road tripping...
Have a conversation with the person you plan to road trip with. After deciding on a destination make sure you figure out what each person wants to see, do and figure out what your role is. Role is very important. What can you contribute?
Who is the driver? Are you taking turns? Does the passenger get to sleep? If so how long? What does the passenger need to do? Kelly and I took turns driving. We had lots to catch up on so there was not a lot of sleeping going on. I don't think she trusts my driving ever since the iPad incident (she will probably share this story later) so she doesn't really sleep while i'm behind the wheel... and she doesn't like me to sleep when she's driving at night. The passenger should be in charge of GPS and digging into the cooler to get snacks and drinks, unless I'm the passenger. JK JK JK!
Know who plays the role of "DJ" and when - Kelly made us a playlist, but in West Texas internet isn't the best so 3 songs from her playlist worked while we were on the road. She will be posting that playlist soon... But when we road trip the driver picks the music or podcast. Here is the very short list of things we listened to while on the road.
- Fleetwood Mac - LISTEN TO THE WIND BLOW.....only half the songs on the CD played but we listened to this on repeat until I figured out I had a handful of songs on my phone.
- Sheryl Crow - Greatest Hits is my jam!
- Patsy Cline - We were going insane and Big Bend State Park Gift Shop had CDs!!! Praise The Lord! Fresh tunes to play on repeat.
- MURDER - This is what I would shout when I was ready to listen to a podcast because most of the podcasts I listen to are about murder and let me tell you.... podcasts make time fly by especially on those long stretches...they also keep me awake when I'm the one driving. The series we were obsessed with on this trip was Someone Knows Something Season 2.
Have a Route or Plan - Don't worry, it can be loose! Kelly had mapped out our original route and shared that over at iheartbueno.com
Even if we have a route to follow we are both free to say STOP, get out, let's explore. And we did! This is the benefit of road tripping and not flying. Talking to locals, stopping at a random thrift/gift shops, buying over priced liquor because the next town is hours away, taking pics in desert scenes, laughing at random signs, discovering ghost towns, popping a squat (Kelly has many videos), acting a fool and running around bc sometimes you go cray cray from being in the car for so long.
Use one card to pay for gas - one person should put gas on their card the entire trip then at the end divide straight down. Kelly and I didn't do that, not sure why so each time we were low we would take turns filling up. When taking long trips in an area you are not familiar with keep filling up when you get to half empty. You do not want to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere with no reception.
Bring a cooler of real snacks - I brought cooler full of topo chicos, oranges, rice cakes, marigold bars, and almond butter along with some other items just for the road. Kelly brought some yogurts, blackberries, raspberries, gummy bears and wine. Yes we also stopped at Buc-ee's to load up on more snacks. snacks on snacks on snacks. Snacks are priority for us. Bring Plenty of Water. Like Gallons. You never know if you get stranded how long it will take for someone to get to you.
Have easy access to your travel bag- this is the bag you have in the front with you, your quick grab. You should have cash in your wallet for emergency situations, wipes, hand santizer, lotion, chapstick, rose water mist, dry shampoo, vitamin c packs , phone chargers, journal, pen, camera, neck pillow, sunnies, elastics, bobby pins, tampons, advil, claritin, rape whistles, knife, needle and thread so we can sew new patches on our jackets. These are just my necessities on the road, hope I didn't leave anything out.
Know when to stop - If you are a girl I definitely recommend stopping at a hotel before it gets dark. You do not want to be alone on the road, especially in the middle of nowhere. What if you get a flat tire? Run out of gas? Get pulled over? If you are camping make sure you are camping at a state park and near other families, set up before sundown. It sucks that just because we are women we have to be extra careful or even deal with this but SAFETY FIRST Y'ALL. There are creeps out there.
Ok I think that is all you guys. I really hope this helps you get prepared for your next roadtrip. It sucks when you forget something but you'll get creative and figure it out. Do not forget to download your music, take a shower before you leave and get a good nights sleep before you take off. Be sure to follow along on IG @buenobrandi @iheartbueno to get updates for future posts and follow our next trip!
