I’ve been driving without air conditioning to try to save a little money on gasoline. And because it’s the height of summer, things have been pretty friggin’ hot. My water bottle has been helping to keep me cool, and I’ve been filling it with ice water as often as I can. Where can you get ice water, you ask? Why, Subway, of course! Any fast food place will likely do. The important thing is that they have one of those self-serve soda fountains, where usually the lemonade or root beer tap also has a ‘water’ lever. Just walk into the establishment with your empty water bottle and ask someone behind the counter “would it be okay if I filled this with ice water?” 7000 miles and I haven’t found anyone say no yet. You just have to be nice when you ask.

Speaking of no air conditioning, you’re likely to be doing a lot of sweating while you’re driving for hours and hours in the sun. So I suggest designating a pair of shorts and t-shirt your specific driving clothes. Sort of like the clothes you choose to wear when you decide to paint a bedroom: make sure they’re comfortable and that you don’t care when they get dirty. Only wear these clothes when driving, and wash them out with water in the bathtub whenever you get where you’re going. Hang them to dry overnight and you should be good to go the next time you hit the road.

This has so many uses, I can’t even tell you. From being a good lap-napkin while you’re eating in your car, to simply wiping the sweat from your face, or getting rid of some of the condensation from the inside of your windshield (if the defroster isn’t working fast enough), there are so many ways a small towel will come in handy.

Keep a plastic grocery bag in the foot-area of the passenger’s seat. Now you don’t have to worry about trash accumulating as you try to figure out what to do with your kleenexes, or sandwich wrappers, or highway toll tickets, etc., etc., etc.

This is a personal preference, but hear me out. The last time I did one of these kinds of road trips, I stopped at a music store and bought two little egg shakers. They’re kind of like maracas, but without the sticks to hold onto. (and they’re the size of eggs) I’ve always enjoyed percussion, but I don’t play very well, and I’m particularly taken with the versatility of the shaker. They only take one hand to play, and since you only really need one hand to drive (if you’re careful), you can fully dedicate one hand to the egg shakers. With hours and hours of driving to do, it’s a fun way to pass the time while you’re listening to the radio. I didn’t have any idea how to play the shakers when I started, but within about two hours of driving I was shaking out some pretty decent beats.

Now, like I said, this is a personal preference. But if you’re clever, you can find some one-handed activity that suits your own tastes, that you can do endlessly while you’re driving. And the more you practice, the better and better you can get at it. (and no, all of you perverts, I would not suggest that one-handed activity! safety first!)

When even the cheapest motels can seem expensive depending on what city you’re in, it can be advantageous to find other places to stay the night. If you carry a pillow and a blanket with you in the car, why, you’re in a traveling motel! You’d be surprised how comfortable it is to sleep in the reclined front seat of your car. I mean, I’m not saying it’s a king-size feather bed or anything, but it’s really not that bad. The trick is to find a good and safe place to park. Fortunately, there are many truck stops along major and minor highways that won’t mind if you park your car for the night and rest your eyes. Look for Flying J’s, TA’s, and Pilot’s Travel Centers. Odds are that when you pull up to them, you’ll already see a bunch of trucks and trailers parked for the night. Join them and enjoy a decent night’s rest before hitting the road again. (and if you aren’t near a Travel Center, WALMART is another perfectly acceptable place to stop for the night)

If you’re traveling with a laptop, you’re likely to be interested in finding a good place to check your e-mail or browse google maps every once in a while. Fortunately, it’s not the difficult to find good Wifi to leech if you know where to look. Many hotels and other establishments now offer free wifi to their customers. Many of them provide a password for the wifi network when you check in, but there are a handful who do not tend to password-protect their networks, and these are prime for you to use. Merely pull up to the side of the building (it’s good to be as close to the building as you can get) and let your laptop find the network. I’ve had great luck with Super 8 Motels, America’s Best Value Inn, Panera Bread, and Krispy Kreme. You’re likely to find many others when you’re out there driving around–keep an eye out!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.