Considering how much I loathe long car rides, even I was a little shocked when I proposed our recent road trip to Chicago. I’ll share the trip details in another post, but first, wanted to share some of the essentials we relied on as we trekked half-way across the country. There’s nothing like being in a car for 9+ hours to test your love — but we made it, and dare I say… had fun!
AAA Trip-Tik – A customized trip guide, courtesy of AAA. Yes, please!
Great sunglasses – I never appreciated a good tinted lens until I stared at cornfields in Indiana for 3+ hours.
Headphones – Because sometimes you just want to blast the Fever Pitch soundtrack but let him listen to his jams.
Blankety scarf – Perfect as a blanket, a pillow, a shawl…basically a must for car napping. So versatile!
Well-stocked cooler – The munchies are half the fun of a road trip.
Trivia/Questions books – To break-up the hours, these can be really fun.
Great road trip playlist – A given. But one of my favorite tweaks involves playing the “20 favorite songs of all time” game and alternating adding to your lists in real time using a service like Spotify. Once a song is taken, it’s gone, so you have to draft strategically.
iPad with downloaded TV/movies – When things got really tedious, I turned to Olivia Pope.
An honest-to-goodness paper map – Believe it or not, we used this when we got to Canada and realized we couldn’t rely on cell phones without risking expensive roaming charges! It’s nice to know that maps still, erm, get the job done.
Married with Style 