Roadtrippin’ has to be one of my favorite past times. As a kid, my parents drove me all over the U.S. and through each place we visited a memory was created. Summer ’17, I haven’t had the opportunity to road trip as much as I’d like, but that’s all going to change this weekend!
*Drumroll please*
‘Cuz I’m headed to New Braunfels, Texas. New Braunfels is about a 2.5-hour drive from Houston, depending on traffic and if you live anywhere near Houston you know traffic is sketch AF. So, I have prepared a list of Road Trippin’ Necessities for this 2 hour trip that may take 5 hours.
1. Find a Co-Captain: I have a love/hate relationship with driving by myself. Sometimes its bomb because I can drive as crazy and fast as I want without someone panicking. But sometimes it’s just right out boring. Like honestly I can’t sing The Isley Brothers- Contagious by myself. My Co-Captain would have to agree to be R. Kelly if they agree to Co-Captain-ship.
Size Matters: Depending on how many co-captains have decided to accompany you will make a difference in the vehicle you take. Y’all are smart enough to make sure everyone has a comfortable seat, but I have also seen 5 people drive across 5 states in a Fiat. So, decides what’s more important, cheap gas or leg room.
- Pay Yo Bills: If you decide to drive your own vehicle, understand that you are responsible for everything that happens to YOUR vehicle on this trip. So, make sure your insurance is paid on time, oil changes have been conducted, you’ve paid outstanding parking tickets, and you aren’t running from the repo man.
- If for whatever reason driving personal vehicles isn’t an option; you can always rent-a-car. Make sure you fork over the extra $10 a day for insurance and then neither you or any other co-captain will be responsible for the foolishness that may happen to your vehicle.
*Pro-tip: your personal credit card may cover rental car insurance; double and triple check the insurance offered by your card before declining with rental company though.
- Designate Jobs: This is one of the most important jobs before entering your vehicle for the road trip. Below you will find a list of suggested jobs and their roles:
- Human GPS- The driver should not be looking at their phone while driving, your job is to make sure y’all stay on course for the trip.
- Cop Spotter- AKA backseat driver. As annoying as you are, you will save the driver 100s of dollars by reminding them to slow down and pointing out sneaky cops along the route.
- Food/Potty Guy- Your job is to read the signs every couple of hours to make sure y’all stop somewhere yummy and clean to eat and poop.
- Red bull Friend – Last but not least the most important role. As the red bull friend, you are responsible for staying awake and keeping the driver awake for the drive. Your energy has to always be at 110/100. This also can be done via cellular device. Some suggested ways to keep the party going:
- Tell funny dad jokes
- Lurk on Instagram and report the news to driver
- Play a game: The License Plate Game, Ispy, etc.
- Carpool Carri-Oke: A road trip really isn’t a road trip if you aren’t singing to your favorite songs with your bestie while driving through the middle of nowhere. The car DJ has a huge role in regards to the vibe of the trip, if you mess up your AUX cord responsibilities you can have an entire vehicle of people mad at you. TAKE THIS ROLE SERIOUSLY!! Because I take my carpool carri-oke super seriously, I made a playlist to jam to on your next road trip. Click HERE to listen on spotify.
Give the playlist a listen! Are there any songs you have to listen to on a long trip? Leave a comment below.
