Dontmakemestop

Hi we are driving about 1100 miles from Wis to the south east.....2 adults...anyone have any suggestions on how to make a car trip bearable? We'll probably drive 600 miles a day.....

stephanie

Hello. We frequently drive across the state of Kansas to the Rockies in Colorado which as I'm sure many know can be very dull and long! More than once we have listened to the voyages of Lewis & Clark on tape. It's a narration of the actual journals kept by the men on the voyage. We were so immersed in listening to it that time just flew, and we even listened to it twice because it was SO good. If you're interested in that kind of stuff I'd really recommend those tapes.

Lewis & Clark: The Journal of the Corps of Discovery narrated by Ken Burns. It has 4 cassette tapes and is 4 hours long.

Now, it's up to some other posters to fill in the rest of your time after the tapes are finished!

Good luck!

Cass

I have survivedlong solo drives by renting (or buying but they're pricey) books on tape, too, but I go for the mysteries -- Spencer, Paretsky, Grafton, Cornwell, and some other personal favorites. I find that other kinds of books can just put me right to sleep, esp. if read by someone with a soothing voice. The mysteries tend to be read by actors who can keep things lively, and the suspense keeps me from falling asleep. The miles just fly by.

Have also enjoyed some humor tapes -- Steven Wright, Fannie Flagg, etc.

Finally, you might consider taped-books about your destination if you've never been there: e.g., if heading to Savannah, try Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; if to the Outer Banks, perhaps Prince of Tides or another I liked better but whose title escapes me this morning.

Re: Food: If you take nibbles in the car, make sure they crunch -- also will keep you awake! And make an effort to dine in non-chain restaurants, ones that seem to reflect the local community. There's something so dismal about driving for 600 miles and then eating in the same restaurant you could have eaten in at home.

rqf

Book tapes are quite good for long trips. Also have "munchies" along in the car.
Also set a regimen when driving if there are two drivers. Whether tired or not change drivers every two hours. The stop to change gives you the opportunity to stetch your legs

Chuck

You can get books on tape at your local library now. When I drive long distances I like to listen to old time Rock and Roll, not oldies but kick butt rock and roll. Good old driving music with good bass that will keep you humming along.

Monique

I have a car with a built in TV and vcr. It has wireless headsets so the driver can still listen to the radio or listen to the movie while someone else is watching. We rent movies and the time flies by. I love it. I think you can buy one that is not built in for around $200. I know for a fact you can get a little color tv with a vcr for under 150 that plugs into the lighter.
That's what I would do but not in an area I hadn't been before. I have never driven all the way across country and I wouldn't want to miss anything.

Jane

My husband and I did 2 cross country trips and he hates books on tape. We took the cards from Trivial Pursuit and quizzed each other and the first to get 20 right wins - passes time quickly. I know it's old, but license plate bingo and 20 questions are fun.

Arewethereyet?

Hi All! Thank you so much for all the great suggestions. We have a laptop w/ DVD player too...so maybe we'll even watch (or "listen to" for the driver) a couple of movies. The books on tape idea is great...as well as the Trivia...
Thanks Again !! Any other Thelma and Louises out there??

cheryl d.

My husband and I listen to CDs, sing along, read to each other (non-driver reads to the driver), play 20 questions. We haven't yet tried books on tape, but that sounds like a great idea, too.

Barbara

The Harry Potter books on tape are great fun to listen too while traveling - seniors to toddler enjoy them. The narrator does a great job.

Cindy

Fly...don't even deal with the boredom. We flew last weekend and had no problems (outside of the normal "queasies" you would expect right now).

Josey

We have driven a couple of times from Ohio to Las Vegas (northern and southern routes)and from Ohio to southern and southeastern cities anc never find it boring. We spend time watching the various landscapes and farming along the way.

At times we have had Fodor or Frommers travel books along and read from it about the state we are traveling through. Or we've had AAA trip tics and the non-driver reads what's on the back to the other so we know what each area is noted for. Helps us with the geography of the country too. Marvel in the rolling hills of Iowa, or the mountains of Tennessee, or the flatness of Florida. Notice where the horse farms are in Florida and where the peaches and pecans grow in Georgia. Enjoy our country.

wants

Does anyone know of a company who rents portable DVD players?

S

We frequently take long trips to in-laws and on vacation. For these trips (and to pull our RV) we have a large 15 passenger van. The last seat is out permanently for storage. The first bench seat is out semi-permanently. My husband built a stand for our TV/VCR combo which we bolt to the floor. We plug the TV into an inverter which we've wired directly into the fuse box. The headphone connections are run up under the seat. We make long trips with the girls watching whatever movie they want. My husband and I take turns driving and resting. We've discovered that books on tape are awesome on the road. However, there's a drawback. If it's a really fascinating book, you need to turn it off as you go through major cities or near the turn-off for a highway change, especially if it's late at night and everyone else is asleep. You can find yourself paying attention first to the traffic, second to the book, and third to highway signs.

TC

We read the National Enquirer, Star, People, USA Today (and other dentist's waiting room literature) to each other out loud. The first two are so hysterically funny in their reporting of the "truth" that we nearly drive off the road laughing at times. The serious precaution we take is a hard & fast rule that neither drives for more than one hour at a time. In this way, we're sure to stop and stretch our legs (good for the circulation) and no one gets drowsy while driving before asking for relief. The non-driver is also prepared for his/her turn to drive. In my off hour, I'll read a bit, converse a bit and then usually nap for 10-15 minutes in preparation for my turn at driving. My husband was one to drive until he'd nearly fall asleep before asking for relief and it seemed that just about the time he needed help, I could hardly keep my eyes open. This way everyone knows what to expect. It really works for us and I feel much safer on our cross-country drives. We also take very few snacks in the car preferring to stop to eat. Even if its only a fast food or a drive-thru ice cream, we enjoy getting a break from sitting in the car. Hope this helps.

Les

We live in Denver, so any drive easterly involves God-awful Kansas. But the drive you'll be taking is through some pretty and interesting country. I never find that type of driving boring. I love seeing the countryside. Just avoid driving after dark, and boredom shouldn't be a problem.

LinBeck

Do you really have to drive 600 miles/day? My husband and I drove across country from New York to California a few years back, taking a southern route out and northern route back. This way we avoided Kansas completely! We only drove about 6 hours/day on average, stopping early to enjoy TV or a swimming pool. My best advice is to eat your big meal at lunch time rather than in the evening. It's cheaper and you don't usually have such a long wait. Then find some place quiet to take a nap - especially if you're planning on driving late. Also to avoid traffic jams in large cities, we planned travel through them between 3-4 AM. Happy trails to you!

Dick

Well, I for one am quite GLAD I drove through part of Kansas from the East Coast on the way to California because it turned out to be quite a big surprise driving through some really beautiful, mountainous scenery!! I'm talking about Lawrence, Topeka and Kansas City and God knows where else beyond that. Yes, it eventually turned into the "The Wizard of Oz" after awhile, but I'm really glad I had a chance to discover this beautiful portion of Kansas which I will never forget!!

dan woodlief

Well, being a NC native and former long-time Wisconsin dweller, I have done the drive twice (flew countless times). I don't know where you are going in the Southeast, but 1100 miles is almost the exact difference we had between Chapel Hill and Madison. Food works well. My co-workers gave me a bag of goodies the day I moved back to NC, and even though I had had about two hours sleep the night before, I was able to drive to central Indiana the first evening with no problem. Frequent stops and lots of music or books on tape would be great, in addition to lots of conversation. Normally, I would suggest taking a scenic route, but that may be hard. The only scenic part of our trip was just after passing Cincinnati, when we reached the Appalachians - then it became fun. 600 miles is a lot for one day; believe me I know because we drove from Asheville to Rockford when we moved to WI, and we were all exhausted.

Badgerfan

Thanks again for all the good advice! We are actually going to
Asheville first....then the Myrtle Beach Area. We don't really have to
drive that much in one day...we can actually play it by ear...now if he'd just let ME drive once in awhile.....
This will be our 3rd year going to Asheville.....but first going to Conway NC. Happy Trails!!