Marg

I have a couple of long car trips ahead of me and I was thinking Fodorites might have some good suggestions for staying alert. One stretch is pretty straight and monotonous.

BTW: I can't do the caffeine thing (interacts badly w/another medication and kicks up my arthritis).

Syv

Myself and a couple others friends all find if you don't eat (just fresh fruit enroute) - you stay alert for driving much longer distances.

Window down, crank the tunes! Run around the gas station parking lot each time you have to stop & then jump right back in & keep on truckin'.

Have fun.

Kate

Keep the windows open or the a/c on, don't get warm and comfy!
Listen to music that is loud and fast or talk radio, nothing classical and soothing.
Don't eat much, a full stomach makes you sleepy.
Try to sleep before you drive, you will be wide awake.
Have a safe trip!
Kate

Jed

Sometimes I get so tired that my eyes want to close. The only thing that helps is to stop at a rest stop and put my seat back and sleep for 10 minutes. Then I am good for another 2 hours.

r-travels

Coffee, joe, mud, and more coffee. But since you've excluded that - I too go along with cool, find some talk radio that I really disagree with, or music that's not too relaxing. And I want conversation with passengers!

Years ago, when in the Navy, during long drives home, I'd sometimes pick up hitchhikers. If any of them tried to snooze, I'd immediately inform them that I only stopped to have someone to keep me awake, that nothing like hearing someone else snore to make the driver sleepy. Hitchhiking: a lost form of transportation!

Cathy

Try books on tape or cd. We are addicted to these on long trips.

Cass

Too right, r-travels! Love the idea of talk radio I disagree with (which is most of it)! And I, too, am sorry hitchhiking has become so dangerous that it's mostly disappeared. I used to hear some very interesting stories about riders and drivers.

I chew gum -- only time I ever do that -- but having my jaw working keeps me awake and holds craving for sleep-inducing fat snacks. I always arrive with a slightly sore jaw.

Another suggestion: comedy tapes -- stand-up comedy from favorite comedians (all a matter of taste, always).

Mike

Sun flower seeds. Your mouth might be raw by the end of the trip, but it keeps your mind alert.

JCE

squeeze a tennis ball,keeps the blood pumping.

xxx

If you are that prone to falling asleep behind the wheel, please do the rest of us a favor and let us know which roads you will be on and when. Thank you.

Owen O'Neill

Bring a pillow and a blanket and when you feel just a bit drowsy, find a rest stop, tilt the seat back and rest for 20-30 minutes. I saw the suggestion for 10 minutes but for me it's not enough. I carry a small travel alarm or use the one on my cell phone to wake me up. Sleeping for 45 minutes or longer leaves me feeling abit groggy when I awake. the short nap is just enough to really recharge the batteries for at least several more hours.

Marie

I make the trip between Minneapolis and Des Moines a lot, and agree with what some of the previous posters have said:

- Books on tape or comedy tapes or interesting talk radio - you want to listen to something that makes you think and keeps your mind active.

- I, too, will stop at rest stops and take a quick 15-minute cat-nap when necessary(I also carry a small alarm clock). After that I take a quick 5-minute walk - works wonders!

Walkie Talkie

Chit chat with friends on the cell phone, just not in Westchester.

Jack

That raises an interesting question: In which states is talking on a cellphone while driving illegal? Some allow hands-free talking, others prohibit it altogether.

Without taking on the debate about whether talking on the phone should be banned altogether, can anyone provide info on which states have what laws?

LordBalfor

I have to say that I learned what my limit is regarding how long I can go without sleep. In my younger days I was driving up the San Joaquin after going 2 days without sleep (long story). In any event, I drank lots of tea, turned the radio WAY up, opened ALL the windows -

Suddenly, I began to hear sirens. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw nothing (not even any other cars). Nor was there any cars ahead of me. The freeway was empty (it was early morning) - but I still heard the sirens. I even stopped the car, turned off the engine and stepped outside. I could hear sirens but could see no source for them (even though I could see for miles). Finally, I got back in and went on my way.

A little while later, I started seeing "shadowy stick figures" standing on the side of the road. As my car neared them, they would dart out across the road in front of me - then another one would appear further down the road. Though obviously not real, they refused to go away (very weird).

Finally, I noticed that I would pass a roadsign THEN see the words written on it (as if suspended in mid-air). It was WAY beyond time to stop. I pulled over at the next town (Redding by then) and slept 18 hours.

I never did that again. It's lucky I didn't kill someone. I learned that day that going without sleep is NOT an option.

Ken

Mr.

I just fall asleep when I'm tired and hope for the best. So far, so good. I always wake up in my destination so it works out great.

zzz

WHERE ARE YOU GOING????

Please let us know so we can avoid those roads that your narcoleptic self will be driving on.

Mom

While traveling with kids, have them sing "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everbody's nerves and this is how it goes" about 3,000 times.

That should work, if you can keep yourself from strangling the little ankle biters.

travellyn

- Good books on tape
- Loud rock and roll, Xmas tunes, anything to sing along with
- Hot or cold drinks
- Telling true funny stories about family, ourselves, or the children when they were little
- Short naps at rest stops
- Getting freaked out on unfamiliar freeway interchanges in the dark
- Being desperate to go to the bathroom, or having a passenger who is desperate

Ken

I assume the problem here, Marge, is that you are driving alone and have no one to keep a conversation going (let alone relieve you on the driving).
So: Get a tape recorder of some sort and dictate your memoirs or your thoughts about where you are or family stories that no one would otherwise remember or letters to people you haven't seen in a while and have a lot to say to them. Whatever.

If the wrong stuff gets said, you can always erase it when you get where you're going!