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Tildes, I'm going on a ten day road trip with my s/o, what are some things I should prepare for?
It's been about a decade since I had a vacation and I have a wedding to attend, so to kill two birds with one stone we will be traveling from Florida to New York by car. Me and my girlfriend of 7 months will be taking the trip together and its both of our first times taking a vacation in forever.
Aside from the more obvious stuff like toothbrushes, clothes and condoms (humble brag), what should I think about? After the wedding we'll have nearly a full week to do anything we want or go just about anywhere within reason/distance.
Here's what I have covered so far:
- Trip route is planned for there and (somewhat) back.
- Car oil changed, tires replaced, cleaned & roadside assistance available 24/7.
- Cat is taken care of, will be well fed and spied on via a security cam.
- Got lots of good snacks for the road, small cooler with water etc.
- Will be using airbnb or a somewhat affordable hotel most nights, we're not scraping by but we want to try and spend money on fun stuff instead of rooms.
- Got plenty of phone charges, plugs, etc for all our electronics.
- Got an emergency medical kit and a paper US map in the car (For fun, and just in case.)
So any suggestions, anything I am missing? Anything I can do to make the trip more fun for me and my girlfriend? Any fun road trip things to do between FL to NY would be nice as well!
Serious suggestions:
Word of advice: I don't know what it's like to drive down in Florida, but in PA, NJ, and NY people lose their goddamn minds as soon as precipitation hits the road. They completely forget how to drive, and most drivers in this area aren't very good to begin with; they're aggressive and think turn signals are optional.
All good on the car, I have a 2016 lease with only 20k miles on it and just had it fully checked up Saturday.
Good call. I lost my good pair and need a replacement asap.
We have not come up with a plan for the time split yet, but I do enjoy driving and have had a lot of inter-state driving experience so likely i'll do the brunt of it and she will cover when I am tired or want to dick around on my nintendo switch.
Blanket, good one to remember.. the girlfriend gets cold all the time!
Unfortunately no grenade launcher, but I stocked some red and green shells in the trunk just in case anyone gets close to my
kartcar.Good advice. :) And as for the precipitation its about the same here, everyone forgets how the hell to drive as soon as there's a splash on the windshield. That actually just reminded me to check the windshield wipers as well!
So does my wife, but the AC helps me stay awake.
Nice. Also, bring some magazines if you and your GF can handle the bad content:advertisement ratio. That way, whoever isn't driving can read a bit without draining batteries, but not read so much as at a stretch that they risk motion sickness.
That's surprising: doesn't it rain very often in Florida?
Since most of the actually important things are accounted for.
I’d get some podcasts or an audiobook to listen to.
My SO and I drove from NY to StL back and forth on horror podcasts and it made the boring in between parts of the trip way more bearable.
That's not a bad idea at all! Any podcasts you would recommend? (Preferably horror/legal/nerdy and not political.)
My wife is fond of "Lore" and "Real Ghost Stories" for the horror/weird niche. For nerdy you could try "How Stuff Works" and "Stuff They Don't Want You to Know", though the latter might dig into real-life/historical conspiracies.
As for audiobooks, the Penguin Classics translation of The Count of Monte Cristo (translated by Robin Buss) is a good long listen. Likewise the various installments of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Mic Dicta is a great legal podcast.
"Welcome to Night Vale" is what the spouse and I listen to on long road trips - there are 124 episodes to date.
Begin at the beginning, since there are a number of running gags which make more sense if you have continuity. It's usually just macabre and funny enough to keep you paying attention, and thus awake.
Thanks for the suggestion, we listened to 10 or so episodes and they were pretty funny and entertaining during some of the more boring parts of the trip.
Can you point me in the direction of the dog park?
Only if I can stop hailing the Glow Cloud.
And that’s why we drink. Is two friends talking casually about spooky stuff and serial killers.
The last podcast on the left. Three friends talking casually about spooky stuff and serial killers. Some of the gallows humor is ironic, off color (el oh el murder; to be fair it does take the edge off the gruesomeness, which I think is necessary to make it listenable), so heads up for that. It does get a little political when they speculate on why sex workers are often the victims of serial killers (full disclosure I largely agree with their arguments).
Lore. One dude. Pretty short, gets a little repetitive after a while, but he describes really spooky real life events.
No sleep podcast. Narrations/dramatizations of good creepypasta.
Pseudopod. See above. There’s also some analysis of the story which is good.
Creepypodsta. Narration of bad creepypasta. The operation is pretty low budget on this one.
Related to a small pillow for ya bum, here's a trick that I learned from a nursing friend:
If you put a pillow/cloth/towel/article of clothing under a single butt cheek, once you start getting some soreness, switch it to the other butt cheek. Supposedly it's how nurses and health aids help prevent bed sores, but I just know that it helps me a lot!
Thanks!
East coast isn't too bad for gas, i've done the Colorado to Florida mid-west trip and I definitely know what you mean though.
I'm lucky enough to have a very comfy car with "lumbar support" and all that goodness, but a pillow for the bum and neck can not hurt.
Most definitely. I'm also trying to download as much music off of my spotify premium as possible so I can go through no-reception zones without loss of sound.
On the way there we're going to play it safe and take the most boring direct route since we have to be at a wedding, but on the way back we definitely want to explore and get lost a little.
All very good things to think about, thanks again!
Just in case you didn't realize, I think Spotify caps the amount of content you can have available offline at any given time. I noticed a while back that albums I was sure were downloaded for offline no longer had the green arrow next to them. It appears that Spotify uses a first-in-first-out model with this once you hit a certain amount of data downloaded. Maybe that has changed though.
huh, I wonder about this because every so often I just lose my downloaded playlists and have to redownload them (android). I thought maybe it was when spotify updated the app but maybe it's some kind of limit?
Do you have a mount for your phone? If you're using Google Maps or something, a mount is indispensable.
I saw you're looking for podcast recs. Unresovled is a great one. I also like Lore and Philosophize This.
Also, be sure to talk to each other if something is bothering you. I know quite a few people who have broken up because of something that happened during a road trip, and it almost always stems from a lack of communication during the trip. Just some advice :)
Great one. Even if I use my car nav i'll still be touching my phone constantly for spotify. Off to Amazon to 2 day a mount!
This is a really great one, the only fight me and my best friend ever got into after years living with each other was during a road trip. It was like everything built up just came out over that 30+ hour drive. Communication is definitely key.
Depending on your faith in data coverage you might consider installing an OpenStreetmap offline map app (and wikipedia articles) for the area you're traveling through.
I suspect that for the most part all OP needs to do is stay on Interstate 95. They won't need the map until they get close to their destination.
Some cards/small sized board game like Star Realms go a long way to kill time!!
I drive long distances frequently and there's lots of good advice in this thread already so I figured I'd throw a recommendation your way.
If you pass through Richmond VA on your way (it's right on 95 about halfway up the coast) I always like to recommend Legend Brewing Co. Good beer, good food, amazing view of the city and quite convenient to the interstate. Depending on time of day and your desired activity level, there's a park called Belle Isle with free parking that is nearby and lots of fun to walk around. I like to stretch every 4-6 hours and it could be a fun but quick excursion for you.
That's just the kind of stuff I am looking for, we'll definitely consider adding that to a stop, maybe even a night there. It would be really cool to see the historical stuff there. Driven through many times but never explored the state. Thanks!
If you're a history buff, it's about a 90 minute detour (round trip) off 95, you can check out Colonial Williamsburg. It's pretty awesome and the historical interpreters are great, plus Williamsburg itself is just a cute little town.
Having driven from northern virginia to upstate ny and back many many times over the course of four years I have to ask:
Where in NY are you going?
What route do you have planned?
Do you have money for tolls?
What are you planning on seeing while up there?
If you can even if for just a day absolutely get up into the Adirondacks.
That park is the ONLY thing I miss about living up there.
I'll be going to Long Island for the wedding. My route is generally going to be I-95 up the coast via google with some modifications, but i'm open to suggestions. I have cash and a pass for tolls (which my gf's father let us use, very generously.) As for planning, we are totally open. Essentially we will have from Monday until Sunday to go wherever we want from Long Island and then get back to South Florida by Sunday at the latest.
Adirondacks would be pretty damn nice, but we haven't decided if we're going to North yet or travel south to get closer to home so we have less drive home overall.
Toll Pass
If its an ezpass you might need to register your vehicle otherwise you will just get a letter in the mail with a bill.
Travel
-NY-
If you are only going as far north the Island then the ADKs might be a bit far. Its a horrible 2 hour ride up to Albany on one of the most boring stretches of road Ive driven (87). Its then ANOTHER 1.5-3 hour ride depending on how deep you want to go in. It is SUPER pretty and there is a spot by Tupper Lake that is a black out area, meaning theres not a lot of city lights so you can see TONS of stars. There is also the Wild Center in Tupper which is super neat.
Oh! Also youll notice that common sense gets thrown to the fucking wind in NY as to how they label their exits. If ANY part of the road is a toll then the exits are marked sequentially. So Exit 13 might be 30 miles from Exit 14.
-VA/DC/MD-
On your way to and from back to Flurrida, youll be going through the Capitol region. Unless you are traveling through here in the dead of night its going to SUUUUUCK. I think this area is 1st or 2nd in the nation for traffic so bring some car games or audio books. If you can help it, dont go through here during rush hour. From Richmond to Baltimore its just cars as far as the eye can see.
If you want to stop and do stuff in DC, there are the usual stops: smithsonian, memorials, cheeto's office, and such. If you or the misses play Pokemon Go/Ingress the national mall is a mecca. You can find free parking if you dont mind walking a bit to where you want to go.
North of DC, off 495 is National Harbor, which has a bunch of stuff and a big ass ferris wheel. Stop there and get some overpriced but delicious crab.
-Richmond and below-
If you break east off 95 around Richmond and go toward Virginia Beach, there is Colonial Williamsburg if you want to see what it was like when we owned people as property. Also Bush Gardens if you want to get out of sitting in the car for hours and stand in line for hours at rides.
If you go all the way to Virginia Beach, youll find it a typical beach town with typical beach crap with some added military jets/helicopters doing regular fly overs due to the navy base there.
-NC-
95 is pretty standard here. You can break east and hit the Outer Banks which run the length of NC. I know there are some old lighthouses, an island with wild horses, as well as some sea turtle nesting grounds, and the Croatan National Forrest toward the bottom.
-SC-
Myrtle Beach is gonna be the only interesting stop here. Its another beach town but its a regular stop for big conventions/meet ups. Swing through and play a round of mini golf with some bikers or college kids.
-GA-
Savannah is cute town with some interesting architecture. There is also the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, but you are from Flurrida so its just another swamp.
When doing cross country travel, remember to eat at places that you wouldnt be able to back home. So no apple bee's or TGIFridays crap. Eat local and talk to the locals.
Have fun, take pictures, and be safe.
Thanks so much for all of this! We'll definitely be using this info for our trip back.
My pleasure.
Glad someone could use my rubber trampness for gain. ^_^
Get some audio books! One series that is surprisingly hilarious (and I think librivox available) is 'The three musketeers'. It's an absolutely beautiful thing to have going in the car, imo. Have a nice trip!