Podcasts
I actually try to limit the coffee intake when I know I'll be pulling a long shift. If the wife will go to sleep, I can drive forever, she usually makes me stop because she's either tired or concerned that I am.
I love to drive long stretches, always have.
I love to drive long stretches, always have.
I drive an hour and a half each way to work and I've found that audiobooks really help me to keep alert. The narrators of the books make ALL of the difference in the world.
Between trips between Oklahoma and California when I was stationed there, road trips to see friends, and working all over North America for work, I feel like I have some practice with this to an extent. I also have sleep apnea, so apparently I'm always tired. I just thought this was normal.
I find that tobacco can be a huge boost when trying to stay awake if that's your thing. they do make non tobacco caffeine pouches or some silly thing like that if I am not mistaken.
coffee, being a warm beverage, tends to relax me too much while driving, and I dislike crappy gas station coffee anyways. carbonation really seems to do the trick for me, with that citric acid burning and your brain is having to react to a new sensation. I'll drink cold energy drinks and cold carbonated/flavored water.
Minimal food on trips(I borderline fast), unless its long 10+ hour trips and you have to eat a meal.I'll try to stretch my meal out as long as I can. I'll snack on stuff until I'm full. Again, mental stimulation is great here. If you feel confident enough in things, and can do so safely, doing things like dipping crackers in cheese/dip/whatever, getting graham crackers and breaking them down into equal sized pieces, using your fingers to peel the breading off your McNuggets, whatever. doing something new or different and keeping your mind engaged is key.
Rest stops are already heavily covered. My legs are pretty messed up, so regular stops every 2-3 hours, even if just for 10 minutes, are necessary. I'll get my legs stretched back out and the blood flowing. between rest stops, I tend to try and do my best to see the sights while driving, traffic permitting. reading every billboard, checking every persons license plate and bumper sticker, and counting road kill on the shoulder all help. Try kids road trip games, they work for adults too.
Music is great, but eventually, I'll get bored of it or it will put me to sleep. when I get to that point, listening to podcasts or audiobooks is great. I have found that audiobooks kinda put me to sleep too, but YMMV. I like the stuff you should know podcast for road trips, they cover so many different topics that everyone in the car is guaranteed to find something they like, and you get to learn things/have your mind engaged as well. Podcasts are great, and you can find podcasts on ANYTHING you can imagine.
I've had mixed success with it, but I heard a trucker say that holding a 20 dollar bill out the window is how he stays awake. If he forgets about it or starts to fall asleep, he loses 20 bucks. Good motivation. I do think that rolling the windows down for a blast of fresh air every hour or two is a great thing though.
I find that tobacco can be a huge boost when trying to stay awake if that's your thing. they do make non tobacco caffeine pouches or some silly thing like that if I am not mistaken.
coffee, being a warm beverage, tends to relax me too much while driving, and I dislike crappy gas station coffee anyways. carbonation really seems to do the trick for me, with that citric acid burning and your brain is having to react to a new sensation. I'll drink cold energy drinks and cold carbonated/flavored water.
Minimal food on trips(I borderline fast), unless its long 10+ hour trips and you have to eat a meal.I'll try to stretch my meal out as long as I can. I'll snack on stuff until I'm full. Again, mental stimulation is great here. If you feel confident enough in things, and can do so safely, doing things like dipping crackers in cheese/dip/whatever, getting graham crackers and breaking them down into equal sized pieces, using your fingers to peel the breading off your McNuggets, whatever. doing something new or different and keeping your mind engaged is key.
Rest stops are already heavily covered. My legs are pretty messed up, so regular stops every 2-3 hours, even if just for 10 minutes, are necessary. I'll get my legs stretched back out and the blood flowing. between rest stops, I tend to try and do my best to see the sights while driving, traffic permitting. reading every billboard, checking every persons license plate and bumper sticker, and counting road kill on the shoulder all help. Try kids road trip games, they work for adults too.
Music is great, but eventually, I'll get bored of it or it will put me to sleep. when I get to that point, listening to podcasts or audiobooks is great. I have found that audiobooks kinda put me to sleep too, but YMMV. I like the stuff you should know podcast for road trips, they cover so many different topics that everyone in the car is guaranteed to find something they like, and you get to learn things/have your mind engaged as well. Podcasts are great, and you can find podcasts on ANYTHING you can imagine.
I've had mixed success with it, but I heard a trucker say that holding a 20 dollar bill out the window is how he stays awake. If he forgets about it or starts to fall asleep, he loses 20 bucks. Good motivation. I do think that rolling the windows down for a blast of fresh air every hour or two is a great thing though.
I don't get very sleepy when I drive anymore. I used to. The last long road trip I took was when we moved my mother-in-law from Kentucky to Tulsa. Left Winchester, KY about 1:30 am and drove by myself for 14 or so hours. I was tired, but not really sleepy.
Energy Drinks, Vaping and make a game of it, who will have to stop first, the car in need of gasoline or my bladder. Last few times listened to Talk radio all the way with Sirius Radio.
Just drove home from Denver yesterday. Put the car on auto pilot and took a couple of power naps. 
I use mind games. I look at the mile markers and distance signs and mentally do the math to figure my arrival time.
I’ve also counted the stripes and compared with the odometer. 10 per 1/10 mile. 100 per mile.
I’ve also counted the stripes and compared with the odometer. 10 per 1/10 mile. 100 per mile.
I guess I'm lucky my wife does all the driving, I just hold the steering wheel!
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2007
- Messages
- 6,100
- Reaction score
- 1,565
Made several trips between here and San Diego when I was in the Navy. One way was was just over 1500 miles. With the wife and I switching out it was pretty much a 24 hour proposition to drive straight through. One trip we managed in 23 hours not counting time zone changes. That was more than 30 years ago, wouldn't even attempt it today.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Oklahoma City Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24 for Sale (NIB)- Latest: Big Bad Wolf
-
-
-
-
Oklahoma City Powders for sale: imr4831 alliant 2400 h4831sc
- Latest: Ready_fire_aim
-
-
-
-
