yupgift2u

I m learning driving a car. these tips are very useful thanks

killclimbz

What works for me and may not work for everyone, is trying to do a majority of my driving during daylight hours. I've done the Colorado straight through to the Bay Area thing a few times. I'll leave at 3 or 4 am, which puts me in the Bay by 10 or 11pm. You still have a lot of night hours, but only 3-5 on the tail end of your drive. If you're really motivated, a 12-1am departure would mean that you would arrive probably just after night fall. Just a consideration. When I was younger the driving through the night thing was more appealing, so maybe it's the better choice.

onefutui2e

i find that you should definitely moderate your caffeine intake. that way you don't stop as often to take a piss and as others pointed out, you will crash very hard if you take in too much in too little time...one time i was prepping for a thirteen hour drive on 3 hours of sleep so i drank 5-6 cups of coffee and 2-3 hours into the drive i felt like absolute shit. also, if your coffee is halfway decent and you can handle it drink it BLACK; i feel the powerful flavors and aromas do more to perk me awake than the caffeine itself.

having the right playlist helps, but i find myself tuning out to my songs since i'm usually so used to listening to them, so finding a good radio station can also assist in keeping you awake and alert.

and lastly, if you're going by yourself, have some friends call you randomly during the day (and if they're good friends, night) to check up on you and chat just to break up the drudgery.

wrathfuldeity

Know your circadian rhythm, you have general two periods during a 24 hour time that you are especially tired...mine are at 1:30pm and 4-4:30am. Plan for these two times and pull over and take a power nap 20-60 min and you will feel like you slept for hours.

I tend to get sleepy about 45 minutes in to a long drive and if I take a 5-15min nap at that time, I can then drive for hours.

Also check out about using some good quality rhodiola rosa

Rhodiola rosea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

__________________

AcroPhile

I put on 4-6k (10k one year) miles a year traveling between Denver and Chicago to visit family and what not. So here are my 2 cents. Maximize daylight driving hours. Driving straight through the night used to sound appealing when I first started making those 1000 mile road trips but I soon realized they are a LOT harder on you and sleepiness is always a factor regardless of how much coffee or energy drinks you consume. I used to work 3rd shift and thought I was used to staying up all night but the pre-dawn hours seem to be the worst even for a seasoned veteran. As far as listening materials go, I always load up the iPod with with audio books and podcasts. By hour 5 or 6 listening to the same songs you have heard thousands of times on your iPod will get pretty boring and having a human voice to listen to will keep you more focussed while you drive. Staying properly hydrated is critical so I bring plenty of water and other beverages. Lately, I have cut out coffee and energy drinks completely. I find that they make me feel "not-so-good" when combined with hours upon hour of driving. Other than that, I buy a pack of cigarettes. I almost never smoke cigarettes otherwise but I feel that they make the road trip a little more bearable for some reason. Probably not the healthiest option though. ....and that's how I do it.

AcroPhile

This maybe fine in places with less gun controls laws but I think this can get you in a lot of trouble in some states. Like California maybe? And probably most states east of the Mississippi. Unless, you plan on keeping it unloaded.

snowklinger

Law abiding Americans with guns dont give a fuck, never have, should, or will.

__________________
is it late october yet?

poutanen

I think VT and NH are full on open carry aren't they? But yeah travelling with a gun is a totally different topic. Especially if you're coming through Canada. When I moved to Calgary is was really fun walking through the airport with 9 guns though

CheeseForSteeze

Stay hydrated.
Take stops and walk around or do something every 2-3 hours. I sometimes will bring medicine ball and do a quick 5 minute workout. Get those legs moving.
Caffeine works, but you have to use it correctly. If you use it to push yourself too far, you can crash and crash hard at the wrong time.
Veggies and vitamins are critical. Those overpriced $4.00 Odwala green smoothies are like a powerboost and in conjunction with good hydration and caffeine can keep you feeling good for hours. Similarly, stay away from junk food, fast food and especially any food (Asian foods) with MSG in it.

Argo

I don't really care much, they might think it weird that I have a 12 gauge and an SkS too