Always Bring Tissues
Tissues are helpful when you touched something sticky and need to wipe it off or wrap trash into it. It can help your runny nose should you ever suffer from one while on a road trip.
However, tissues are also a life savior when it comes to doing a number one in a bush. I know, at the beginning of your road tripper career you will say, "I have a strong bladder", "I would never", or variation thereof. But you will, and will have done - as I wrote in "Five Things Every Road Tripper Has Done": "It does not matter how or if, it is always going to be a question of when."
And the moment when this happens you want to be prepared with a packet of tissues. Furthermore, they're helpful should a service station ever run short of toilet paper.
Drink Enough Water
While the first point may have put you off from ever drinking another sip of water while on a car ride, please drink enough to stay hydrated. This can vary depending on the weather, your personal condition, and temperature. In the heights of summer when more than 30°C slam down onto my car, this is one liter in two hours for me.
This is important because the last thing you want while driving on winding roads or over 100kph on the Autobahn is dehydration or your circulatory system crashing. While you may not notice this directly, because you're not standing, it becomes obvious when your driving becomes quite sloppy ...
If Endurance Drivers Don't Stint For Longer Than Three Hours Neither Should You
Three hours, and maybe a bit, is the maximum for me. After this some part of you is going to be worn out, thus, making you drive sloppier than usual.
After three hours, stop at a petrol station, fill the tank, get a cheap coffee and stretch your legs. You can even take a nap on the backseat if it suits you best, and check your social media.
Just make sure that you take at least a 15 minute rest when the time comes.
Driving On B Roads Is More Exhausting Than Motorways
While this may sound silly because on an Autobahn you are going so much fast, I have discovered that I tire faster on B roads.
This has little do to with the speed but that there is so much more to do on B roads. A motorway doesn't even have traffic you could drive into because it's constructional separated, and the speed remains largely the same. Meanwhile, on B roads you have to change speed a lot when passing through villages, mind sharp turns, and overtake a tractor and cyclist once in a while.
Thus, making it more exhausting when you have to drive hours on it.
Sunglasses Are Lifesavers
They are not only fashionable they are also going to keep your eyes cosy. Personally, I have two pairs of sunglasses for road tripping: a strong pair which tints the world a bit, and a weaker one.
For sunny days when there is no cloud in sight, I always use the strong one. When it's a little cloudy or there is a kind of film covering the sky, I always use the weaker sunglasses.
But why? The simple fact is that staring so long into a sunny area is going to damage and hurt your eyes. Asphalt has this tendency to reflect light as well. Sitting inside a car lures you into a false sense that you are in a closed room while at the same time, you are going to stare into a sunny area for more than six hours per day. You would never dream of sitting in a garden during a sunny day without your sunglasses for six hours.
The way I tell which sunnies are the best is the "think crease" on the front of my head. When I am slightly blinded by sunlight, my brows draw together, from time to time I check in the mirror if I don't do this without noticing. When I do, it's time to switch up the sunglasses power.
What did you wish you had known before taking on your first road trip?
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