4 Tips to Surviving Your Next Road Trip

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Pure Protein. All opinions are my very own.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I made a ten hour road trip to Knoxville, Tennessee for a family emergency because we had gotten the call that my father-in-law had passed away. We were in complete shock with our loss and our entire week was derailed and what plans we did have were immediately thrown out of the window. We did not have much time to prepare or to plan and to be honest packing was a bit rushed because we wanted to get to my husband’s hometown asap to see his family.

All of my business work that I had planned to do for the week, my workout routines, my meal prepping was all put on hold and derailed by this sad experience; not to mention I had to figure out how to brace a ten hour car ride with a 2 year old and a 3 week old. It was not easy, but I learned a few things along the way to help make the road trip a lot more sane.

Long car rides can drive anyone insane-that is why I have created a few tips to help you keep your cool when being stuck in the car for so long!

Here are a few of my tips to surviving a road trip without losing your mind:

Set a limit to how many hours that you will drive that day and stick to it. Nobody wants to drive for hours upon hours at a time and, to be on the safe side, you really shouldn’t drive that long anyway. Before leaving, decide on how you want to break the trip up. For example, before we left, my husband and I decided to break the drive up into half and to stop in Birmingham so we drove for about 5 hours, spent the night at a hotel, and drove the remaining 5 hours or so to his hometown. Traveling with little ones can be so hard and they are slightly less impatient than we are so diving the trip up into little increments can really help keep them tamed.
Take frequent rest breaks. Be sure to frequently stop to use the restroom, grab a snack, or to just get out of the car to walk around for a bit of fresh air. Being stuck inside a small, cramped area can really drive a person mad so taking frequent breaks can help to refresh you for the rest of the journey.
Stretch every time that you stop. For each break that you take, make sure that you stretch and walk around. Stretching helps to ease those aches and pains that you may be feeling while being cramped inside of a vehicle while walking around helps to increase circulation, leaving you feeling more wide awake. Besides, who doesn’t need a little sunshine?
Pack healthy snacks. Packing a variety of healthy snacks to choose from prior to leaving helps you to save from splurging on mindless treats and also helps to curb your cravings for something you shouldn’t be snacking on. I love packing trail mix, fruit, and protein bars, but during my most recent road trip, I have found that Pure Protein® Crunch in Peanut Butter is the perfect road trip companion. These little crunchy bite-sized snacks are non-GMO, gluten-free, and contain 10g of protein with just 160 calories per pouch. A bonus? My toddler loves them, too! Crunch is perfect for the afternoon slump, especially when driving long distances.

Road trips can suck and often throw you off of your game, but remembering the tips above can really help to keep you on track.

Your trainer and friend,