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How to Survive a Long Car Ride

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Spending the last week of summer in a town like Savannah, Ga. with family has been nothing short of an adventure. From boogie boarding to riding in the back of a hearse to getting some Southern grub in my mouth, I could not imagine a better way to spend my last week with my family before heading back to the Paign. While Savannah has been real, tomorrow I will drive across the swamps of the South, the smokiest of mountains and the least inhabited of towns before making it back to sweet home Chicago.  A lot can go on in 18 hours, so that’s why I am going to tell you the top five things to do while you’re stuck in your car with your family.
 

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The Name Game
 
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this gem of a game, the name game is actually quite simple. You say the first and last name of someone famous, and the next person must think of a name of someone famous whose first name begins with the same letter as the last name of the previously chosen celebrity.
 
iSurvive
 
Maybe Grandma and Mom are in the front seat listening to Pierce Brosnan recite last installment of the Millenium series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, on AudioBook. It’s a good time to pull out your iSurvival Kit of media players and play your guilty pleasure playlist of Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and N*Sync.
 
Catch some Shuteye
 
Driving through the Midwest is about as exciting as watching ice melt. Sleeping will not only keep you refreshed and ready to go upon arrival, but it also passes the time without you even noticing.
 
Read Onward.

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On the way to Georgia, I spent 18 consecutive hours reading Starbucks’ Onward by C.E.O. Howard Schultz. It was inspiring and made me feel like there’s a whole lot more to life than an SUV. Reading a book about my guilty pleasure, Starbucks Coffee, was anything but boring.
 
Have a Harry Potter Movie Marathon

 
From the Sorcerer’s Stone to the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, a Harry Potter movie marathon is a great way to pass the time — and you don’t have to feel like a nerd while you do it.
 
There’s not too much you can do while spending a lot of time in the car, but it is well worth it when you reach your destination. 

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!