If you’re reading this now, that means Thanksgiving break has passed and Winter break is fast approaching. For most students, this means traveling to see loved ones and spending time away from school. If you’re a graduate student like me, odds are that your loved ones are far away enough where a flight is the most convenient option should you choose to go home (many thesis-based graduate students don’t go home due to having to work til the Tuesday right before Thanksgiving). However, driving home is still an option. Not a favorable option, but still an option.
For Thanksgiving this year, I drove from Texas to Florida to see my family and bring my dog home (and also mainly to have my Mom’s home cooking); and at the time of writing this article, I still need to make the drive back up to Texas to make it home in time for school next week. You might be wondering – “Wow that must’ve been a sucky ride, how did she do it?” or “Ooh I hope the dog is cute and getting lots of treats for this” and the answer is yes to both about the dog but you’re probably thinking of the former question. Truth be told, it did suck but it was surprisingly bearable. So if you’re preparing to make a long trip (~16 hours) like this for Winter break or just any reason, here are some things that helped me get through it.
1. Break up the travel time into reasonable chunks each day
It took about 16 hours to make it from College Station to my home in Florida, and while some people might want to tough it out and do a straight show, I knew that I couldn’t. That’s why I split travel time evenly between two days to 8 hour chunks which was more manageable, as that was basically a day at work.
2. Don’t travel alone
For safety and sanity, I knew I couldn’t travel alone. That’s why I brought one of my besties, besides my dog, to come down with me (she doesn’t normally celebrate Thanksgiving). It was great because I could have someone to talk to and also have someone do a little bit of the driving whenever I needed a break.
3. Pack enough snacks
Exits tend to become sparse along the panhandle, including places to get food, so that’s why we stocked up at our local H-E-B before setting off on the road. While I did bring a cooler, I didn’t want to have to depend on full meals in the car but small snacks work out especially when you’re driving.
4. Try to fill up your tank when it hits the halfway point
When I first started driving, I was told that the gas tank runs out faster the closer it gets to empty, which is why I decided to always fill up my tank at the halfway mark so that I wouldn’t have to worry about gas as much as possible. I couldn’t imagine being stranded on the side of the road so I wanted to prevent that.
5. Figure out where all the Buc-ee’s or similar gas stations are
Buc-ee’s are generally reliable for clean bathrooms and cheap gas, and also food but that’s not a requirement. Since there’s a good number between Texas and at least Alabama, you can generally space out your stops on that. If there isn’t a Buc-ee’s, Wawa, Flying J, and Pilot are reliable as well.
6. Book a hotel or other accommodation for resting between travel days in advance
Especially now given the holiday, booking a hotel can be hectic while on the fly. That’s why you should at least book one before you travel. We got lucky; my friend had a family member that we could stay with at the halfway point, but otherwise I would’ve booked extra early to avoid trouble especially given that we have a dog with us.
Wish me luck on the trip back. I learned what worked the first time down and will use it again. While this is not a one size fits list, I hope it can help guide you on your long travel plans.