Entertainment / 10 Tips To Make Your Road Trip More Tolerable

10 Tips To Make Your Road Trip More Tolerable

Entertainment Jun 30, 2017

by Naemah Abid

It’s road trip season, so bust your road trip woes with our road trip tips!

Taking road trips with family or friends can be a lot of fun. But sometimes, as we South Asians like to do, we cram too many of us in a small car and drive around endlessly. Let us rescue you with 10 tips geared to making your road trip more enjoyable and less daunting.

1. Pack Snacks

If you’re not having a good time on a road trip, you’re most likely hangry (hungry and angry). Make sure you bring a variety of snacks for everyone. Ditch chips for potato-filled bread pakoras! These store well and taste just as good at room temperature. If you do crave something crunchy, then bhel travels well in ziplock bags. Even dare to try making Indian Snack Bars.

**Road Trip Tips: Indian snack bars!** Photo credit: myfancypantry.com

2. Catch Some ZzZzs

Feeling irritable? It could be the lack of sleep catching up with you. Be sure to bring along earplugs, sleeping eye masks and maybe a neck pillow so you can take a nap on the go. You can purchase one from Amazon for $12.97 CDN that comes with its own bag.

3. Pump Up Some Tunes

Fighting over whose playlist is best? Sit back, relax and leave the DJing to Gaana, the music app. Gaana radio allows you to pick a genre — from Bollywood songs to English hits. It has a vast music library and searching songs is a breeze. Best of all, it’s compatible with iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry and Android.

4. Offline Maps

If you’re travelling where you won’t have data, Google’s got your back! Google Maps allows you to download maps of individual cities for offline use. Even on airplane mode, all you gotta do is turn your location on and punch in the address, and Google Maps will guide you. You can search for restaurants, points of interest and the closest McDonald’s without Internet or wifi. Another really good option is MAPS.ME, which you can use offline and to manage your trips.

5. Play Games and Stay Busy

Bring along iPads and Nintendo DSs for the long drive. But what happens when the battery runs out? Be sure to give yourself and the kids a digital break. You can play old-school road trip games like 20 questions or name countries, cities or foods alphabetically. You’d be surprised how these games turn into conversations — the conversations into stronger bonds and everlasting memories. One really good option is to play the Canadian Trivia Game available at Walmart for $24.99 CDN.

6. Colouring Books

Colouring books take no space to store, and crayons keep well in a ziplock bag. You can take them out to distract the kids for some time. With crayons, if the kids colour the seats, you can wipe it right off. You can get colouring books for Frozen or Transformers available at Party City Canada for $1.29 CDN and crayons easily at the dollar store.

7. Story Time

You can’t really read a book on a road trip. There isn’t enough light, and an odd bump here and there ruins the magic. But you can listen to a book! The Audible app narrates books for you. You can listen to inspiration books and self-help books or maybe turn on Harry Potter to enjoy with the kids. The entire series is available on the app that you can access for 14.95 per month.

8. Restaurant Finder

Getting tired of coffee stops and eating at McDonald’s? Find restaurants in the area with LocalEats. Missing Indian food? Search by cuisine and let the app be your guide.

9. Emergency Kit

Traveling by yourself, friends or kids — you should always be ready to tackle an emergency situation. Having an emergency kit ready in your car is key. Keep flares, a torch and a jack handy for car-related emergencies. Also have bandaids, Tylenol and Pepto-Bismol handy for personal emergencies. You can purchase a ready-made kit online at various locations, including Wayfair.ca for $71.99 CDN.

10. Handle Those Parking Tickets

When travelling, it’s a nuisance getting a parking ticket in a foreign city. The brand new Ticketpay app helps you by letting you pay or fight a ticket with just one finger. All you have to do is have an account with your payment information, then either punch in the ticket number and date or take a picture to upload from your gallery, and the ticket is taken care of. Then you can continue to blaze your road trip trail with peace of mind.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.mesxp.com

Naemah Abid

Author

Born in Saudi Arabia and originally from Pakistan, this Canadian immigrant is all too familiar with airport life. After taking her first pleasure trip abroad post-graduation, Naemah was hit with the travel bug. Find this frequent traveller sharing pictures and experiences, offering up advice and tra...

COMMENTS

Best Dressed at Billboard Music Awards 2017 Red Carpet

ANOKHI TODAY Special: One-On-One With Priyanka Chopra Of 'Baywatch'

Our List Of Bollywood's Best-Dressed At Cannes International Film Festival

4 Key Ways To Be An Efficient Investor

Deepika Padukone Tops #MaximHot100 List As Hottest Woman Of 2017

Salman Khan Gets Closer To Nature By Launching Being Human E-Cycles

No Dad Left Behind: Our Fabulous Father's Day 2017 Gift Guide

The Hottest June 2017 Tech Gadgets You Need Now!

Our Hot List Of June 2017 Bollywood Films To Watch!

iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards Highlights 2017

Tips On How To Stretch Your Wallet During Wedding Season

Here's What To Expect From CBC Music's Two South Asian Web Stations

DIY: Music Festival Essentials You Need Now!

Hot July 2017 Tech Gadgets You Need Now!

10 Books By Canadian South Asian Authors You Need To Discover!

July 2017 Hot Bollywood Films To Watch Now!

Key Investment Tips For The Single Parent

IIFA 2017 Rolls Into NYC For A Seriously Glam Bollywood Weekend!

Our Best Dressed At The 2017 IIFA Awards

The Black Prince & 5 Other Scintillating Soundtracks Of 2017

Top 10 Coke Studio Songs That Have Become Legendary!

Priyanka Chopra To Produce New Show On Madhuri Dixit

Our Key 3 Hottest Tech Gadgets For Back To School

10 Bollywood Films Featuring Songs By International Artists