How to Survive a Road Trip While Exhausted

After coming back from an amazing trip down to the Florida Keys and seeing many beautiful sights, I am very tired and ready to lay down and sleep for the next week, however that is not possible because I have an 18 hour drive to Orlando to run through in about two days. Here’s how to make it through if you ever end up in a situation like this. 

1. Energy drinks

Now this is not an end all be all solution, however caffeine and energy drinks are helpful if you need a quick fix after a long trip to ensure that you stay safe and keep your eyes open while you are on the road. Whether that is coffee, or an energy drink, anything helps. Five hour energy is good if you need a quick drink that will act fast. 

2. Pack your bags early

Come home, clear out your bags, and repack them as soon as you can. Wash your clothes and make sure that everything is good to go within the next day or to to make sure you figure out what may be missing in those in between days, as long as getting plenty of rest between the return day and the day back out on the road. 

Sometimes you may have additional help, but make sure you don’t pack the help in the bag to go with you, no matter how much you may want to. 

3. Be prepared to take breaks 

I cannot stress this enough. If you get too tired while driving pull over! Your end location will still be there no matter how many times you stop, and while you may want to push through because you think you can make it, your life, the lives of your passengers, and the lives of other drivers are not worth that risk. Just stop at a rest stop or a Wawa instead of continuing on. 

4. Get a lot of sleep beforehand 

Sleep is important. Especially if the time between coming home and leaving again is short. Without getting as much sleep as possible it will be dangerous to go on a long drive because exhaustion likes to kick in at the worst times, and if you push yourself too hard no amount of energy drinks will save you. 

5. Do not ride alone

This is a general rule for traveling whenever you can help it. An extra set of eyes could very well be the difference between seeing and missing a car next to you when merging, and may be the person who sees brake lights when you miss it. This person can also have the potential to take over driving should you need them to if you become too tired. 

My travel buddy is my boyfriend, and he helps to make sure that everything runs smoothly. I highly recommend having someone with you to spot you no matter what on long trips if you can. 

Long road trips can be fun, however they can also be very grueling, and doing it while exhausted is extremely tough. Next time you are in a situation where you have to take a long drive while exhausted, make sure that you are prepared for anything and remember that pulling over for a break is always an option.