The further you get into your senior years, the more you may be seeing fellow aging compatriots falling by the wayside, metaphorically speaking.
You notice as people your age are having to yield up their driver's licences, or choose to let someone else do the driving. Who knows what the future holds for you?
Why wait to find out?
Seize the day, and grab your steering wheel. While you've got the keys, the licence and the drive, it's time for a road trip.
Give your car a once-over before take-off, just as you've done since you were a kid with your brand-spankin' new licence. You've always gotten off on the feel of the steering wheel in your hands.
You are no newbie when it comes to preparing your chassis and yourself for an extended drive to holiday land. Thankfully some things never change.
Still, like it or not, time may have brought a few changes over the years.
You may need to travel shorter distances between breaks, and breaks might be longer. In fact, instead of driving marathons from dawn to nightfall, you might stop at a few more hotels and get more sleep at each of them.
Food may be more of an issue than it was in your younger years. Keep your blood sugar stable by having snacks and meals on a regular basis.
Having a stash of food in the car protects you from long stretches without something to eat if rest stops or restaurants are few and far between.
You may be tired of hearing that you should eat less sugar and fewer processed foods, but you know it's going to make your trip more enjoyable if you knuckle under and do it.
Time has also brought some great advances in technology, since you were a kid with your first car. No more standing at the side of a road with a flat tire or an overheated car.
No more knocking at the door of a house near your accident or breakdown, trying to look safe and benign so the homeowner will let you in to make a phonecall.
Make sure you travel with a cell phone, so road side assistance is easy to hail, and neighbors don't have to be a wild card in your fate.
Map out your route beforehand, researching where you want to stay, and make reservations ahead of time.
Check out the Federal Highway Administration website to find out about possible construction and road closures, and to know where rest stops are, and to pick out choice scenic areas to incorporate into your journey.
A little preparation goes a long way toward making the road to your adventure smooth and wide open.
Sources:
Road Trip Tips. Over50web.net. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
http://www.over50web.net/personal-growth/travel/road-trip-tips
Stay Healthy on Road Trips. Babyboomers.com. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
http://www.babyboomers.com.au/travel-brochures-holidays/stay-healthy-on-...
Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger
Reviewed on May 21, 2012
by Maryann Gromisch, RN