Therefore, I thought I’d include this post in my holiday-themed blog post series. 

Without further ado, here’s how to survive a stupidly long car journey. 

(Although not as the driver, because I don’t know how to drive, also most of this can be applied to other forms of travel). 

1. Preparation

• There is nothing more exhausting than travelling for a long time, so make sure you’re prepared with plenty of rest before the journey. 

• Make sure you’ve got a comfy and organised area in the car. Snacks and drinks need to be easy to reach.

• SNACKS! The most important part of any journey is the snacks. Stock up on your favourites and make sure to have some sandwiches or something worthy of a meal if you’re not planning on stopping for food. 

• Don’t forget to bring plenty of drinks. Water is essential but add some other drinks on top of that if you fancy.

• Charge all your gadgets the night before – especially if you need them for directions. 

• Don’t forget headphones, a charger and portable battery pack, maybe a good book and anything else you need to keep yourself amused. 

2. Starting the Journey

• If you’re a coffee addict like me, you might be tempted to fuel up on a lot of coffee before and during the journey. Don’t, you’ll need to wee a lot. Drink coffee when you fancy, but if you have too much you will feel the repercussions later on. Trust me, I’ve experienced it so you don’t have to. 

• Stick on the tunes. Music is essential for any long journey. If you have a playlist to get you in the mood for your holiday then go for that. 

• Get comfy, and keep everything fairly organised. Without a doubt, you will end up temporarily misplacing a lot of things throughout the journey and coats and jackets and bags will end up everywhere. Regardless, try and keep everything in a suitable place within your reach for as long as possible.

• Keep your rubbish in one place, maybe a plastic bag to keep it all in. 

3. On the way

• Stop off as often as you need. When you stop, stretch your legs, use the toilet and if necessary buy more snacks and drinks. 

• Switch up the music every so often. If you stick to one genre or artist for too long you’ll probably get bored. 

• Eat. Snack throughout the journey, but also try and have something that is distinguishable as a genuine meal – bonus points for doing this in your destination’s time zone. 

• If you’re not driving, take a nap if you feel like you need one. Try not to take too long of a nap at a strange time but little doses will keep you feeling refreshed throughout. 

4. The Last Leg

• You’re nearly done so keep doing what you’re doing!

• Really get some good songs on, keep the morale up-beat, because the last bit of the journey is often the hardest, especially for the driver. 

• Don’t feel like you’re too close to take a break. If you need to stop off then make sure you do. 

5. The Arrival

• Take some time to celebrate the true beginning of your holiday, but also some time to unwind before bed (assuming you arrive late at night, though a short nap would be useful even if you arrive in the middle of the day). 

• If you can bear it, unpack as much as you can, you’ll appreciate it later. 

Et voilà ! How to survive a 12 hour car journey, as described by me.

Hopefully I’ll make your travels a little bit easier next time you take a long trip.