Road Rules
...only for those brave enough to challenege the open road
1. Always, always, always tell a good number of people where you're going and when you'll be home. That way, they can cover for you if your parents are calling and they'll know when to start panicking if you don't show up.
2. Buy one of those pre-paid phone cards from one of the many convenience stores along your way or from Wal-Mart. They're a blessing when stuck without fundage. And, your parents will never get the phone bill!
3. Check into discounts through AAA if you have a membership.
4. When in need for directions, check out mapquest.com
5. Carry with you the trusty ol' book, The Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road by Cameron Tuttle, available at a bookstore nearest you!
6. Have a stash of oranges with you...not for eating, but for orange bowling or whatever it's called.
7. Take a bunch of friends that have the perfect mixture for providing endless amounts of laughter, excitement, and stories. I've been pretty lucky so far with the road sistah's, and Paul, that have come along for the adventures.
8. Make sure everyone is on the same page with calling shotgun.
9. CD's, CD's, CD's
10. Mix tapes...especially those by JordAN
11. Take plenty of pictures
12. Have a road atlas and/or state map handy just in case
13. Make sure that when in Cambridge you know the directions cause nobody knows where anything is even if they've lived there all their lives.
14. Pennsylvania is a damn huge state to drive through. Make sure you're ready for the long haul.
15. Fixing the alignment in your car is an unnecessary expense. Just drive it through Toronto with Atasi at the wheel. She'll find the perfect sized pothole to correct the damage that is done by Paul in NYC.
16. When going on any kind of mission, make sure that everyone knows the drill: duck when someone says duck and stay there...until the next alarm...
17. Tunnels are those really long things with lights in them, they usually run under water or through a mountain or something. They are not those toll booths you just might happen to drive through before entering the tunnel.
18. Having an out of state license plate leaves you obligated to be pulled over by just about every single cop that sees you. Make sure that you were doing the speed limit; explain that you're just a group of college students on a stupid road trip and that you're reaching into your pocket out of nervousness and the urge for some chapstick due to your addiction (cops don't like that reaching-into-your-pocket thing...).
19. Change your oil before leaving on a trip.
20. The main threat of hurricanes is wind and rain. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
21. While in Toronto in February, roll down your windows, put the a/c on high, and blast some great techno music. The locals love it. They all stare at you cause you're just *that* cool.
22. Don't let Jordan drive.
23. The sun sets in the west. Keep this in mind if you're supposed to be going east.
24. When the navigator tells you to take exti 14 or whatever, make sure you clarify in what state that exit is supposed to be in.
25. If people pull out of a trip for whatever reason, be in constant contact with that person, totally making up stories just to make them kick themselves in the ass for not going.