hit the road, Jac.

I'm heading north on Wednesday - the first of several road trips to take place over the next two months.  I've spent a lot of time on highways and I've found that preparedness goes a long way toward preventing the onset of insanity.  I figured since I had to make a list anyway, I might as well make it pretty and post it in case anyone else has a road trip coming up and needs a quick list to start packing.  Here are my essentials:

i. Audiobooks.  I was so against them until I was driving the sixteen hours of I-95 that runs from New York to Georgia several times every year.  Find something interesting enough to keep you entertained with a narrator that's lively enough to keep you awake.  I once tried to force Jane Austen upon myself on one of said east coast trips.  I was nodding off by the time I made it to Jersey.
My picks for this trip:
the Good Girls Revolt, by Lynn Povich.  How the women of Newsweek sued their bosses and changed the workplace.
the Casual Vacancy, by JK Rowling.  No explanation needed.

ii. Snacks.  It's apple season, so guess what I'll be living on.

iii. Music.  Obviously, good music is a road trip essential.  I like to download a new album and save it for a long trip.  I listen to it over and over until I know all the words.  I usually play it out and won't listen to it after the trip - which I know sounds awful - but months later, I'll hear a newly released single somewhere and it'll take me right back to whatever road I first heard it upon.
My picks for this trip:
Night Visions - Imagine Dragons
The Carpenter - The Avett Brothers

iv. Face wipes.  For quick refreshment.
I've been using the Burt's Bees ones and they're pretty great.

v. Comfy shoes.  Slip ons, because I usually kick them off when I drive.
My fall favorites are Toms cords.  Fortunately for me, mine arrived in the mail today :)

vi. Sunglasses.  I have made the mistake of leaving my shades at home and, let me tell you, there's no headache quite like staring at a road for hours upon hours while squinting into the sun.
I like the tortoiseshell Marcos, obviously, because I'm a TOMS girl: 

vii. Water.  I buy a giant case of bottled water and pack it within arm's reach.  A few of my road trip buddies over the years have argued that drinking a ton of water on a road trip is the worst idea, but I'm far more alert and a lot friendlier when I'm hydrated.  Plus, drinking water gives you something little to do and is a hell of a lot better for you than soda and snacking.  Oh, and stopping for bathroom breaks gives you a good excuse to stretch your legs.

viii. Caffeine.  When water isn't cutting it in the alertness department, a little iced coffee does the trick.  Of course, coffee is not exclusively essential to road trips for me.  I require coffee for work, going to the gym, going out at night and changing out of sweat pants.