I can say that I have never driven continuously for longer than an hour while I’ve lived most of my life in Singapore. My country is not very large in terms of land area as compared to other countries. (I’ll be very happy to leave facts out of this.. I trust you to google :p )
To add, I seldom sit behind the wheel while I move across Singapore; I usually take the public transport which provides bus and train services. They are really convenient and makes almost every part of the island accessible (if there’s no breakdown or major traffic jams.) Hmm. This also means that my confidence about driving is pretty low.
So, back to the topic… I’ll like to share a small list of what we did to prepare, a little about our experience(s) while driving in the big apple.. and in the later part of this post, I intend to share about my top 3 things that I recommend to have on a long driving trip.
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My partner and I prepared for our driving experience in the big apple. We loaded up with inflatable pillows, cushions (just-in-case I cannot see over the steering wheel), and vitamin B supplements for energy boosts. Being a relatively small-sized and short Asian, I think this was crucial preparation. A mixture of things that we encountered & did as listed:
- We went economical; due to our budget
- Chose Hertz (although bit pricier, they have relatively newer cars) – What a shame! They didn’t give us any free upgrades!
- Got full coverage on insurance – because this gave me better peace of mind
- We prepared online and offline maps of wherever we went
- Driving is very different in USA as compared to in Singapore (different hand drive) – I prepared myself by familiarising routes on Google Earth, used visualisation, and sat in the left side of the vehicle more often while in Singapore
- Had more food and water with us wherever we went/drove
- Understood that it was ideal to get a continental car – they are usually heavier and feel ‘sturdier’
This list can go on…
Well, nothing ever really prepared me for the actual real-life driving. It was NERVE-WRECKING.
We ended up having no continental car to choose from; so I settled for a Nissan Versa. It was good enough for the entire 700+ miles that we drove. (With max speed of 95 mph and longest drive of 3+ hours. Of course I always kept to the speed limit +/- 5 mph as what a local shared with us to not exceed the limits especially while on the Interstate.) My partner helped me to navigate, control the air-conditioning/heating and radio whenever she could. Also, applied valor essential oil as well as 3 wise men on me to help calm me down, and fed me vitamin B while I was at the wheel.
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On hindsight, it was such an adventure! We drove from Phoenix to Tuscon, navigated our way to our destination (realising how different the distance a mile feels in reality as compared to what my metric brain visualises), survived driving in the night/dark with reflectors all the way to Sedona from Tuscon… Also made it out unscathed from driving onto oncoming traffic (what a road hazard I must have been! Was thankful for having empty roads when I had a wrong turn); and during the days we admired very beautiful scenery along the 89A in Sedona.
Well, I think driving long distance takes a lot of mental focus and peppermint essential oil helped me to keep alert and maintain my concentration. Water was also close on hand whenever I felt a little sleepy or my throat getting parched.
My favourite device was the Cruise Control on the car’s steering wheel. It freed my leg while it allowed my thumb to control the speed of the car like a game console. By keeping a healthy distance from the car before me, I also found that I had sufficient time to respond by cancelling the cruise control or tapping on the brake whenever the cars before me slowed.
GPS also made a big difference on the trip. Having an offline map on a phone with huge battery capacity was a large quality-of-life booster. For us, (offline) google maps was reliable enough in giving usable routes and rerouted whenever necessary. The online version however experienced a little hiccups and had some trouble getting a signal at times. I feel that the best way to utilise an offline map is to do your homework and key in (or star) all locations and destinations prior to your trip (if you’re like me and like to over-prepare, you’ll thank yourself for doing so).
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Yeps. That’s all for now… 🙂
I’ll like to inform that I’ll be taking a break from posting on OilisWell and focusing all efforts on Create Holistic Health.
It’s co-founded by my partner and I, and we have come together to promote holistic health.
Do check us out at www.facebook.com/createholistichealth
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Wishing all Mothers, an advanced Happy Mothers’ Day!
OilisWell 