By Lindsay Garric Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Nov 08, 2013 at 7:54 AM

After driving my 12-year-old front wheel drive SUV 2241 miles in three days through a nasty autumn storm system, I consider myself fit to give a bit of advice on how to road trip like a boss.

This was not my first ro(a)deo.  

I have done similar (in terms of mileage) car voyages six times before in pleasant summertime weather. Sometimes alone, thrice accompanied humans and always with a canine in tow.

This time I ventured out with the original "Beasto Blanco," Sookie (the big, white Boxer dog pictured) in the old Chevy Blazer packed to the gills with my must-have survival amenities. 

This road trip was a one-way venture and I’d be arriving to an empty locale that I’d basically be camping out in so, I needed the basics like a blow-up mattress, bedding, towels, cooking implements, cleaning supplies, clothing, toiletries, a foldable desk/chair, my houseplants and all of Sookie’s humungous must-haves including her 40-pound tub of food and luxurious bed.

Seeing as I survived my trip and arrived exactly where I supposed to, when I was supposed to, in spite of the weather trying to intervene, I’m going to give you some sage road trippin’ counsel – a lot of which I did not follow on this trip and/or learned the hard way.  

So, let me make the mistakes for you and heed the following:

1. Plan Ahead

  •  Map out your path manually and print it because your GPS may not work at all times.
  •  Check the weather. Oops – somehow I forgot to do this, so that storm was a big surprise.
  •  Set daily mileage goals and do your best to stick to them, but go OVER if you underestimated.  Doing 100 extra miles my first day turned out to save a lot of grief day two – where I lost two hours due to traveling east. I could tell around noon day one that I was ahead of schedule, so my husband researched a stop 100 miles further east than I had originally planned, canceled my existing hotel reservation and booked a pet-friendly hotel in the new destination.
  • Factor in time zone changes. (See above.) Losing and gaining hours can mean losing or gaining about 70 miles toward your destination per hour. 
  • Book hotels ahead of time instead of winging it – especially if you have a pet. You’ll likely get a better rate booking in advance and feel better knowing where you are going to lay your head each night. (Also, be aware of cancellation policies in case you have a change of plans, as I did.)
  • Set up a phone support system. Tell people where you are going and let them know you want periodic phone calls. The calls break up monotonous miles and it’s fun to answer affirmatively when family members check in to ask if you happen to be "in that windstorm they saw on the news."
  • Call your credit cards and let them know you will be traveling. Sometimes they will suspend your account if they see strange, multiple location activity with no advance warning. That totally sucks when you are trying to get a full tank of gas in Nowheresville.

2. Prep Your Vehicle

  •  Get a pre-trip complete vehicle inspection. Safety first, people! Be sure your tires are square and your wipers are on point.
  • Stock snacks, water and drinks (for you and your pet.) This particular trip I was major hardcore about minimal stops. I never pulled over for breakfast or lunch. I ate from my stock of snacks (mostly fruit) and sometimes picked up a beverage while the gas pumped. (Even this health nut treats herself to a Diet Mountain Dew when necessary.) Dark chocolate covered almond and dried cherry clusters were my special indulgence at fading moments. Sookie continually feasted on duck jerky and Pizzle Sticks. I only stopped three times total each day, the last of which was at my evening’s destination where I would fill up my tank for exodus the next morning. 
  • Load up your iPod with music and audio books for entertainment. Always meant to read "War and Peace?" Well, this is your chance to listen to it.  Unless you have satellite radio, come prepared because amazingly - there are still stretches of highway with nothing but static on the dial.

3. Prep Yourself

  • Enjoy a great meal and good night’s sleep the night before starting and every night in the hotel. Snacking on what I had in my car through the day was great motivation to get to my destination and splurge on a fabulous meal and a stiff drink, which in turn made me very sleepy for a restful night. If you have trouble winding down, try taking a magnesium/calcium product like Natural Calm. It works wonders and is also great for sore muscles!
  • Get in some intense workouts before you depart. Or at least be more active than usual if you are not a "workout person." Remember you are going to be sitting for extended periods of time. Although I had good intentions of getting in some sort of exercise each night at the hotel - other than walking the Sookster, I was cooked.  Exercise was the last thing on my mind. But, keeping to a rigorous plan before I left alleviated the guilt of taking multiple days off and my body was able to really go into recovery, not just "car potato" mode.  

4. Day One

  • Start EARLY. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Personally, I’d rather drive in the dark before dawn enjoying a hot cup of coffee, instead of after sunset when I naturally start to fade. Clocking seven hours and up to 500 miles before noon makes the remaining hours fly by and your daily mileage goal a cinch to achieve. Plus, if you are stuck with only AM/FM radio like I was, morning talk shows and news provides ample distraction from the ticking odometer. 

5. During the trip

  • Discipline and regiment yourself. No stopping to pee, grab a snack, stretch or dillydally every hour – you’ll never get to your final destination. Put on your trucker hat and resign yourself to sit and drive for at least three hours at a time.  
  • Be flexible. Weather, traffic, construction are all out of your control. Be willing to change your schedule and stops if necessary – especially for safety. Less than 200 miles from my destination the storm I was in turned for the worse and I thought I was going to have call it quits at 1 p.m., ultimately adding an additional day to my drive. I powered through it even though I was white knuckling the steering wheel and gritting my teeth, because I still felt safe and in control. But, I told myself if conditions became any worse – that was it. Luckily, I made it through, but being flexible is an asset in most any situation.  
  • Share the road. Be courteous to other cars and trucks. I like the rule on some two lane highways where the left lane is only for passing. I try to stick to this technique. It keeps your speed reasonable and creates a little game of catching the vehicle in front of you and then passing it.
  • Keep windows and mirrors clean. This seems elementary, but visibility is your best friend when all you are looking at for hours on end is road and more road. Take the time to wash your windows at gas stops and provide proper burial for all those insects that lost their little lives throwing themselves into your windshield.
  • Mind the speed limit. Seriously – it’s there for a reason. Use cruise control to keep lead feet from gassing you right into a speeding ticket or worse.
  • Use Bluetooth or an Earpiece. And for gawd’s sake, don’t text. Really. Looking down for just a second can have catastrophic consequences. It’s just not worth it. 

6. The Pay-off

  • Not only will you get to your destination safely and in an timely manner, but I can guarantee this: If you didn't already know the words to "Bohemian Rhapsody" before your departure, you will after driving 2,300 miles with only AM/FM radio at your listening disposal. 
Lindsay Garric Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Lindsay Garric is a Milwaukee native who calls her favorite city home base for as long as her lifestyle will allow her. A hybrid of a makeup artist, esthetician, personal trainer and entrepreneur all rolled into a tattooed, dolled-up package, she has fantasies of being a big, bad rock star who lives in a house with a porch and a white picket fence, complete with small farm animals in a version of Milwaukee that has a tropical climate.

A mishmash of contradictions, colliding polar opposites and a dash of camp, her passion is for all pretty things and the products that go with it. From makeup to workouts, food to fashion, Lindsay has a polished finger on the pulse of beauty, fashion, fitness and nutrition trends and is super duper excited to share that and other randomness from her crazy, sexy, gypsy life with the readers of OnMilwaukee.com.