Search Results for: blog on the road tips for women who travel alone

Stay Awake (and Alive) on the Road

It’s a holiday weekend here in the United States — and lots of people are taking an end-of-summer trip. The roads were extra crowded yesterday and this morning as people headed out of town for summer’s last hurrah. One danger of road trips is getting sleepy when you’re behind the wheel. And it isn’t just vacationers who are at risk! Folks who work third shift, people who drive long distances every day, and people who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for heavy eyelids while on the road. Here are some things you can do to help stay awake … Continue reading →

Traveling To Tennessee

In 1996 I was driving alone from Wisconsin to Atlanta, Georgia. I had just gotten a job field producing and reporting for a news agency that was documenting the Summer Olympics from start to finish. I was thrilled about my new gig, but far less enthused about making the long drive with all of my belongings by myself. Regardless, the road trip proved to be quite eventful and extremely educational. It was on this trip that I would experience what life was like in Tennessee (if only for a couple of days). My first visit to the state was brief … Continue reading →

Tips For Women Traveling Alone

In the decade or so after I graduated from college I traveled by myself quite frequently. I have spent countless hours on the road alone and have flown back and forth from the Midwest and Southeast to Hawaii by myself. As a result, I have written a number of blogs on how to stay safe while traveling alone. One area I haven’t touched on is safety, hotel rooms and women traveling solo. In this day and age when there is such an emphasis put on being politically correct, I find female travelers spend more time concentrating on not offending people … Continue reading →

On The Road—-More Tips For Women Who Travel Alone

Willie Nelson’s catchy ditty, “On The Road Again” was my theme song for about two years in the early 90s while I was maintaining a long distance relationship with my then boyfriend. In my previous blog I told you how I spent endless hours traveling solo along highways and byways so we could keep our relationship alive (he did his fair share of driving too). That was years ago, and I find myself wondering how it is that I was able to travel so far without ever experiencing a travel calamity. I am much better educated about driving solo now … Continue reading →

On The Road: Tips For Women Who Travel Alone

Upon graduating from college I accepted a job in a city located about 200 miles from where I went to school. My boyfriend at the time decided to remain in our college town, so thus began our long-distance relationship. It was kept alive by each of us driving about six hours roundtrip once a week. (I drove down on my weekends off and he drove up on his “weekends”—he had Tuesdays and Wednesdays off.) Back then I didn’t think much of it. I simply loaded up my Toyota with my favorite tunes and snacks and hit the highway as soon … Continue reading →

Sleep Deprived Parents Should Stay Home

You wouldn’t dream of getting behind the wheel after downing a pint of Jagermeister, but would you consider driving your kids to school after getting only three hours of sleep? According to a new report, driving while drowsy is a lot like driving drunk. U.S. News and World Report just published a fascinating article with mounting data that suggests driving while sleep deprived is not much better than navigating the streets after pounding a six-pack of beer. Even more interesting is the fact that the popular magazine chose to open the article with a parenting anecdote. Apparently, the writer (a … Continue reading →

It’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week

Studies show 60% of adult drivers – about 168 million people – say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third (or 103 million people) has actually fallen asleep at the wheel. Are you one of them? Regular readers of this blog have read my past drowsy driving experiences (none of them were pretty). And now there’s an entire week dedicated to educating travelers about the dangers of getting behind the wheel without proper sleep. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver … Continue reading →

Celebrity Baby Ba Ba Ba Boom

The singer whose music helped push me through all 26.2 miles of the Chicago marathon (and whose tunes helped me get over a split from my college boyfriend) just had a new baby. Sarah McLachlan and her husband Ashwin Sood welcomed their second daughter last week. The newest Sood joins big sister India Ann who is 5-years-old. The actor who I watched throughout middle school try to get his costar to remember who he was (remember when Hope came back as amnesia ridden Gina) is about to be daddy. “Days of our Lives” actor Peter Reckell and his wife of … Continue reading →

Preventing Fatigue-Related Crashes

In a previous blog I told you about my days as a drowsy driver. I also gave you proof that there are many more drowsy drivers on the highways than you might think. I ended the blog by asking you if you have ever driven while fatigued. If you answered yes, then this blog may offer you some aid. The following are tips to help you prevent drifting off behind the wheel. Drive During Daylight Hours. Research has shown that fatigue-related crashes are most common between midnight and 6 a.m. As such, experts advise avoiding driving during those hours if … Continue reading →

Drowsy Driving

I’ve told you about the midnight drives I used to take to visit my college boyfriend after I finished working the second shift at my first TV job. It seems like an eternity ago, but I still remember with great clarity how I used to fight to stay awake behind the wheel. I would make the 2-hour drive after working a 10-hour shift and to say I was fatigued would be an understatement. The fact that I had to splash water on my face while I was driving really should have been a sign that I shouldn’t have been driving. … Continue reading →