I’m going on a 8 hour drive in a 2012 equinox for the first time, longest drive before was 2 hours back when I was a newer driver.

The car does not have any smart phone type features like the newer cars, it will connect the phone for calls but that is it, there is a charging port but I’m guessing its usb2 so it won’t be all that fast and may not keep up with the phone, I have a battery bank and plenty of cables though, I won’t be stopping for those Bluetooth FM cigarette plug things because I’ll just being doing this the one time and it doesn’t seem useful enough to me.

I am very confident behind the wheel but just curious if anyone has any tips I haven’t thought about before.

I don’t think I’ll get very tired driving but I am known to get a slump of energy a couple hours after lunch but I don’t think I’ll eat a very big lunch so I may not have much of a slump.

I am driving this car back, I came here in a truck with another driver, something interesting I noticed between trucks vs small cars is that the taller trucks leave you less exhausted and so you can drive longer with an easier time because there is a perceived slower speed of things moving in and out past your field of vision.

Thankyou on advance!

  • PiecePractical@midwest.social
    2·
    14 hours ago

    I used to work on the road and I’m no stranger to 8-16 hour drives so here are a couple suggestions.

    Get some sort of long playing media. Have you checked if you can play files through the USB? Some cars of that era would play MP3s off of a USB drive. If your phone won’t play through the Bluetooth, does it have a CD player? 8 hours is about the length of a lot of audiobooks, you could get a hard copy of one of those or even just music CDs. Either way, it’s nice to have a backup to the FM radio for that long of a drive in case you end up on a stretch where there aren’t any good stations.

    Speaking of backups, this is going to out me as an old dude but, I’d suggest a paper map of the area you’ll be traveling. You’re liable to hit some dead zones on that long of a drive and you mentioned some worry about keeping your phone charged. If you can get a paper map and highlight the route you want to take, you’ll have a good fall back. Bonus points if you get a copy of the same map to someone that you can call for help. When I was in college my dad and I had copies of the same Atlas (thanks for the free maps State Farm) and I would often call him for advice if I hit serious construction on a long drive.

    Try to stay aware of your general alertness. If you’re feeling sluggish, don’t hesitate to stop at the next gas station or rest stop and get a coffee or pop or something. Personally, I’d steer clear of energy drinks because the crash when they wear off sucks if you’re driving. Even just getting out of the car and walking around often helped me. Alternatively, if it’s late and you’re really dragging, stopping at a rest stop for a quick power nap is not the worst idea. It sure beats waking up in the ditch (been there, would not recommend). If you have some music that really pumps you up, have a copy of that with you too. I used to carry a CD with the metal mix that we used to play to get pumped up before football games in highschool.

    I’m not sure how many people still know this but most major highways have small green signs with numbers on them along the side of the road. These are mile markers. The exit numbers generally cover from the nearest mile marker. I mention this because they’re worth keeping an eye on. If you’re traveling by map, it’s a good way to gauge the distance to an exit you’re looking for and more importantly, if you need to call for help, knowing the road and mile marker will get help to you faster.