Some of us have been inside for so long that we’re stretching our legs with roadtrips!
I’ve just returned from an epic roadtrip out West, and am excited to share some important ways to help you calibrate old habits with new ones so you can stay as healthy as possible while traveling.
- Bring a bar of soap in a little bag so you always have strong soap to wash your hands. Sanitizer is nice, but nothing beats the power of a bar of soap to kill off the germs full-stop. This bread experiment by a teacher shows you exactly how soap beats hand sanitizer!
- Bring paper towels or your surplus of plastic grocery bags that you can use to grab gas pumps and door handles with. If you brought latex gloves, use those too and throw the glove out after using it. Wash your hands immediately afterward with your bar of soap!
- Bring a mask. Depending on where you are in the country, such as Denver, you won’t be allowed inside without one. Lots of people at travel plazas and rest areas aren’t wearing masks or taking this seriously, so it’s even more important to take all the safety precautions you can! Anecdotally, we saw this happening in Arkansas - the few people taking precautions were extra strict because of how unseriously their neighbors are taking it.
- Bring disinfectant wipes to wipe down your credit card after transactions. Wipe your phone down frequently. Also good for wiping down your steering wheel, car door handle, and your finger if you accidentally touched the keypad at checkout.
- Look at contactless payment systems. Download google pay or apple wallet so you can tap and go and you don’t have to touch anything.
- Bring your own snacks and plan outdoor picnics at rest areas along the way so you minimize contact with others. Order your food to go and hit a park nearby, and that way you get to see more of the area - it’s not just a quick stop.
- Make sure places you plan to stop are actually open and their hours are accurate. We pulled up to some spots that were advertised as open and they were downright shuttered!
- Support local across the States. Instead of hitting up the drive-thru of a large fast-food chain, get on your smart phone and find a local business to support. We stopped for food (everyone had masks!) at Cozy Corner BBQ in Memphis, Tenn., Hutch Cafe in Santa Rosa, NM, and the old-school Chuck-A-Burger car hop diner in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Respect. At some stops, we heard people arguing with those who were wearing masks. If you've chosen not to wear a mask, maintain respect those who are taking this precaution - you don’t know their health situation or who is back at their home immunocompromised. Allow space for people choosing to err on the side of caution - that is not a bad thing!
- Drink cold brew, especially when there are no local coffee shops to support as you drive through the empty stretches. Prepare the first batch before leaving the house, and then use your four remaining packs from the bag to keep your mason jar filled. It’s as easy as steeping tea! Click here to order Sweetwater Organic Cold Brew Coffee!
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