Don’t Let Road Trips Throw You A Curve

Road trips are escapes from the routine at the speed of life. Americans and cars go together like apple pie and ice cream. We enjoy our cars, especially for road trips! Many of us don’t typically experience carsickness, but you throw in enough curves and hills as we motor toward the end of a day’s driving, and some of us will feel queasy. The fact is, any of us may experience carsickness under the right (or wrong) circumstances. There are a few things you can do to try and get to the end of your driving day puke-free. Most importantly before you hit the road make sure you have a Reliefband for everyone in the car. Take frequent driving breaks to get everyone out of the car and check out the scenery. Keep a stream of cool air blowing in the face of each person while the car is in motion. Don’t consume greasy or heavy food, and keep the smelly food for another time. Eat light snacks while in the car. Stay hydrated with non-sugary liquids – plain water is perfect. Keep your eyes focused on the horizon (not at scenery zipping past the side of the car). Be aware that it’s possible for anyone to get carsick, or even all your passengers. Be prepared, have fun out there and live life in full motion with Reliefband!

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Tulip Time – Road Trip!

If you’re a tulip lover, this is your time of year. Tulips are showing off all over the country, and that says “road trip” to us. Americans have always been in love with cars and winding roads, particularly when the weather is fine. We found tulip festivals dotted around the country—hope there’s one near you. If you live around New York, Albany hosts a Mother’s Day weekend full of tulips. This year is the 69th annual event, and they even have a Tulip Ball if you’re so inclined. Pella, Iowa, transforms into the Netherlands for their 82nd annual Tulip Time Festival, beating out Albany by more than a decade. For three days, you can clomp around in wooden shoes, eat Dutch treats, and party like it’s 1894. In Lehi, Utah, the fields are covered with hundreds of thousands of tulips. Once you’re “tuliped out” you can run a half marathon, go to a swing dance, listen to the Lyceum Philharmonic, and gorge on food, food, food. The tulip festival in Skagit Valley, Washington, isn’t in one patch. It’s spread out over miles and miles, and the field locations change every year. Think of it as a festival/scavenger hunt. Wherever you’re headed this year, pack snacks and liquids, and wear sturdy shoes for hiking over and around acres of tulips. Oh, and if you hear “road trip” and think “carsick,” we have you covered. Slip Reliefband® on your wrist and turn it on, then forget about the nausea, retching, and vomiting of motion sickness. We take care of that for you, without drugs and without delay!

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Road Trip Dreams

Here you are, smack dab in the middle of holiday season dreaming about next year’s road trips. Why not, right? Road trips are part of our national psyche. They’re a rite of passage we embrace. Where are you headed and when will you go? We have a few ideas, and hope to see you on the road in 2017! Spring Arizona stuns the senses with its beauty. You could spend the entire trip at the Grand Canyon, or leave time to see the rest of the state. Saddle up and ride through the Petrified Forest, pretend you’re in an old-time Western in Monument Valley, or hike among the red rocks of Sedona. Summer This one’s a long drive even if you live on the West Coast—Denali National Park and Preserve. That’s right, Alaska. You can hike, bike, backpack, camp, mountain climb, canoe, and fly around in a tiny plane. It’s the big outdoors! And did we mention the wildlife? Autumn Vermont—it’s the perfect place for the season. This petite state is littered with byways that dive deep into ridiculously gorgeous scenery. Grab a gallon of maple syrup and start counting the covered bridges along the way. (There are over 100.) It doesn’t matter where we end up, it’s the journey that we all love. Make sure you keep loving the journey by taking along a Reliefband for every passenger. (As we all know: carsickness + road trip = misery!)

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Surviving Your Family Road Trip

Family road trips. Ah, yes. Three little words that elicit both nostalgia and . . . a sense of doom. Remember the kids singing and giggling during the day, and then later, the quiet murmurings of the adults in the front seat as wee ones drifted to sleep in the back? Precious days. Oh, and do you remember this? “Dad, I don’t feel so good,” followed by the sound of a wee one barfing all over the backseat and probably the back of a sibling. Doom need not be your traveling companion during family road trips. Whether you’re headed out on a meandering vacation, or going to grandma’s for the holidays, we have some tips on how to keep the nostalgia and ditch the doom. Fill a pack or a sack for each child with age-appropriate activities, stuffed critters, and snacks. It is theirs to carry and keep close. Place a small cooler on the floor behind the front seats and fill it with drinks. Tuck packages of wet wipes and paper towels around the vehicle’s interior. Encourage games that require kids to look out the windows. Reading or watching a screen may create a circumstance where the child’s inner ear feels the car’s motion, but his eyes do not see the motion, and that sets up a potential for carsickness. Direct cool air to flow toward the kids, either from open windows, or the vehicle’s ventilation system. This helps tamp down feelings of nausea. Wearing a Reliefband will help ward off symptoms of carsickness, once your child is old enough to know how to control a Reliefband, and his wrists are big enough to wear it. Your child’s pediatrician will be able to help you make that determination. Food eaten during the trip should be of a healthy variety, and not too spicy or greasy. And finally, naps are encouraged. Have fun! In the end, you’ll be glad you went.

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Ultimate Summer Road Trip Packing List

It’s August! Time for that long road trip you’ve been planning all summer. Getting the car ready is easy – check the oil and tire pressure, fill up any liquids that are low, and boom, you’re good to go. Packing for the trip, well, that’s not so easy. So many things to consider. For instance, nobody wants to spend time in a laundromat. Cramming the clothes you’ll need into a suitcase or duffel bag is the way to go. But how do you do it so that everything fits? National Geographic did a little test. They compared folding vs. rolling, and rolling your clothes won! You get more space to add more stuff when you roll. Keep in mind, you don’t have to pack a lot of clothes. Use travel-size stain removers for those splotchy bits that show. Bring clothes that don’t show dirt easily and wear each piece multiple times, or at least until your companions start crying due to the stinky fumes in the car. Don’t forget shoes including closed-toe, flip-flops, and sandals. Other stuff to bring: Beach towels Smaller hand towels Wet wipes First aid kit Reliefbands for all who get carsick or experience other forms of motion sickness, or morning sickness, if one or more of you is pregnant Camera Chargers for each thing that needs charging including the car Magic Tank — a product that you put in your tank when you’re running on fumes — Good Housekeeping swears by it Blankets and pillows Backpacks (small) Ziploc bags — the bigger the better for packing electronics or wet things or any of 100 items Larger plastic trash bags for wet or dirty clothes that can’t be worn another day Grocery store bags for trash Cooler, or maybe two — one for cold, one for nonrefrigerated snacks. The cooler keeps snacks from getting crushed Case of water Paper map/atlas – GPS isn’t always right, but between the two you’ll get where you’re supposed to go Flashlight Tissues, paper towels, toilet paper Audiobooks/music/books/games and activities for the kids Preloaded apps: Waze, Around Me, TripIt, Postagram, GasBuddy, HotelTonight, Instagram, Snapchat. Well, there are so many. Add your favs in the comments! What else? What did we forget? Share your tips in the comments and let’s all have a great August!

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