Oh My Style | Affordable Fashion Blog

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Lanzarote Style Diary: Yellow Gingham

14:59

Lanzarote Style DIary: Like realizing stuff

15:55

Making A Long Haul Vacation A LOT More Comfortable

Travelling is something we all have to do on a daily basis, whether it’s to and from work or to and from your children’s school, or if you have to go across the country to see the friends you grew up with settling into their new homes. It’s part of our culture, and it’s something we physically have to do to get anywhere in life; no one is achieving all their life goals and ambitions by just staying in the same spot!

But when you’re someone who’s about to go on a long haul vacation, either because you’re road tripping across an island coast or you’re taking an RV around the large and wide country you live in, you’re going to need to stock up a little. This is no simple commute, and it’s not a flight that only takes a couple of hours each way - when you’re in it for the long haul, the journey is the vacation, and a lot of memories can be made along the way.

So, to make sure they’re the right kind of memories, where you’re all laughing and joking and singing as you cruise along, and no one is complaining they're got no leg room or that you’ve ran out of food (and the nearest gas station is at least 100 miles away), let’s make sure you’re planning for comfort. It doesn’t have to be as hard as you think!

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Pack a Cooler in the Back

If you’re someone who owns an RV, or just likes to go on regular road trips across the country, then this is definitely something you’d recommend! But for those people out there who are thinking of buying a car or truck capable of going long distances with little need to stop, make sure you consider your ability to store food and drinks first of all.

If you’re travelling with family, especially when you’ve got young ones in the back, you’re going to need to stock up on plenty of snacks and cold drinks to keep them satisfied and quiet as you journey along. A lot of the foods we take with us on journeys like these are non-perishable, of course, but a cooler by nature is there to preserve! When you can stick chocolate bars or nut and grain breakfast bars into a cooled and contained space, they won’t melt or crumble all over the place. You can even just turn it off and use it as a storage space, if the kids start picking out a few too many souvenirs…

You can also keep ice cube trays in there, for those of us road tripping through hot climates and hoping to enjoy some ice cold water at some point, and you can keep ice packs and damp flannels frozen and cold, for when the heat gets a bit too much and you need to put something on the back of your neck. Staying comfortable often means packing your vehicle out with cooling equipment, and coolers are often small and portable enough to stack a couple in the trunk.

Dress the Part

When you’re going on a long haul vacation, you’re going to need to plan ahead for the weather you’ll be tripping through, and the activities you’re going to be getting up to. And when you’re going to be spending most of the time inside a moving car, you’re going to want to dress comfortably, with long and thick socks on your feet for misty mountains, or a pair of sandals that’ll make driving through the Nevada desert a lot easier than having to take off your walking boots and go barefoot!

So make sure the bags you’re packing for a vacation that’s going to take time and a lot of mileage are filled with clothes you can snuggle down with when it gets damp and cold, as well as clothes that are light and breezy enough to keep the worst effects of the sun’s rays off of your skin. Maybe you could even dress up your vehicle windows a little as well, and get some blackout curtains fitted in the back of the RV?

Invest in a Private Apartment

Of course, if you’re going on a long haul vacation, it doesn’t have to mean you’re going to be spending most of your time inside of a vehicle and living your best nomadic life. Instead, it can mean you’re taking a very, very long flight to the other side of the world, and you want to have somewhere cheaper, private, and more comfortable to stay in when you get there.

Say you’re off to Malaysia for a month or two; do you want to be paying hotel and hostel bills every single night and day you’re there? If you’re someone who likes to keep their vacations cheap, considering the amount you’ve already paid just to touch down at the airport, you’re probably shaking your head right now.

Which is why it’s a good thing that private accommodation is available to you! Countries like Malaysia are rather big, and it’d be a lot better on your health and finances to simply fork out for one of the kuala lumpur apartments on the rental market at the moment, instead of flitting back and forth across all the cities you intend to explore and spending hundreds for the privilege. Not only that, but when you’ve got an actual rental apartment to come back to, you have yourself a home away from home; it’ll certainly make locating any errant children a lot easier, as you’ll have an easily recognisable place to return to should anyone get lost. That’s definitely a lot more comfortable on you!

Long haul vacations can be a dream to go on, but far less of an attractive reality once you’re doing so. So let’s make sure you’re planning ahead for these moments; you’re going to want to be comfortable as often as you can be whilst travelling, and there’s some bona fide ways to ensure this.

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5 things to consider when planning a US road trip

It’s one of the iconic holiday experiences – the open road, a blasting stereo... But, however free you’ll feel cruising through epic landscapes on a classic American road-trip, the key to making the most of your journey is planning.

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What you need to see

Unless you have a huge amount of time to weave your way around this vast country, the first thing to do is decide which region you’re going to see.

Luckily, there are many established routes to choose from, with entire sites dedicated to listing them. Helpfully, they’ll even tell you how long each takes.

Of course, the most famous of these is Route 66, from Illinois to California, via the Grand Canyon and plenty of desert. Another popular trip is to hug the West Coast, taking in San Francisco, Los Angeles and the glorious surf spots made famous by The Beach Boys.

For those looking to experience more of the metropolitan flavours of the US, journeying inland from New York to Chicago will provide all the skyscrapers you could ever need. Alternatives are scattered through the Midwest and Deep South.

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What you’re driving

Even once you’ve decided on where you’re going, how you get there will be a huge factor in how you experience it. And, again, there are no shortage of choices to be made in the types of vehicles available.

Those doing it on TV often opt for a classic American choice such as a chrome-plated convertible or a high-powered motorbike, and these can be surprisingly affordable to hire. However, you must consider whether this undeniably stylish option is practical for your travel needs. Also available are more traditionally family-friendly cars, which will give you space; economical choices that will mean fuel eats up less of your budget; or even motorhomes, for those looking to combine vehicle and accommodation.

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Travel companions

Whether it’s a friend or a group of friends, a lover, or a spouse and family, a road-trip together can be one of the most incredible bonding experiences you will ever have. You will share sights you can’t put into words, and learn an incredible amount about each other.

However, you may also have difficult moments, with fatigue, discomfort and disagreements. So – if there’s more than one driver, make sure the duties are spread fairly (and, potentially, also the petrol money). Make sure there’s always food and drink aboard. If there are kids (or just easily-bored adults), be certain they have some in-car entertainment to divert them.

And it’s worth being prepared for any mishaps along the way – US hospitals provide great care, but at high prices.

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The journey and the destinations

When we think of road-trips, we imagine cruising endlessly through the landscape. It’s a wonderful, romantic image and it will absolutely make up a large portion of your holiday.

But you also need breaks. First-time road-trippers often set an itinerary that allows precious little time to stop and look around. And if your journey is taking in marvels of nature like the Grand Canyon – or modern wonders like Las Vegas – you owe yourself time to explore.

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Help from apps

One thing today's road-trippers have – in abundance – that previous travellers didn’t, is travel apps to make the whole experience that bit easier. There's apps offering other travellers’ tips and maps incorporating GPS trackers. America’s WiFi coverage is excellent, so you should never be far from all the information you need.