My neck, my back, my laptop and my hacks

When I travel, my body reacts the same way every time, and I always forget. I should really leave myself a note. 

Here is the note to me.

(There is a little bit TMI in the following note, but we're all humans, right? RIGHT?!)

Dear Self,

Wear sunblock when driving long distances. Remember the time you drove from California to Mount Rushmore and after the first couple of days you were like, "Why does my face hurt so much at the end of a long day? And why is it so red?" Sunburn! And remember when you bought that flannel shirt from some random shop in the middle of nowhere just to tuck it in your driver's side window to block the sun because you just couldn't take it anymore? Wear sunblock and maybe wear long sleeved shirts.

Don't forget to pack a tennis ball for working out the kinks in your shoulder from driving a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel pillow. Bring extra Advil for when your back hurts from driving for a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel bed. I know you won't do this next thing but, for God's sake, stretch. It should help, though I have no proof of this since you never do it.

Try not to worry too much about why your throat is scratchy and your eyes are watery. You get allergies when you travel to new places. You are not getting sick. You are allergic to the world. Take Zyrek and tissues. Also, hotel air conditioning dries you out. Bring nasal spray if you want, but definitely bring chap stick. Lotion wouldn't hurt, but again, I know you won't do this. 

If you fly for more than an hour, you will get constipated for a few days. I know, that's not usually your problem in life, but flying does some dark arts magic to you and the first few days will be uncomfortable. Drink lots of water and eat your veggies. You will bloat and be generally sad about this, but it will work itself out and you can go back to being regular and happy for the second half of your trip.

Ok, remember when you were driving on Highway 50, aka The Loneliest Road in the America, and there was one bathroom for like 500 miles and you were nowhere near it? Remember that huge mound of dirt next to the road and what you did behind it? On day one of any long road trip, put a roll of toilet paper in your car. Also, I still love you, don't forget that.

If you're going to work from bed, because your hotel room doesn't have a desk, put your laptop on something that is not a pillow. You don't want it overheating. Try a room service tray or a book. Let that shit vent.

I know that was a lot. Here are some things you do well. I'm so proud of you!

You avoid gluten. Remember that time you went to New Orleans and threw caution to the wind, eating donuts and beignets? Those days are over. No more missing out on fun activities because you don't feel well. You figured it out! Good job!

You always load up on water. The first time you bought a case of water to keep with you, it was a genius moment. And on that same trip, you ended up miles deep in a lava field that you were pretty sure wasn't meant for a rental sedan. You hit a rock at like 5mph, but it shifted the whole car to the side and you had a moment of panic looking at the outside temperature (104, I believe) and were at least thankful for that case of water, in case you did damage to the undercarriage, which you did not, you lucky girl!

You don't go out at night alone. I don't remember this being a conscious choice, but I'm thankful for it. Sure, you might miss out on seeing city lights or a wild amount of stars, but you never find yourself in the middle of nowhere at midnight, alone and vulnerable. You are always well fed and safe in your hotel room by sunset, exhausted from a long day of exploring...and with hours to write your little blog.

Oh, you blog! I'm so glad you've been doing this since 2014 and I really hope the site never goes down because you've captured some amazing memories! I should probably look into backing these up. I'm going to go do that now. 

Keep up the good work! And stay safe!