Tips for staying alert while driving to WDW on the interstate.

[crazymomof4]

DH and I are leaving NJ at 3:30pm on Tues and hope to be checking into POP around 2-3pm the next day.

We do plan to stop and sleep for about 5-6 hrs. at a hotel along I-95.That way our normal sleep rythym will not be altered a great deal. So we are not pushing ourselves and have no plans of driving while tired.

Our plan is to drive just a little longer than we normally do in the initial stretch. This will require me to drive for about 3-4 hours while DH naps. I usually don't drive much when we're going on vacation. (DH would rather drive than tend to the every need of 4 kids- LOL) Because I've been a driver for 23 years I know that I tend to get DROWSY when I drive on an interstate (no stops or turns, not much to look at, motion of the vehicle) for a long period of time. I believe this happens to more people than just myself. It has nothing to do with being TIRED. It can happen in the middle of the day, when I've had a full nights sleep and naps in the car! So I am looking for ways to help fight off this drowsiness and remain fully alert for safety's sake. AND make the hours pass more quickly!!

I'm making a list of ways to stay alert while driving:

~Drink some coffee or cola about 1 hour before I take over driving, then take some Benadryl before we stop to sleep (I know, I sound like Elvis with the uppers and the downers, but it's just for the one night.)

~Eat crunchy foods like crackers or chips.

Now please share your best tips for keeping alert while driving!!!

 

[WishinOnaStar]

It helped me to open the windows and to drink lots of coffee. Since I don't drink coffee, it had me wired! Also hard candy helped sometimes too.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Don't quote me on this, but I think it's illegal to wear headphones like that while diring.

 

[GoofyPrincess]

Read a joke once about a truck driver that stayed awake by holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand and holding his hand out the window. If he would have fallen asleep, he would have dropped the money!

Don't know if it works, but it's a silly thought!

 

[txgirl]

Blow Pops, Hot Tamales, Coffee, singing Sweet Home Alabama (even though we live in Virginia ), cold air blowing in my face ! We have made these marathon trips to Texas several times and the worst hours are 3-5 am and then again around 10 am when you get a little nauseous from all the hot tamales and coffee ! Good luck!

 

[minkydog]

This is exactly why we don't drive at night. My DH can do it, but he needs me to stay awake and keep hime company, which sorta defeats the purpose of tag-team driving. I think everyone does better when we stop at a reasonable hour and get a good night's rest, then hit the road early.

 

[monymony3471]

My mother is coming with us. She'll just keep us awake talking.

Seriously though,

I didn't put a lot of thought into this, but thinking just the excitment about going to WDW was fuel enough. When the kids go down for their nap on Friday, the day we leave, I'm going to nap with them while my husband packs up the car. I am the driver, can't do passenger , so a power nap would be good before you go but not close to when you leave.

My kids sleep better with the music on. It's our talking that keeps them up. The music will muffle our talking.

The 10 pages of "your best WDW secrets" I am bringing with us will keep us busy discussing them and keep the excitment flowing.

Why can't adults do the kids pages at night. You know, the scavenger hunts and bingo. Keeps the brain busy.

Hope these help.

 

[Schmeck]

Is getting to WDW a little earlier more important than being safe?

We drive from MA, and when hubby gets tired, we stop.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

We too drive till we are tired and then stop. DH however works 3rd shift and uses all kinds of tricks to stay awake in the am. He eats ceral one piece at a time, he chews hot gum with lots of flavor, he drinks caffine, he takes a cooler of ice water and washes his face at stop lights etc, he calls me to talk to him on the phone, He plays the music really loud.
He has however fallen alseep at the wheel so do be very careful!
Jordan's mom

 

[txgirl]

I have made dh solemnly swear he will pull over when he gets tired. It seems like men are notorious for driving when they are too tired. I refuse to drive past the point that is dangerous but there are ways to get that extra hour or two in safely and wide awake! Sometimes I am just as tired driving in the day, squinting in the sun I have taken my turn for napping and woken up to dh hitting those huge road cookies and I nearly strangled him!!!!!

Getting there is easy (adrenaline ) but getting home is another story!!!

 

[miste76]

I can't agree more with the DISers above that recommend stopping as soon as the driver begins to feel tired. Driving is dangerous enough... you would never forgive yourself if any of your children were injured or you injured someone else's child on their way to WDW.
I've found that I could stop at a rest stop and nap for 2-3 hours (when I didn't want to actually pay for a hotel room and take all of the time that a hotel stay would need.) We usually stay the night when we drive down.

A related story: On May 20th, I was driving from the St Louis area up to the Chicago area on I-55. Right in front of me a minivan went off the road at 70 mph. To make a long story shorter... the side window ended up breaking out and the front of the van was pretty well trashed, but no major injury came to the driver (mom) or her two children (young teenagers). I was the first on the scene and it was very sad to hear the mother tell how she fell asleep and the kids woke her up by screaming when they went off the road. She felt horrible as she realized that she could have seriously injured her own children.

 

[soccermom5]

we drove from central jersey to disney straight thrugh my husbansd is the only driver so i was pretty scared but he seemed to be fine i think he was runnin on the disney rush because he stayed up until the next night we brought alot of soda and goodies also ice cold water poured on the wrist wakes you up. you can check your local auto store some sell an alarm that you wear and if the drivers head falls back or foward too much it will sound like an alarm clock when my hubby wakes up ill get more info on it

 

[txgirl]

soccermom do tell about the alarm!!! We often make 2 hour trips to the airport and during the mid-afternoon when I am by myself I struggle with wanting to doze off! Also it would give me peace of mind when my dh is driving at night during road trips!

 

[crabmeal]

We drive from NYC and the only tip I can give is top and rest. The first year we drove my parents came so DH and my Dad took turns driving Even then Dh pulled into a rest area to sleep a little. Last year we stopped at a hotel in Georgia and slept the night. It worked very well.I drove a little when we hit traffic. It put all our minds at ease knowing we will stop to sleep instead of pushing such a long drive.

 

[bestmami]

I think it;s possible with a lot of coffe My DH did it for spring break when he was in college and it was from CT.So i,m sure you guys can but if in doubt stop please avoid fall asleep and ruin your vacations.We are driving this thursday from Va. and we plan to stop at least one we will divide our trip in 2.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN

 

[ksoehrlein]

Peppermint is supposed to help you feel a bit more alert. It only works for a little while, but sometimes that's enough. I love York Peppermint Patties on a road trip!

 

[momto2inKC]

We drove straight through, about 21 hours. Dh got in some sleep before we left. We hit the road around 8pm and I drove for about 6 hours, then he did for a few. We kept switching back and forth, although I did do most of the driving. Those little cat naps while the other person is driving really seemed to help us. As did cappachinos, pop, trail mix, and just general junk! lol We also made lots of stops to stretch our legs and what not.
But, like others have said, definately stop if you get too tired!! It's not worth the risk of falling asleep at the wheel!!

 

[rbork]

It's not the driving down to WDW that is bad. It's coming home!
We've drove from Maryland. Cold beverages, coffee, snacks, windows down and talking to each other helps. We were very excited with anticipation driving down and that alone kept us awake the entire way. Coming home however was very hard and I don't recommend it after a long week at the parks. My kid's and the parks had me exausted by weeks end. We got a good nights sleep before but hit traffic and it took 18 hours to get home. Left FW WDW at 0900hrs and got home at 0300hrs. We should have stopped but didn't. Advice for staying awake: Be well rested ahead of time.
Good Luck and do what's right for you.

 

[crazymomof4]

Thanks for all the great suggestions on fighting off drowsiness! That's exactly what I was looking for!!!!

For those who said it's best to stop when you are tired, I agree wholeheartly and that is why, as I said in my OP, we are stopping to sleep for 5-6 hours. That is more than a power-nap.....it's practically a night's sleep. Thanks for your concern but I don't plan to drive while TIRED, it's just that any long drive, even mid-day, tends to make me relaxed (I guess it's the motion of the vehicle) and I was looking for tips to keep me totally alert. I am a worry-wart and will not take any chances!

One poster asked, "Is getting to WDW a little earlier more important than being safe?" Certainly NOT! I wrote in my OP that I am concerned about safety. So, really, I voiced my priority in that statement and there was no need to ask this question.

We are mature, safety-conscious adults who would NEVER place the start time of our WDW stay above the well being of our children or others!

 

[txgirl]

I agree with you crazymom! The tips are to help you be safe. I also agree with a previous poster. You can switch off and get a fair amount of sleep!