Four Apps to Survive a Car Trip

on December 18, 2011
in All Posts

I am not a car trip person.  I know some people love car trips, but I do not.  I feel like I wild, caged animal after 4 hours in a car – 8 is seriously pushing my sanity.  Thankfully, I have my iPhone to amuse me (when I’m not behind the wheel, of course).

 

Here are Four Apps to Survive a Car Trip:

 

TED:  Ted.com is a pretty cool website that features ‘talks’ (videos) with experts from a wide range of subjects.  The app lets you download and listen/watch to the talks on the go.  We listened to How to Spot a Liar.

Ted-for-iPad-150x150

Medical Radio:  This app “delivers world class medical content directly from ReachMD, the leader in medical education and information for medical professionals.”  It can get rather technical, but even I enjoy listening to the short segments and hearing the variety of opinions.  We listened to a piece on pre-term labor, something complicated about the thyroid (went right over my head), and another piece on abnormal pap smears.

 2011-12-18_2059

Motion X GPS Drive:  The GPS device is officially dead.  This app was 99 cents and was just as good as any Garmin.  Best of all – it TALKS the directions to you!

MotionX-GPS-Drive-HDLarge

Angry Birds: Best… game… ever.  I have developed a callous on my thumb from this game. Seriously.  It’s bad.  I’m addicted.  The first step is admitting you have a problem.

angry-birds-thumbnail-189x175

What keeps your mind occupied on car trips?  Any favorite apps I need to download before our next long haul?

 

Car food:

IMG_5311

A Wendy’s baked potato.  A traveling vegetarian’s best friend.

 

Fruit… apple + banana:

IMG_5299 IMG_5310

Far too many chips.   My stomach hurt from Georgia to South Carolina.

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And for dinner – a real meal, finally! I simmered some tempeh in a combination of light coconut milk, chili powder, salt, and nutritional yeast, and then mixed in roasted broccoli and mushrooms.  All with some brown rice.  It was good, but not super flavorful. 

IMG_5318

Time to gear up for another week… Ready or not!

{ 49 comments }

 

  • Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn December 18, 2011, 9:11 pm

    Hehehe yes. TED and Angry Birds. This is why we get along so well.

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb December 18, 2011, 9:12 pm

    i am definitely NOT a road trip person. i am 27 years old and ask approximately every 38 seconds “are we there yet?”. my husband wants to kill me!!

    i LOVE wendy’s baked potatoes… a lifesaver on the road!

  • Army Amy* December 18, 2011, 9:12 pm

    Words with Friends is my all time favorite app!*

  • Jessica December 18, 2011, 9:15 pm

    Battleship!!

  • Sana December 18, 2011, 9:16 pm

    I play family feud with the boy. We are obsessed.

  • Kristen @ The Concrete Runner December 18, 2011, 9:20 pm

    You need to download siege hero. It’s pretty much the exact same thing as angry birds. I’m now addicted to that too!

    • CaitlinHTP December 19, 2011, 10:15 am

      Oooo YES!

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen December 18, 2011, 9:26 pm

    I’m still holding out on angry birds! In fact, I have absolutely no games downloaded on my iPhone. No idea how I’ve held out for 2+ years on that!

  • Christine @ BookishlyB December 18, 2011, 9:28 pm

    I read, usually, if someone else is driving. I generally do most of the work, though, so I make sure to either have an entertaining co-pilot or a kick-ass play list. Sometimes I’ve played an old movie that I’ve loaded on my phone so I can just listen to it at least (no watching and driving, pinky-promise).

  • Amber @ Bold, Busy, Blessed December 18, 2011, 9:30 pm

    I’m not very good at car trips either, well I definitely get bored. I like making phone calls and catching up with people, but with all the phone laws changing, maybe that won’t last much longer. If I’m a passenger, I definitely like to play with my phone, but usually I just facebook and read blogs.

    “Ready or not” – I’m so not ready for Monday, but you’re right, it’s coming anyway!

  • Kimmy December 18, 2011, 9:31 pm

    I admire your eats. I don’t own an iphone, so I guess so angrybirds for me. Looks funny.

    Are you a chocolate- liker?

    I eat chocolate every. single. night. I feel quite guilty for this 🙁

    • CaitlinHTP December 19, 2011, 10:16 am

      You shouldn’t feel guilty! Everyone has a splurge food and its totally okay to eat it every day, as long as it’s in moderation. My current fav is chips 🙂

  • Dana December 18, 2011, 9:35 pm

    I’ve got 14ish hours in the car on Wednesday. I’m guessing by hour 4 I’ll be wondering why on earth I didn’t buy that smart phone. And by hour 8 I’ll probably be clawing at the windows. Hour 12 will bring sleep and a very angry driving boyfriend.
    Who knows, between 14 hours in a car and your recommendations maybe I’ll start 2012 with a smart phone!

    • CaitlinHTP December 19, 2011, 10:17 am

      Go to the library and get some books on tape!!!

  • Liz December 18, 2011, 9:39 pm

    This American Life is the best thing to listen to on car rides. Each episode is an hour long, so it makes time go super fast. The stories are regularly interesting/sad/funny.

    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/

  • Janelle December 18, 2011, 9:49 pm

    I love TED talks. One of my favorites – “How to start a movement” – is less than 3 minutes long.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

  • Ashley @ This Is The Place December 18, 2011, 9:52 pm

    Cut the Rope! My fav iPhone game. The Christmas version is free right now…

  • Kath December 18, 2011, 10:14 pm

    My Google Maps Nav. talks directions to me!

    Also, how did I forget about tempeh!

  • Rachel December 18, 2011, 10:33 pm

    ugh, i hate road trips! partly b/c i’m prone to getting car sick 😛 i’ve pretty much driven across the country (MI to WA in total) & have no desire to EVER do it again! boooo-ring! glad you made it home safe 🙂

  • Stephanie C December 18, 2011, 10:33 pm

    I agree with Liz! This American Life makes road trips go by much faster.. but I love road trips 😉

  • laura December 18, 2011, 10:37 pm

    I feel like you would love words with friends… basically scrabble. it’s more fun to play people you know, but you can also have random opponents. I’m addicted. Also, sporcle is a really fun trivia-style game.. a lot of different categories… very entertaining. of course they’re all free.. i’ve never paid for an app!

  • Kalli December 18, 2011, 10:41 pm

    Yes words with friends!

  • Khushboo December 19, 2011, 12:18 am

    Er you NEED to downloads Words With Friends..It’s only the best app ever!

  • Corrie Anne December 19, 2011, 1:29 am

    Omg. The iPhone has totally saved me on roadtrips lately. I can read in the car too without getting car sick so that’s extremely helpful if it’s not dark. I once read the entire book “The Help” while road tripping home after a trip to see my grandma in-law in Chicago. have a good week!!!!!!

  • Sue @ Sue In Training December 19, 2011, 1:45 am

    Sadly, I can’t use my phone or even read on road trips, because I get horribly sick whenever I try. The only way to not get bored out is singing along to my favorite songs. And annoying my husband. That’s always fun. 😉

  • Jamima @ Sweat Style December 19, 2011, 2:30 am

    I gotta try that GPS app, thanks! Angry birds is SO addicting I agree but now I am addicted to Temple Run.

    Yum, I need to try that Wendy’s baked potato sometime. I had no idea they even had that. Thanks for the tip!

  • Emma @ Getting There & Going Places December 19, 2011, 4:55 am

    I love car trips every once in a while! Not too often.. 😛
    First of all I like to be the driver, because I love driving! And because the driver gets to pick the music! …which leads me to my next point: music! 😀 I love to turn my favorite music up loud and sing along even louder! 😀

  • Liz December 19, 2011, 5:16 am

    I’m addicted to Angry Birds, too! I haven’t tried Rio yet, but I don’t care for Seasons…

  • Charlie (therunnerbeans) December 19, 2011, 6:54 am

    I find with things like that if you add some ginger, garlic and fresh chilli the flavours of the whole dish are massively enhanced. It looks delicious!

  • Alett December 19, 2011, 7:07 am

    honestly my favorite past time for long car rides is listening to podcasts. Two all time favorites are:

    1) Run Run Live -> you already know about this one since you were interviewed. Chris is really very funny and I often learn something new. Additionally, the interview segment is interesting.

    2) Stuff You Should Know podcast – basically a 30 min discussion on topics from how Volcanoes work to how the Plague works. These guys are also funny so it doesn’t sound like a lecture.

    **these two podcasts are also my source of entertainment for my marathon training long runs (I usually mix in a few songs in between podcasts**

  • Alett December 19, 2011, 7:08 am

    Forgot to mention that both podcasts are free and are available on iTunes. The Stuff You Should Know is also available on the “How Stuff Works” app in the iTunes store (free).

    🙂

  • Amanda December 19, 2011, 7:29 am

    When I moved between SF and Boston with my husband (and we drove both ways!), books on CD saved our sanity. I shudder thinking about those 10-14 hour days in the car. It’s a miracle we didn’t kill each other. 😉

    • CaitlinHTP December 19, 2011, 10:17 am

      omg that sounds like my …. worst… nightmare.

  • Ashley @ The North Carolina Cowgirl December 19, 2011, 7:50 am

    I just got back from AL yesterday. It takes us 8 hrs from GBO to AL and let me tell you..I thought I was going to go insane! I’m like you and I HATE trips in the car. I would much rather fly! But I love to pass the time on Pinterest. I can look at that site and “Pin” stuff and the time just flies by!
    Are you on there? If not I can send you an invite if you need one. 🙂

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin December 19, 2011, 7:51 am

    I don’t have a fancy phone, so I amuse myself by singing out loud if I’m driving, or doing a crossword if I’m the passenger. 😛 I’m crossing my fingers for an iPhone for Christmas though! 😀

  • Kris December 19, 2011, 8:23 am

    I guess I’m old and old fashioned. I enjoy talking to my husband and enjoying the scenery. We have done lots of road time between Northern Virginia and Florida, which includes MANY trips to Mooresville, NC. And, there’s always dealing with the animals which have included dog and cat, dog, and two dogs. God bless my MIL and our friends for putting up with our traveling menagerie.

  • Haleigh December 19, 2011, 8:23 am

    A road trip is always fun! It’s even more fun to come home to a comfortable couch and some good food.

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife December 19, 2011, 8:56 am

    I HATE road trips too…anything more than 4 hours and I go CA-RaZY!

    I love listening to new things too–sounds like cool apps!

  • Carolina John December 19, 2011, 9:19 am

    Cape Cod Kettle chips make everything better. Glad you got home safe and sound.

  • Sarah December 19, 2011, 9:22 am

    I love TED! My Comm TA showed us a video every other day in class… could have been bc he was lazy but they were all still super interesting. Definitely car ride material 🙂

  • john black December 19, 2011, 9:37 am

    So glad you were able to visit you grandpa. Hope you have a wonderfull Christmas.
    Love ya,John

  • Lee December 19, 2011, 9:44 am

    My husband gets annoyed with me because on long car trips, I am constantly playing on my phone. Word Warp is another fun game.

    Just catching up on your previous posts. Glad you were able to visit your grandpa.

  • Maria December 19, 2011, 10:25 am

    Just bought the GPS drive app per your recommendation!! I was always jealous of my boyfriend’s droid phone that has a GPS that talks to him so I’m hoping I will love this just as much. I downloaded the Reach MD app too since I am in PA school now and figured it wouldn’t hurt! Thanks love 🙂

  • Allison December 19, 2011, 10:31 am

    My momma is OBSESSED with Angry Birds haha! She always asked to play on my phone before she got her own iPhone 😛

  • Anna December 19, 2011, 10:35 am

    What would we do without smartphones and internet?! You can always play the alphabet game or license plate find!

  • Lisa December 19, 2011, 1:27 pm

    I’m kinda of addicted to Words with Friends.

    On road trips I also bring books like “What If…?”
    and “Stuff White People Like.” It’s fun to use stuff like that to spark conversations.

  • Amber K December 19, 2011, 1:58 pm

    I don’t have a smartphone, but it sounds like it would be totally helpful on long car rides. Of course, to me one hour is a long car ride, let alone four! I don’t think I have ever actually been on a car ride that was longer than a couple of hours. And I go insane. My husband is the driver, so I at least don’t have to worry about that part, but the being trapped thing drives me crazy!

  • Melissa December 19, 2011, 7:04 pm

    Wheres the water is addictive! I think it’s a child’s game but it is addicting.

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats December 19, 2011, 7:45 pm

    I LOVE roadtrips! Mostly if I’m driving though. No need for entertainment!

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