Camp is finally coming to a close! My boyfriend has moved back home, yet football is still in full swing. Practice, film sessions, weight lifting, treatment/recovery, and team activities are still slated from 5am to 9pm (and now that he’s moved home, he’s not the only one woken up by his 4:30am alarms). Though the team has moved into their fall housing, the craziness of camp continues right into the beginning of the season. Wow. To think that the football season starts in just ten days! It may sound corny, but it really does feel like the previous season was coming to a close just yesterday…
But with the start of the season, comes the start of the most hectic time of the year for my family. Our life is consumed by football from August through December (and, God willing, even longer!). For us that means lots of time spent in the car traveling to and from stadiums across the country.
Chasing football across the country… sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. The hours upon hours in the car become monotonous. I’m very lucky that my dad is able to go to most of the games with me, so I’m not spending the car rides alone, but we drive thousands of miles together each football season. Over the past 4 years, I’ve learned some helpful tips and tricks to make travel time a little less mind-numbing!
Tip #1:
Find places to stop along the way. Before leaving on the long drives to games, I always scope out places/attractions along the drive that I would like to stop at. For example, two years ago on our way to a game in Buffalo, NY, we left a bit early so we could stop at the restaurant credited with creating the buffalo wing! Not only was it a delicious pitstop, it broke up the drive and gave us some time out of the car (so important on long drives!). This year, we have games in Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Buffalo again (thinking we’ll stop at Niagara Falls this time around!), so the pitstop planning has already begun to find some new, entertaining stops!
Tip #2:
Comfy clothes are essential, not only for the drive, but also for game day. All too often I see football wives/fiances/girlfriends trying to ‘show out’ at every single game. They’re dressed to the nines, looking like tens, and doing so effortlessly (no judgement here!). I remember putting in the same effort my first season, too. But two years in I realized that it’s so much better being comfy at games. Rather than spending hours getting ready beforehand, I would rather just throw on a pair of jeans or leggings, one of his t-shirts, and go explore the city pre-game. We’re already sitting in uncomfortable seats or bleachers, so why make ourselves even more uncomfortable because of the clothing we’re wearing? Wearing comfy clothes to the games makes it that much easier to jump right back in the car and get on the road as soon as the game is over!
Tip #3:
The final tip that I’ve learned from multiple seasons of driving to and from games, is that personal hotspots are 100% worth the extra expense on the cell phone bill! This has been a huge game-changer in breaking up the monotony of the drive-time. I always make sure I have my laptop with me, so connecting to my personal hotspot opens up a lot of possibilities (and don’t worry, I would never do this while I’m actually driving! Just to clarify lol). This allows me to watch youtube, check emails, apply for jobs, and (this season) write blog posts while we’re traveling! Despite the slight increase in the cell phone bill, this one is definitely worth it and the distraction makes the drives go by much quicker!
That’s it for this post! Next up: the home opener! I’ll be doing a full run-down of what a game day in the life of a football players’ girlfriend/significant other looks like!
What is your top tip for traveling and long drives? Leave a comment down below with yours!
If you have any questions/comments/recommendations/requests for future posts, please let me know in the comments! And check back on August 29th for my game day post!
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