OFF THE BEATEN PATH

With revenge travel in full swing, destinations are fast getting filled up with all kinds of travelers. Some prefer to travel in style and luxury, while there are those (such as myself) who like to rough it up a little.  I am a “long drive” kind of person, which makes me pretty low maintenance, I suppose. But as one friend recently pointed out, getting ready for a long trip requires a high maintenance check, all for convenience and safety’s sake.
Here's a short list of my own recommendations for fellow comrades on the road who may need a little nudge of reminder.
1\. Buckle up\. Always\. Please don’t latch the seatbelt to the lock\, and put it behind your back\. It may silence your car’s incessant beeping noise but it won’t keep you safe\.
2\. Do a once over of your vehicle before driving off\.  This includes: a. Checking the engine oil level. b. Checking the water level in the radiator and coolant. c. Battery life (batteries usually should be replaced every two years) d. Tire pressure and tire wear (you don’t want to drive on bald tires).
3\. If you’ll be using the tollway en route to your destination\, make sure there’s enough load on your RFID account before heading out\.
4\. When driving\, use the hands\-free feature of your vehicle’s audio system\.  Most vehicles now have Apple Carplay/Android auto which lets you view your map \(Google Maps or Waze\)\, and answer calls\, without fidgeting with your phone\.
5\. Study the route you’ll be taking before the trip\.  Use Waze or Google Maps\.  As a rule\, I do 15\-minute stops for every two to three hour of driving \(and do some stretching\)\.  I look at the maps\, to check what places I’ll be passing\, taking the opportunity to visit a nice restaurant or bike shop\.
6\. Bring basic OTC medicines for fever\, motion sickness\, diarrhea\, etc\.\.
7\. Prepare a good playlist\.  Having done solo road trips for years all over the Philippines\, a good playlist can make a world of difference between falling asleep and staying awake\.
8\. Drive defensively\.  You’re going on a vacation\.  Not a race\.
9\. Make sure your vehicle registration is current\, as well as your driver’s license\. 10\. As much as possible\, don’t drive at night\.  Prevents you from dozing off\, allows you to enjoy the sights and definitely\, much safer\.
11\. If you’ll be doing cross\-island driving\, make sure you get the ferry/ro\-ro schedules and fare prices\.  Some companies allow you to book early\, so best to reserve ahead\, to make sure you’ll have a slot during that trip\.  As a rule of thumb\, I try to be at the port\, one to two hours before the vessel departs\.
12\. Bring extra copies of your vehicle’s OR and CR and photocopies of your driver’s license\.
I’m sure that motoring experts out there have longer, more exhaustive lists that I would gladly share in this space.
Off The Beat: Sharing an old mix I recorded live, on Oct. 9, 2020. I used Technics SL-1200 MK2 turntables, with an Allen & Heath DB2 mixer.
Playlist: 1. Feel So Good, 2. Zoom, 3. Solid, 4. Rain Or Shine, 5. Captain Of My Heart, 6. Fantasy, 7. Dream Of Me, 8. The Hurt, 9. I Love You Always Forever, 10. Something About You, 11. King Of Wishful Thinking, 12. Things Can Only Get Better, 13. Hold Me Now, 14. Eye In The Sky.  A good playlist to listen to, while driving leisurely in the countryside.
*Click the link below to listen:* [*https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/mh-live-201009-goyo-80s/*](https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/mh-live-201009-goyo-80s/)