| Renee Malove When you're sitting in a car for hours on end your mouth gets dry. Really dry. Almost (dare we say it?) obscenely dry. Unfortunately, most cars don't come with an automatic drink dispensing machine that refills every time you stop, keeping drinks cool and fresh! Since we're still sitting around waiting on that technology, travelers are looking for other secrets to keeping drinks fresh when they're out on the highway.
Have you ever taken a road trip? When you first grab a drink and set it into the console between your seats it's cool. It's fresh. And all of the flavoring is still floating around in happy equilibrium to give you a properly mixed suspension that's missing out on all of those fun molecular "chunks" that can leave you chewing on your drink rather than drinking it. Unfortunately, that doesn't last long!
Since the last thing you want to do is spend your entire road trip trying to either remix your drinks or tolerating drinks that are warm, flat and out of suspension because you don't want to have to stop every thirty or forty miles to pick up another one, here are a few suggestions for keeping drinks fresh when you're on the road again.
First and foremost, take the time to pick up a travel cooler before you pull out of your driveway (or at least before you leave town). These can range in size from large enough to store food and drinks for a family of five to small enough to fit comfortably on the front seat. Fill these up with ice and slip your drinks inside. This will keep drinks cool and fresh for hours, and when the ice starts to melt you can stop at the nearest gas station, pick up another bag and start the process all over again.
If you're the type of person who likes to leave drinks in their car, purse or gym bag while you travel, have you thought about getting drinks that are meant to be taken on the road? There are technologies now that allow you to add concentrated flavoring directly to your drink when you're ready for it rather than having to buy the drink pre-mixed in the store, which means it's actually fresh when you want it.
Remember, keeping drinks fresh is really just a matter of making sure they're not left to sit around for hours on end. Consider stocking up on some bottled water and flavored powders. Crystal Light and Gatorade are well known for theirs, but you can also get teas and nutritional drinks (not to mention baby formula) in powdered form for out on the road. These don't mix as well as the flavoring concentrates but they can stay good for years.
Keeping drinks fresh out on the road can be a key element of trip enjoyment, so make sure you plan ahead. You never know when a cool, crisp drink will be the impetus you need to keep your eyes open just one more mile!
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Renee Malove is an author, journalist and road trip fanatic. For more information on the technology that's helping travelers keep their drinks fresh when they're out on the highways, visit http://www.GizmoClosures.com |
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