I have travelled a lot. Maybe I should say I have driven a lot. Over 250,000 miles actually. Basically I am personally responsible for burning roughly 16,000 gallons of fuel. Suck on my carbon footprint.

So, I was very amused at the topic of No-Doze vs. Starbucks at lunch today. The rationale was that No-Doze is superior because you don’t have to stop and pee. I can see the point, as I have been very frustrated at my teensy-weensy bladder. See, to stop is to lose momentum, which wrecks your travel efficiency.

I get it. And I disagree.

First of all, Starbucks tastes much better than No-Doze. Just saying. I enjoy coffee drinking as part of the ritual of travel as well, and I have a hunch I would just get sicker more quickly from eating way too much trail mix, because I couldn’t mitigate it with coffee drinking. Or I would drink more water, which would be better for me, but make me pee just as much.

My second point, stopping to pee is actually a great way to stay alive. Not for the obvious part about preventing your kidneys from failure. Getting off of the road every two hours or so is major way to minimize fatigue and stay alert. For real, this really matters. Don’t believe me? Sleep deprivation really screws with your reaction time and spacial perception. If you are still skeptical – try playing Need For Speed when you are alert, and compare it to how you do when you are sleep deprived. See what I am saying? At the end of the day… drinking Starbucks will probably save your life.