3 tips from women who can tell us about living and working on the road

NPR interviewed Jess Graham, a single mother who decided to take her daughter on the road with her. Graham wanted to make sure she and her daughter were having a good time while on the road so she implemented a few things. They would roller skate around truck stops, use whiteboard markers to practice her math problems, and more. Here are some tips she shared, especially for women that might feel alone on the road.

1. Embrace the solitude: most drivers spend their time alone on the road. Many of them have found ways to utilize those minutes by solving problems big and small. Being alone on the road can have its nice moments. The peace of being alone with just you and the road can feel energizing!
2. Find your people: Jess Graham decided to turn what she felt was isolation into a community. She hit the road alone when her daughter Halima started middle school and found trucking to be a “much less hospitable place as a single woman without her daughter in tow.” She discovered Real Women In Trucking, an organization that advocates for sexual assault awareness training for new and existing drivers.
3. Adapt your passion: If there is something that you loved doing before you hit the road, try to bring it with you! If you love to cook, bring a few of your spices, a slow cooker, and start small. If you love to paint, pick up travel-size paint and some brushes with a canvas and you’re set!