Road tripping is among the few topics that I can claim above-average knowledge or talent.

As Clark Gable boasted in “It Happened One Night,” “I oughta write a book about it.”

But that sounds like too much work. I’d rather just muse about my favorite pastime and share some tips I’ve learned along the road — an inside scoop you might not get from a book.

I was a road tripper before my feet could reach my tricycle pedals, much less a gas pedal.

After my dad finished his Air Force service, when I was about 2 years old, we settled in California. Nearly every summer, we road-tripped to Colorado — my parents’ home state — to visit relatives.

To me, those annual adventures were everything in life.

We piled in the family station wagon with mom and dad in front, my brothers in the far back with their toys and pillows strewn about, and my sister and I in the middle seats. She manned the water jug and I controlled the maps.

Oh, the maps. My guess is that during one of my first whiny “Are we there yet?” moments, dad handed me one and said, “Here, see if you can figure out where we are.”

And a map-loving freak was born. Some people drool over seed catalogs in the spring.

That’s me with maps.

I observed and learned from my parents. Car maintenance and route planning from Dad; packing and organization from Mom. We had a large cooler full of food: Kool-Aid, Pop-Tarts, hard-boiled eggs, sandwich fixings, etc.

All valuable advice when traveling with my kids years later, tweaking and adding my own tips with each venture. Backpacks full of new toys — books, handheld games, puzzles and coloring books (but no crayons — they melt).

We had no iPads or car DVD players and neither did my kids. I doubt I would’ve allowed them and I KNOW my dad wouldn’t have.

Instead, we counted train cars in the Nevada distance, tallied state license plates, learned how to calculate lightning distance and used mile markers to determine how far to the next town.

And how to sing “Row Row Row Your Boat” in a round.

When we weren’t on a family road trip (about 90% of the year) I daydreamed about them, reliving the previous year’s fun with our cousins and eagerly anticipating the next go-round.

On occasion, I even coerced my sweet neighborhood friend Helen into joining me on imaginary excursions in an abandoned car in their yard.

It’s 2024 and nothing has changed. I become 10 years old all over again, plotting my next best adventure and researching landmarks — like the world’s biggest ball of twine.

A solo traveler these days, I’m still tweaking my game plan with every trip. Last summer, I acquired an organizer tote with sections for food, first aid and tool kits, basic camping goods, etc. My why-didn’t-I-think-of-this-sooner idea this year was purchasing gas, fast food and grocery gift cards so I wouldn’t have to continually pull out the debit/credit card or cash for small stuff.

I wonder what “lightbulb” moment I’ll have for the next trip. Yep, the planning has already begun!

So, see you down the road sometime. I’ll be the one munching on Pop-Tarts and counting train cars.