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For the truly adventurous sports fans out there, tailgating on the road presents many different challenges. Not only do you have to watch out for home fans who may want to cause trouble, you don’t want to be one of those groups that makes an horse's rear of themselves in hostile territory. The truth is, you haven’t tailgated until you have done so surrounded by people who despise you, but are willing to shake your hand and even eat from your grill because you have done such a great job of fitting in. Here are a few failsafe tips you can follow:

 

First off, use the power of the Internet to scout out where you are going to park, where you can tailgate and where you can’t. Chances are, you won’t have a very good idea of where you are going when you get there and roads could be blocked off. You don’t want to get waved into a lot where tailgating is not allowed. If you can, go down the night before and make a dry run of it so you can get from point A to point B with plenty of time to tailgate.

 

Next, don’t bring food and drink with you, buy it there. Part of the fun of tailgating is tasting the local microbrews, picking up beef, sausage, pork and chicken from the local butchers and adopting local preparation styles. If you headed to a place where dry rub beats out wet sauce, go with it. Why would you want to travel and eat the exact same food you ate back home anyway? The food culture across the United States is diverse and beautiful, don’t get caught looking like an ugly tourist who thinks the way they do things is superior to every other method without trying those methods first.

 

Although you are in hostile territory and you likely have a t-shirt, hat and car flag that all advertise that you are cheering for the bad guys, don’t be afraid to walk around a little and say hello to your fellow tailgaters. Better yet, if you happen to run into tailgaters parked next to you that are friendly, invite them over to watch your television or to have a beer. Who knows, you may pick up some local preparation tips, and if nothing else, you can talk about your conference rival you both can’t stand. Traveling, even if it is just to the next state for the big game, is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and have the time of your life.

 

Finally, remember to be civil. If your team loses, you will likely be showered with boos, catcalls and taunts, but if your team wins, it is your chance to extend the olive branch and leave a good impression of your entire fan base. If the local laws/lot rules allow it, you can always fire up your grill after the game, get out some cold drinks (alcohol-free for the driver) and make some more friends. It may turn out that you have people from coast to coast that you can call on next year.