Guide to a Successful Road Trip
Welcome back everyone! Todays post is going to be short and sweet to just give you a few ideas on how to successfully take a road trip. While some of these things might seem like no brainers, they are often the things people forget most when they have to go and sit in a car for eight hours. I have driven or been part of drives all over the West Coast and have accumulated a whole system that ensures everything goes as smoothly as possible. Below I have listed my routine to a successful road trip. Enjoy!
It may seem like common sense but make sure you check all fluids in your car before you leave. Make sure you can get there and back safely without having to get anything changed or fixed. Also check your tires so if there is an issue while you are on the road, you can at least know you haven’t been driving on a bad tire and making the problem worse.
Plan to leave 30 minutes before you actually have to leave. Maybe its just me, but I am always running late and triple checking everything and therefor leave later than my targeted time every time. But, if you use this little, trick you are still leaving on time and you don’t have to text anyone to inform them you are running late yet again.
Photo editing done by Avery Lynch
Bring your own snacks. Stopping to get food on the road is time consuming and often expensive, so pack a sandwich and some other munchies for the drive. The only thing you should be purchasing on the road is gas and potentially extra caffeine or water. Thats it.
Get a coffee, or whatever your favorite drink is from your favorite place, before you leave town. Since most road trips begin early in the morning, coffee is imperative and so is the good attitude it brings. If you are going to be in the car for longer than six hours, you will go a little crazy and the coffee will help at least start the trip off positively.
Fill up your gas tank before you leave even if you are only a quarter empty. It may not seem like much but always start with a full tank of gas. Just a good rule of thumb.
Have music and podcasts already downloaded. Depending on where you are going, you may hit dead zones where Spotify or Apple Music do not work. Have things previously downloaded or else you will be stuck with silence or listening to whatever bad radio station is coming through in the middle of nowhere.
Wear comfy clothes. No one is going to see you so fashion is unimportant and if you are in the car for any long period of time, you need leggings and the one t-shirt that has a little hole in it but it’s still your favorite becasue of how soft it is.
If you get tired, call someone and chat on the phone for a little bit. It will wake your brain back up and make you feel way less tired than you were before. Driving can be hypnotic so best to always have someone on call in case you get sleepy.
Those are my tips and tricks to getting through a road trip without going completely insane! This is obviously for shorter trips where you leave in the morning and get to your final destination later that same day. I will be making a separate post for the trips where there are multiple days and over night stays involved so stay tuned! I hope this was helpful for you guys! If I missed anything or you have your own tricks you use, comment below!
Madey