How to Take on a Road Trip Like a Pro

Helpful Tips for a Smooth Trip

Grocery Trip

You may find a quick trip to the grocery store before starting your journey to be super beneficial to you. Making sure you have all the essential items for your trip, like water and snacks, is important to have. While you may not expect to need something to snack on while you’re driving or “passenging”, you’ll be surprised how much you really need it aside from meals. Make sure to have enough snacks and water to last the entire ride without running low. It’s better to have more than you need than not enough.

Breaks

A lot of times people try to get through trips in one or two full sittings without giving themselves enough time to stretch and rest. Make sure to avoid this, because this puts you at a higher risk of getting tired, uncomfortable, and more prone to crashes. The best way to go is to take a break to either fill gas, get food, or just stop at a rest stop every two or three hours to give your body some rest.

Download Maps

A mistake many travelers tend to make is not having their GPS ready to go and set up. To prevent any issues, the best way to go would be to find and enter your destination into your map and enter any stops you would like to meet to start off with, at rest stops, gas stations, fast food places, or hotels, all of which your GPS will direct you in and out of. If you know you are going somewhere with bad service, it is crucial to download the map in the region of your start to end destinations so that you will still have a map to follow even if you lose service. Regardless, this is a good preventative measure to take for all travelers.

Plan Everything Beforehand

If you want everything to run smoothly, I would suggest creating a realistic schedule for your trip beforehand based on your lifestyle. If you know you need more rest time than others, make sure to set aside extra time to take rest breaks. Plan for pit stops no matter your lifestyle, because you will perform best rested. Plan for time to grab food and fill up your gas. Looking at the map and route beforehand to make sure your tank is full in an area where there may not be any gas stations is an important aspect to consider before it’s too late. Another thing to consider is keeping an emergency kit in your car with anything you may need depending on the temperature and road conditions. Blankets, extra water, etc, are all things to keep within reach.

Other Passengers

Driving hours on end can get boring, so having something to do, listen to, or talk to is pretty nice. The best way to go is having other passengers that you take with you along your journey. Not only does this make the experience more enjoyable in most cases, but it is also helpful to have an extra brain and set of hands in the case of any sudden situations. For entertainment purposes, other passengers give you people to talk and listen to, but when they may be asleep, music and the radio are good to have. You may consider thinking about or bringing games that your other passengers can guide you through as long as they’re not too distracting.

Hopefully these tips will help you plan and take on your road trip. If you have any additional comments or tips or even past experiences, feel free to leave them in the comments down below! Enjoy your travels!

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About the Content Creator:

Ishita is a sophomore in high school, with interest residing in travel, real estate, interior design, and entertainment. She lives in Columbus Indiana, with her parents, brother, and puppy. She loves to be around people and to go places for vacation! While she's home, she enjoys listening to music while doing work and watching television in her spare time. She also dedicates a large amount of time for school clubs, such as Environmental Club!