Tips For Planning A Road Trip
Hey y'all! I hope everybody had an amazing Christmas and got to spend it with the ones that they love! Sorry I was gone for the last week, I completely stopped and got ready for the holidays. It was amazing and I got to see some family I hadn't seen in a long time and spend time with the ones that truly matter! I have a lot of content that is going to be put up this week in prep for New Years and the start of the new year so stay tuned for that! But lets hop in to today's post shall we!
With the holiday's in full swing and still going, I thought it would be a great idea to share some of my tips and tricks for planning the perfect road trip. Most of the time when I am traveling I am in the car and driving to my next location, whether it be somewhere in state or out of state! Now I think that road trips get a really bad rep because they stress people out or don't go the way that they want them to. I always try to make my road trips as fun as possible because I feel like they go by faster and aren't so boring. Put before that happens I try to plan out my road trip, so here are some of my tips for planning the perfect road trip.
1. HAVE YOUR ROUTE MAPPED OUT AND READY TO GO
Now I know that we are not living in the stone ages anymore and we all have phones with map capabilities to tell us which way to go, but I like to map out my route beforehand and know where I am going. I hate being lost and this also helps me plan out what time I need to leave so I can get there at the time I want to. This also allows you to be able to see where gas stations are as well as food and other pit stops that you might need.
2. FIGURE OUT THE BEST TIME TO LEAVE, WHETHER IT IS EARLY MORNING OR LATE AT NIGHT
This is super helpful to me especially once I figure out which route I am taking and whether or not it is high traffic or low traffic areas. I am the type of person that likes to get where I am going as fast as possible and as soon as possible so if leaving at odd times does that, then that is exactly what I am going to do. If you are also traveling with people, you can switch on and off so you can get a little bit of sleep at those weird hours that you may not be used to being up at.
3. GET ORGANIZED AND MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE RESTAURANTS, COFFEE SHOPS, HOTELS, ETC.
I am always organized, so getting my stuff together and having everything planned out is right up my alley. If you are passing through multiple cities, put together a spreadsheet or list of some kind, with hotel options, check Yelp for restaurants in those cities, and maybe even some popular places to stop at.
Hotels: Usually these will be pre-booked so we don't have to pay ridiculous fees for just walking in or holding out hope that they hotel will actually have a room for you. When road tripping, I tend to look for hotels that are familiar to me and that I have stayed in so I know I will be comfortable and have great service while I am there. I also look for the essentials, like do they have a gym and if not pack some workout stuff like weights or a jump rope so you are still able to get your workout in. I encourage you to do what makes you the most comfortable because for me, the hotel is where I am able to relax after being in the car for such a long period of time.
Restaurants: This is my favorite thing to look into because I am such a foodie and love to see what is special in the cities that I am traveling to. This is usually when I look at Yelp or other great websites to tell me some great spots for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on when I am passing through and how much time I will have. When deciding restaurants, I will look at healthy options as well as some sweet cravings that I don't normally get. You may even look into some coffee shops so you can grab some energy and recharge and maybe even get some much needed WiFi that you don't get in the car. Usually some cities will have some pretty cool and unique coffee shops so I would definitely recommend checking those out on your next road trip.
When looking into all of these places, I love to look at the different areas and scout some unique places to take pictures for the blog so I can share it with all of you!
4. STOCK UP ON SNACKS TO AVOID STOPS
If you want to save time and make sure you get to where you are going fast and on time I would suggest getting snacks or anything else you might want to eat beforehand so you don't have to stop during your drive. I love to get some sweet snacks as well as something salty or even spicy, like Jalapeno chips, to keep me going through my drive. Now I am not a soda drinker but I will pack some waters or even a Lemonade for me to drink throughout but remember don't chug because then you are gonna have to stop and pee.
5. CONSIDER ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES
I think that entertainment is the most important part of any road trip because it keeps everything fun and makes the drive go a lot faster! My biggest thing is of course music so I always make a road trip playlist and if I am traveling with people I make them make a playlist as well so we can rotate our music on and off. This also makes it so if you have people with different tastes everybody gets the chance to hear what they want. Always make sure though that the car you are traveling in has either Bluetooth or a USB port so you can plug your phone in. You don't want to get in the car and find out you can't listen to the things on your phone for the next however many hours. Even if you have to bring CDs, I strongly encourage you to do so! If you are not the music listening person, I encourage downloading podcasts or listening to something else to keep you entertained.
6. BE PREPARED
Depending on who you are traveling with, bring the right stuff in case something goes wrong. If you are traveling with kids, make sure to have some paper towels or wipes handy in case a mess is made. My thing is that I would rather pack it and not need it than not packing it and needing it. Trust me anything can happen and I would rather be prepared than not. I also like to make sure beforehand that I have all my necessary documents, like my current license and registration because none of us want to get pulled over without those things. But for me being prepared also making sure that my car is prepared and is working properly. My car is the devil car so anything can happen but I like to make sure my tires are blown up all the way, I have had my oil changed recently, and that everything is working properly.
7. PACK SMART AND FOR THE CAR
Whenever packing your car for a road trip, always make sure that the things that you know you are going to need are near you in the car. For example, my purse is always in the front seat as well as food and water while my suitcase can go in the back. Whenever I am packing for a road trip I always consider the weather, especially when traveling to other cities. I will look at all my weather apps beforehand so I can see the weather from days out so I can plan accordingly. Some things that I typically pack for a car ride is a neck pillow or some kind of pillow, AUX cord/ charging cord, plastic or reusable water bottle, kleenex, and a blanket. For me these are just some of the things I like to pack to make sure I am comfy during my car ride.
I hope you guys enjoyed this and might even take some of these into consideration when planning for your next road trip so it goes smoothly! As always thank you all for stopping by and reading!
Love, D
