Planning a Successful Road Trip
As summer starts to come to an end and children start school soon, many people look to take one more road adventure for the season. This can be a destination vacation, a trip to see family or friends, or just a quick day trip to go see an attraction or to attend a certain event. Many of us drive great distances to get to where we are going and being ready and prepared for a long road trip makes the trip go smoothly and without incident. Below you will find some simple tips to making the most of your road trip.
Have a Destination Planned
Probably the simplest way to have a fun and successful road trip is to have a detailed plan of what events you want to go to and when. This allows you to figure out when to leave for your trip and when you will arrive back home. Once you know where you want to go and when you need to get there, you can start planning the road trip. You can now determine when you need to leave and how long of a drive your trip will actually take you. Make sure you are aware of when you are scheduled to arrive in cities and try to factor in traffic as well. Finally try to plan where and when you will stop for breaks and how long you will be stopped for. It is impossible to accurately guess how long everything will take and how long traffic will delay you, but you can make an educated guess that will help you plan and ensure you arrive in a certain time window.
Breaks
People cannot go 8 hours straight in a car without taking a break. Even if you think you can, odds are your car will need fuel anyways during this drive. Having a plan of where and when you will stop will help make your travels efficient. Taking a short break every couple, hour can be more practical rather than wearing yourself out and taking one long break. You will remain fresh and alert after each short break and not wear yourself down too much. In addition, quality food and the best fuel prices are not always an easy find during a road trip. If you build breaks into your travel plan you will likely find the best food and cheapest gas available. There are now tons of ways to see what travel plazas and small cities you will pass on your journey. If you spend a little prep time researching what each area has to offer you can ensure you get only the types of food you want and you will likely find the best locations to fuel up along the way.
Food & Drink
Along the highways and streets, you will pass there will be a wide variety of food choices. Do not be tempted by too many of these stops. As states above a best practice is to have your stops planned out ahead of time. Another best practice is to bring some snacks and beverages with you when you start your journey. These snacks will likely be healthier and better tasting then anything you will get at a travel plaza and typically are cheaper. You can even cook or bake your own snacks. So, when you are planning your trip, break out the cooler and remember to pack some homemade fresh snacks and some simple drinks. It will save you time and be better for your health.
Carpool and Take Turns
It is possible for one person to drive a long distance on their own but how often is it necessary, if you drive 6 hours to get somewhere you typically are tired when you arrive. By sharing the drive responsibility you give your body and mind a break when traveling. In addition, carpooling is always a great option when the opportunity presents itself. If you are traveling for a family event ask yourself, is there a relative or family friend that is also attending? If so talk to them to see if carpooling is feasible. Based on scheduling and plans, driving separately might be the best option but if your agendas line up you can save a lot of money by carpooling. In addition, it takes some of the travel burden off of you. If you carpool you have more potential drivers and can rest more during your journey. Finally never discount the value of splitting parking costs and fuel costs. It is a great way to save money for you and whoever you are carpooling with.
Car Maintenance
Cars are machines that require maintenance and proper care to work well for a prolonged period of time. One of the best times to go in for an inspection or even an oil change is right before you go on a road trip. First this will ensure your car is up to the task of a long journey making your trip safer. Second almost all car places will check your fluid levels to ensure everything is full prior to your trip. Finally getting an oil change right before a long trip ensures your car’s engine works as well as possible. A long trip lets vehicles engines run with little change in speed. This allows the new oil to spread throughout the engine while warm and help lubricate the engine fully. It is important for car engines to get a workout just like it is important to us to work out. A long road trip is like a marathon, fresh oil and some basic safety and maintenance checks is like stretching and training for the marathon. If you do it correctly things will go well.
Entertainment
During a long road trip it is important that you have many ways to occupy yourself and your passengers. There are many different ways to do this. The most common method of driving entertainment is music; however, it is not the only form of entertainment. Many people use a variety of apps to play digital media such as audio books. Listening to books in a car during a trip is like a mini book club. Everyone in the car can come up with theories on how things will end and can talk about their opinion of the book once it is complete. If you have children you can always choose a book that might be part of their summer school reading, this allows you to kill two birds with one stone. You can help get some assignments done and can later help your children complete assignments about this book. Finally let’s not forget about the old-fashioned games that we used to play growing up. Things like seeing how many different states license plates you can see or how many different models of cars you come across. There are plenty of ways to stay entertained during a long car ride, make sure you have a few ready so you are never bored.
Road trips and long drives can be stressful and physically draining but they do not have to be. By planning a trip and ensuring you help when available things will go smoothly. Finally ensuring you r food needs and entertainment needs are met ensures you will have a much more enjoyable vacation. So drive safely and enjoy your summer road trip.