One of the best ways to explore the beauty of the world is to drive on an open road. You can make as many stops as you want to and go at your own pace. A road trip is very exciting and is a totally different travel experience from flying to a destination. However, to ensure a safe and pleasant road trip experience, you need to be fully prepared for any unexpected problems that may occur during the entire journey. Here are the 15 essential things that I have learned through my road trips.
1. Check Your Car Before You Head Out
Make sure your car is in very good condition. This is the first essential thing and one of the most important steps to have a successful road trip.
Before you go on the road, be sure to check your car maintenance:
- Oil and filter
- Tire wear and air pressure
- Brakes
- Vehicle fluids: coolant and windshield washer fluid
- Car lights and signals
- Car Battery condition
You can decide whether you need to get your car’s oil changed based on how many miles you have left before the next oil change and how many miles you plan to drive on the trip.
If you are not sure about the conditions of the tires and breaks, you may want to go to your mechanic. Have your mechanic check whether the tires need to be rotated or the breaks need to be replaced.
2. Have a Maintenance Kit and a Battery Starter in Your Car
Even if you have your car thoroughly checked right before you go on the road, unexpected things may happen due to road conditions or extreme weather. Bring a small, easy-to-use maintenance kit and a battery starter with you. You’ll be glad to have them around when something happens to your car in the middle of nowhere. You won’t end up waiting for hours for road assistance to help you out for a small fix that you could do on your own if you have a kit.
3. Create a Travel Itinerary
An aimless road trip may seem romantic and full of wonder; however, it also leads to frustration if you aren’t prepared. You might drive someplace where the road is too steep, and your car is not suited for the condition. You may be stuck in extreme weather conditions and you didn’t bring enough clothes. A well-planned itinerary is crucial for having an amazing road trip experience.
A few things you need to plan for your road trip itinerary:
- Major destinations — the places you plan to visit
- Major stops — the places you plan to sleep during the trip
- The route — help you estimate how many days you will be on the trip
Do not plan on driving more than 8 hours in a day, even you have many drivers. If you are traveling in high traffic areas, planning to drive an 8-hour day gives you a comfortable buffer for long traffic jams. Staying a long period of time in a car can be uncomfortable and boring, and that definitely affects your travel experience. If you don’t have enough time, consider planning a shorter route.
4. Prepare Clothes for The Coldest Weather You Can Expect on Your Trip
Once you have created your itinerary, check out the weather of all the places you are going to come across at the time you will travel and pack some clothes suitable for the coldest temperature during the entire journey. This is preparation for an emergency or some other extreme circumstance, for example, in case your car broke down on the road at night, and it would take hours for roadside assistance to get there. You want these things to be fully prepared for a situation like this but hope you will never need them.
5. Pack a Blanket in Your Car
A blanket can keep you warm when you want to take a nap, which is a very smart thing to do on a road trip when someone else is driving. In the classic 60s’ movies scene if your car gets stuck in the mud on the side of the road, you can put a blanket under the tires to move the car out. A blanket can also be used to put out a fire. Pack a blanket in your car, it doesn’t take much space but can be very useful.
6. Have an Updated Paper Map or Download Offline Google Maps
Technology can fail sometimes, and you may not have any cell reception in some remote areas, such as a national park. Have an updated paper map or store digital maps offline, so you can view them without cell reception. The Google Maps app offers an Offline Maps feature for iOS and Android where you can download maps for your trip. You may not be sure where you won’t have cell signal so store all the maps you can. Having a map available can save you from the trouble of getting totally lost.
7. Be Flexible About Hotels
One of the best ways to find a good, cheap hotel to stay in is to book as early as you can, but a road trip can be another story. You may have planned where to stop and stay for a night on the long leg of your trip, however, many things such as traffic, weather, or car problems may mean you don’t make it as far as you expected to each day. In that situation, you don’t want to keep driving when you already feel exhausted. If you had reserved a hotel room, you may have missed your hotel reservation. On a road trip, you can bet on a hotel’s last-minute deals. Hoteltonight.com is the perfect site for a road trip. It allows you to find great deals around where you are on short notice.
8. Consider a Roadside Assistance Membership
Some things are better to have but better not to use, such as insurance and roadside assistance membership. The membership doesn’t cost you much but can help you out when you need it. Having roadside assistance can reduce a lot of pressure on a road trip. I never leave home without my AAA membership card when I am driving a long distance. Many auto insurance companies also provide roadside assistance. Check online and choose the one that fits your needs.
9. Bring a Spare Car Key
Having a spare car key gives you a backup option on your road trip for situations like:
- Locking your car key in the car
- Your smart key runs out of battery
- Losing the keys to your car
Getting a second key removes the worry of those moments. Plus, it is easier and cheaper to get a second key from an auto shop or a car dealer than making a new one when your only car key is missing.
10. Carry Enough Water and Snacks
It is very important to carry plenty of water and snacks with you, especially when you are driving through some remote or expensive areas. Having snacks and water can get you through when the route may end up longer than you expected and there are not many restaurants or stores around. If you are traveling on a holiday, many restaurants and stores may be closed. Traffic on the way may be worse than you thought. In situations like this, you will be glad to have plenty of water and snacks in your car.
11. Fill Your Gas Tank When It is Half Empty
Filling up your gas tank when it is half empty is a good precaution for almost the same reasons as carrying water and snacks. You never know when you will run through an area where there are very few gas stations, or the gas is super expensive. You don’t want to drive under pressure, watching your gas level is running lower and lower, but the nearby gas station is far away or you are in heavy traffic and aren’t able to exit the highway. I always pay attention to the gas level and try to refill the tank whenever I stop for bathroom or coffee breaks.
12. Prepare Entertainment Options
It is critical to bring something to keep you from getting bored because boredom leads to tiredness, and you will feel even more tired when it is your turn to drive. Driving when you are feeling tired is a very dangerous thing. A hardcopy book may not be the best option to entertain if you get carsick when reading in a moving vehicle. So, anything from video games to audiobooks to music can help keep the boredom at bay.
13. Bring Electronic Device Chargers That Can be Used in Your Car
Most of the time you will use your cell phone, tablet, or other electronic devices while you are riding in the car. It is very convenient to have chargers that can be used in the car. But don’t forget the chargers that can be used in the hotel room.
14. Bring Some Cash
In case your credit card just doesn’t work at a gas station, which happened to me, you don’t have an electronic pass for toll payments, or some small local restaurant only accepts cash, having some cash with you is the easiest solution. Bring some cash, and especially, prepare some dollar bills for tips and tolls. Having cash will make a lot of things go smoothly.
15. Bring a First Aid Kit and Essential Medicine
In the city, you can easily find a CVS, Walgreens, or other pharmacy, so if you are feeling sick you can get the medicine you need right away. However, on an open road, the nearest pharmacy may be hours away. So, bring a First Aid kit with you, including Band-aids, an antibiotic ointment, and any essential medicine, such as a pain killer, digestive remedy, or motion sickness remedy.
Happy driving and have a wonderful road trip! I will see you in my next post!
