Hopping in the car for a road trip can be a fun experience when properly planned out. If little to no planning is done before hitting the open road, there will more often than not be extra layers of stress added to a long car ride.
Being flexible is a key component to every road trip.
Yet there are some things that you can do to make long travel days more enjoyable for you, your kids and any furry friends that are joining the trip.
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When planning a giant road trip, you can choose to take your own trusty car (depending on how trusty it is), rent a car or rent an RV.
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This pretty much depends on the experience you are looking for. If you want to keep things simple with just a small car and an open road, take your own car. If you want a bit of an elevated road tripping experience, an RV may be the way to go.
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With that said, be sure that you have a roadside assistance service like AAA set up so that if something does happen to your car while you’re on your road trip, you can get it taken care of quickly.
Create a road trip playlist
Plan out your stops
Planning your stops down to the minute is going to be a pretty impossible task because lots of unplanned occurrences happen on road trips.
It’s important to sit down with your fellow travelers before your trip and create a rough itinerary. This is also a good time to map out where you’re going to be stopping and staying overnight throughout the trip. Try to book hotels/campgrounds ahead of time, so that way you don’t have to be full of stress looking for a hotel when you’re half asleep and finding out they’re all booked.
You’ll likely have a large suitcase packed with all the things you’ll need when you reach your final destination. When you’re making short overnight stops, you aren’t going to need everything in that suitcase.
Plus, it can be a pain to lug around. On top of that, the more places you bring your giant suitcase to, the more times you open yourself up to forgetting something in the hotel room.
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Snacks are a necessity for a successful road trip. (Â Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Where are you staying?
Plan out the hotels or campsites you are going to be staying at before you go so that you can get reservations all set up.
Also, if you have family or friends who live anywhere along your route, consider staying with them to save some money and spend quality time with them.
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Do some research on the stops you want to make beforehand, that way you are prepared.
Tips for once you hit the roadÂ
- Use rest stops
- Keep food and water in an easy access spot
- Swap drivers
- Visit small town USA
Use rest stops
Keep food, water in an easy access spot
Don’t put your food or cooler deep in the trunk under all of your other things. Keep them toward the front of the car, so someone can easily access it while on the road.
Swap drivers
On your road trip, don’t count out the small, more quaint towns along the route.
These places often have great local restaurants to stop for food and maybe some fun activities to take part in.
2. Tips for traveling with kidsÂ
Traveling with little ones can be a challenge at times, so here are some tips to make things more enjoyable for the whole family.
Plan times for small breaks like rest stops and longer ones like a sit down restaurant or an activity to give the kids (and yourself) a break from the car.
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Have an activity bag ready, with shiny new toys