Despite flying is convenient and popular, the road trip still stands strong. You’d be surprised about the fact that over half of all families traveling choose to take a road trip. Why road trips are still so popular? There are many good reasons, such as its affordable, freedom, you have more opportunity to find many hidden gems along the way - Quaint small towns, beautiful views, enthusiastic people, regional food- that all will be missed when you choose flying. And what's more, when you drive hours on the open road, you'll get plenty of time to talk and bond with your loved ones.
While a road trip seems easy, but if you don’t prepare thoughtfully, it has the potential to be stressful and uncomfortable. The good news is you can get downright cozy with a few tips and some careful planning. Here are the tips & tricks you need to know before starting a road trip.
1. ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP CHECKLIST
Surely you will hit a few snags on your trip. But if you're prepared carefully, your trip will be smoother. Here is the ultimate road trip checklist, please make sure you have the following items when you start a trip.
Emergency Car Kit
- Jumper cables
- Spare tire
- Gloves
- Rope or bungee cord
- Flares
- Fuel transfer tank or gas can
- Snow scraper and collapsible shovel
Toiletries
- Body wash or soap
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss
- Hairbrush
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Deodorant
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissues
- Laundry bag, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets
- Toilet paper
Clothing
- Weather-appropriate clothes
- Extra clothes, including socks and underwear
- Raincoat
- Sneakers
- Flip-flops or sandals
Miscellaneous
- First aid kit
- Pain killer
- Flashlight
- Paper map
- Snacks and water
2. MAP OUT YOUR ROUTE IN ADVANCE
Whether you’re going on a fun & adventure trip with your best friends, or start a long-anticipated family road trip, you all need to take the time to map out your route in advance. It's a rule that any successful road trip requires proper planning, which can serve to keep you on track and on schedule, keep you from getting hopelessly lost.
3. KNOW HOW TO KEEP CLEAN AND ENERGETIC
How to stay clean on the road? Try these places to shower, such as Gyms, Community Swimming Pools, Pilot Gas Stations, Campgrounds. It's a good idea to buy a portable solar shower and a bath tent, then you can shower whenever or wherever you want!
As you don't know when you can get your next meal on road, so it's necessary to prepare some snacks and beverages in your car, and store them in a cooler. Thus you can easily get food for you or your hungry road trip buddy.
You are exhausted but can't find a safe place to park your car and get good sleep...everyone doesn't want to that thing occurs. So you need to do some research ahead of time to figure out where you will be spending your nights, and check by phone or the official website about the availability of each site as well.
4. LEARN TO USE THE OUTSIDE SPACE OF YOUR VEHICLE
The space of our car is limited, and we will feel uncomfortable living in small spaces for a long time. So why not use the infinite nature space?! You can take an SUV tent, shelter, camping chairs, and tables with you, and use them to create a comfortable home, which will give you a lot of extra room to spread out and make your road trip cozier.
5. KEEP FUN
Despite the view along the road is epic, but we will still feel boring if spend hours staring blankly out the window. So it’s also a good idea to make an entertainment plan.
- Looking for good road trip songs that you want to sing along with on the road.
- Play a road trip game
- Listen to a podcast
- Ignite an interesting conversation with your friends.
- listen to an audiobook
- have a road trip picnic
- watch the sunrise/sunset
All of them can kill some time during a long journey, and help you stay stimulated.
Let's get into the car, drive out to anywhere, start a fun, memorable road trip.