My Top Tips For Any Roadtrip
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If you are planning on doing a roadtrip and are looking for tips on how to best prepare and embark on the adventure of a lifetime, read along!
Tips for The Preparation Stage of your roadtrip
The planning proces of any roadtrip has a big influence on how the roadtrip itself will turn out. If you go on the road ill prepared, everything might turn out fine – but there is also the risk of the complete opposite. Being a big planner myself, I am obviously biased, but I would definitely say that doing your research can improve your trip alot! Below, I have gathered my top tips for preparing for a roadtrip in a way that will change it for the better.
Be realistic with your itinerary
On my latest roadtrip, I was definitely guilty of cramming in as much as humanly possible into our days. And don’t get me wrong – you can have a great roadtrip with full days of driving and exploring from 7 am to 8 pm. However, this type of itinerary might decrease the value of your roadtrip in the end, as you become too tired and overwhelmed to fully enjoy it.
My advice for you: Plan shorter days than you might think makes sense. Even if you estimate how long a given drive and activities might take, chances are the day will become 2-3 hours longer once you are on the road.
Making extra room in your itinerary will allow for more enjoyment and spontaneity. And why not add an extra day here and there to allow for a break or a spontaneous adventure?
Plan stops between each destination
As they say: “It is not about the destination – it is about the journey”. A great roadtrip not only contains great destinations but also memorable, fun and surprising stops along the way. When planning for your next roadtrip, my tip will be to take a look at the areas you will be driving through on google maps. Are there any sights or interesting towns marked?
Another way to find interesting roadtrip stops is to simply search for it on google. You will find that some areas will have a tons of sights marked while others will only have a few. Often, it has something to do with how popular the roadtrip is, and not how much there actually is to see. To plan the best possible roadtrip, I would encourage you to dig deep for those fun or interesting stops!
Budget in the “hidden” costs of a roadtrip
Make sure that you have considered all of the hidden costs of a roadtrip during your planning proces, so you don’t end up running out of money whilst on the road!
The “hidden” costs can be things such as toll roads, parking tickets and entry fees for national or regional parks. Gas prices can also vary greatly depending on your destination, so I recommend checking the local gas prices during your planning stage too!
Research the area you will be driving Through
When planning your roadtrip, it is important to research the area you will be driving through. If you are driving through national parks or remote places, there is a chance that you won’t encounter a gas station or restaurant for long distances at a time. Running out of fuel or food is a major mood killer for your roadtrip.
If you research the area you will be driving in beforehand, you can plan your gas stop right before entering a national park, to ensure that you won’t be running out. At the same time, you won’t find yourself in the annoying situation of being starving around lunch-time, and having 3 hours drive to the nearest food options.
Use Google Maps – And Download The Map before you go
During the planning of your roadtrip, add a pin on google maps for every stop, place or activity you stumble upon. See an interesting place on instagram? Add it to your map. Find some fun activities on a guide online? Add it to the map. This gives you a visual of the possibilities during your planning proces, and will help you understand what is practically possible to reach in a single day. Also, once you are on the road, you can quickly check your map for any cool things in the area that you have previously saved!
Pro Tip: Download an offline map on google maps before you go. No matter where your roadtrip takes you, you will likely run into problems with your mobile service as some point. And there is nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere, not knowing where to go!
How to download offline maps: You can download your offline map by opening your google maps app, clicking on the letter representing your profile and choosing “offline maps”. Here, you can “choose a map” yourself and download it easily to your device!
Advice For Car Rental
If you are planning your first roadtrip, you might be overwhelmed by the many things to consider when renting a car. Below, I have gathered my top tips for ensuring that you have everything under control, so you can simply enjoy your trip whilst on the road!
Know your rental agreement and insurances
My top recommondation for car rental is to come well prepared. Entering a car rental service can be a confusing and stressful experience, if you are not a 100% sure on what you need. Some rental companies will offer you extra services and insurances, many of which will seem to make sense to you! Just be sure to know exactly what your rental agreement already entails, and what you current insurances covers, so you don’t end up paying for something unneccesarry!
To be certain, I would advice you to read up on it, and have a specific plan in mind when you enter the car rental service. This way, you will get exactly what you need – and nothing more!
International drivers license
If you are doing a roadtrip outside of your home country, there is a chance that you will need an international drivers lincense. Be sure to check up on the rules through the car rental company before you go! It is often cheap and easy to apply for, but nonetheless crucial for your roadtrip success.
Save Money On Car Rental Through A Third-Party Booking Site
If you want to make a great deal when renting your rental car, a great tip is to book through a third party site like this one! These sites gather prices across several other sites and rental companies and provide you with the cheapest and most suitable deals for your needs. I personally love using them, as it saves me so much time, when I don’t have to research across several sites myself!
fill up the car before returning it
Most car rental services will have the option to either return the car with a full tank of gas, or let the car rental company fill up the car for an extra charge. This will often end up being more expensive than fueling the car up yourself!
Pro Roadtrip Tip: On the day of returning the car, locate a gas station close to the drop off location and save it on your map. This way, you can easily find it and fill up your car before dropping it off, even if you are in a hurry!
Take pictures and notes before you leave
This is an important step of any rental agreement. Make sure to document any scratches, bumps or lacks on the car before you leave the car rental company. An easy way to do this is to take pictures and videos around the car, with a specific focus on anything you find. This way, you can easily show the company the date of the picture, hence documenting its existence before your roadtrip. You don’t want to pay extra for other people’s mistakes!
Have the emergency and roadside assistance number near by
Always make sure to identify the phone numbers for any emergency or roadside assistance before you embark on your roadtrip.
For ease, have it on a note in the glove compartment, so you have it close by in case anything happens!
Top tips for your roadtrip On The Road
Once you have planned an epic roadtrip itinerary, considered all the necessary things and handled the car rental in the best possible way, it is time to hit the road. Below, I have gathered my top recommondations for improving your roadtrip whilst on the road!
Know that it will take longer than you think
Even when you have checked the distances and considered your breaks in the itinerary, chances are that the day’s ride will take longer than you expect. My top recommondation for you is to leave an hour or two before you actually “need” to. Yes, this might mean you have to get up early, but in my opinion it is worth it! The last thing you want is to be rushing from place to place and ruining the experiences that were supposed to be had. Plus, you really don’t want to miss out on spontaneous stops and adventures because you are too busy.
Download music and podcasts beforehand
As mentioned earlier, you will likely run in to areas on your roadtrip, where your mobile service will be slow or non existent. Even though this is not the end of the world, when you have your offline maps ready, driving for hours without any entertainment can be a annoyance.
To avoid this, download your preferred roadtrip entertainment before you leave on the journey of the day! Personally, I have a few playlists downloaded for different types of moods, as well as some episodes from my favourite podcasts.
Snacks, snacks, snacks (and drinks)
Making sure you have enough snacks and drinks with you on your roadtrip is an absolute must. For many people, the roadtrip snacks are a big part of the enjoyment of a roadtrip. The combination of endouvering new, foreign snacks, listening to great music and watching epic views definitely makes the roadtrip life sweeter.
Why not plan a roadtrip break at a big, local supermarket to stock up on fun snacks that you don’t have in your home country? Also, having snacks ready is a great way to avoid any incidences of hangriness (if you know, you know).
Take Breaks (and make them memorable)
Hopefully, you will have taken note from my planning section of this blog post, and have already saved some epic stops along each days roadtrip journey. In addition to enjoying these to the fullest, make sure to take longer breaks even if there is nothing special to look at!
Driving for hours can be exhausting and affect your mood and body in a lot of ways. To make sure that your roadtrip stays sweet and positive, take the breaks whenever you need it. Go for a small walk. Sit down at a café for a energy-boosting drink. Or lay down on a field for a while if the weather allows it! It is really important to take well-needed breaks, if you want to make sure that you actually enjoy the journey itself.
Try To embrace the unexpected
Even if you try to plan your roadtrip down to the smallest details, there will be unexpected events. Some of these will only cause a small annoyance, and others can affect your entire itinerary for the day! Being a big planner myself, my last tip for your roadtrip is: Try to keep an open mind for changes and unexpected happenings. And try to enjoy every step of the journey.
I really hope that these roadtrip tips can help you on the way to planning your next memorable roadtrip! Enjoy!
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