Planning a road trip? It isn’t something that happens overnight, and if you want the experience to be memorable and the drive itself to be safe, there are a few things you’ll have to keep in mind for the best possible road trip travel experience.
Here’s the essential information about how to plan your trip, what to pack and the most important things to check on your car before you hit the road.
Planning Your Trip
You should always plan the stops on your trip ahead: It saves you a lot of time, and greatly reduces the chances of getting lost in an area that you don’t really know. These days, it’s better to rely on a portable GPS or app than the old-fashioned map book – but just in case these fail, you should pack the map book anyway.
Knowing approximately where you’ll stop allows you to plan for both estimated time and traffic: Nobody wants to spend most of their trip stuck in rush hour, so it’s a great time to plan a scheduled stop somewhere and it allows you to get some air.
Packing Emergency Supplies
Never leave the house without emergency supplies. For taking a road trip, this means emergency supplies that apply to both people and cars. A basic first-aid kit can go a long way, and the addition of a proper tool-kit in your car is bound to save you a few hours on the road.
The term “emergency supplies” also applies to your tech, and you should always make sure you have a power bank, a spare battery, a charger and at least one backup for every cable. Again, this saves you an incredible amount of time during a road trip.
Avoiding Driver’s Fatigue
Driver’s fatigue is a very real condition that’s bound to affect long-distance drivers, but don’t think that it just happens to people who drive for a living. It can happen to anyone, and it can especially happen to you if you’re taking a long car trip.
Avoid driver’s fatigue by getting plenty of rest before you get behind the wheel, and stopping once at least every two hours to get up, stretch your legs and breathe. When driving for a longer distance, switch places with another driver (or stop somewhere to sleep) if and when you feel driver’s fatigue getting the best of you.
Driving Comfortably
Always ensure that you’re driving as comfortably as you can; this means pulling over when you feel like you’ve been driving for long enough that you’re developing numbness in any parts of your body. Even if you aren’t, staying in one position (like while you’re driving or sitting on a plane) is never a good idea for your body, and eventually it starts to affect your circulation – and can lead to very serious health conditions such as deep-vein-thrombosis.
The best way to counteract this is to drive as comfortably as possible, and to take regular breaks to get your circulation flowing again.
Checking Your Car
When it comes to taking a road trip, one of the most important things about it is your car: If your car doesn’t drive, you’re not going anywhere! Ideally, your car should go for a regular service even when you don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
There are also a few essential things about your car that you’ll have to check if you want to keep your car in good condition for the drive. Check out the infographic to see the 10 most essential things you should check on your car before you’re finally ready to hit the road.
Image credits: Image credits
