How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip
It’s finally that time of year….ROAD TRIP TIME!!!!!! The weather is getting warmer, the days are longer, the urge to get away from it all is becoming overbearing, and you have some vacation days saved up. Why not take them?
This week’s blog post is the guide to the perfect road trip, everything from routes to car accommodations and even a few wining and dining tips, all just in time for the long weekend, AND on a budget, cause remember saving money is important too! Let’s get started.
Route Planning
A good road trip is probably done better if its by ‘spur of the moment’ but if you are one of those organized and planning types, there’s nothing wrong with that. Knowing the general route is always important, even highlighting gas stations and rest points, if it’s a long drive.
Plus this way, you will be able to find events happening along the way (if advertised beforehand) or even just along the way (strawberry farms, for example). Google Maps is a great resource to use for this.
Traffic Planning
The last thing you would want is to have a whole road trip with a destination planned out that you have to be at by a certain time, and traffic delays make you late. Although it may be hard to predict if your road trip is not requiring for you to leave right away, checking your route in terms of traffic is important. Apps like Waze and Google Maps are the perfect tool for just this as these show real-time traffic and give you an estimate of how long you are expected to sit in traffic.
Most people like to drive on the weekends, so if possible this might be a time for you to avoid starting/leaving your trip. Instead, start on a Thursday or Friday (again, if you can) early in the morning and return at a later time on a Monday or Tuesday.
Car Maintenance
A car related emergency requiring immediate attention can throw off your whole road trip, so prepare ahead (or at least try to, because they always say expect the unexpected). It becomes that much worse if there is no shop near to your location when you break down. Take your car to the mechanic before you leave (preferably a couple days in case it needs to stay overnight for work) to ensure things like oil changes or tire inspections are up to date.
Also keep in mind that packing an emergency kit in your car might not be a bad idea. Items can include but are limited to: a blanket, jumper cables, emergency flares, and a sweater/jacket. Consider joining an auto club or adding roadside assistance onto your car insurance – you never know when you’re going to run into a problem and need assistance.
Gadgets
Your phone, tablet, and music device (iPod), may be the biggest part of your road trip. You will be relying heavily on the phone or tablet for Google Maps/Waze, so one thing you can’t forget would be the charger. Plus, you would need them in the case of an emergency if your car doesn’t have a phone. Another great tip here would be to download an app called ‘WifiFinder’ in case you need internet access and your data is not sufficient enough.
Navigation
If you are not the type that can read the stars at night or read road maps, then other sources are needed for your journey. These can include things like GPS and apps on your phone that are digitalized versions of compasses and what not. But bring the road map, just in case good ol’relable technology fails you. Unexpected accidents or incidents are always likely, and although technology is great, they can sometimes be unreliable or not 100% accurate. Getting lost not only wastes fuel (and with gas prices on the rise, you will surely be crying when you finally find a gas station) but it also may cause you to miss check-in times at a hotel you were planning on staying at or pre-paid events (like concerts, shows, etc.).
Attractions and Events
As mentioned before, the purpose of your road trip may include you stopping to see a show, or concert, or even an amusement park. Make sure to grab brochures wherever your journey may take you, you don’t know what you can learn about the place for future visits, and there might even be discounts on attractions there. If you are under pressure for timing, the local tourism website can be a great tool too. For country-wide attraction and event listings, visit Festivals.com, RoadTrippers, or Field Tripper.
Fuel Cost
If you are planning a long road trip, gas will for sure be one of your biggest expenses, but it will be worth it in the end when you finally get there, I promise. You can use budgeting apps to ensure that you are not overspending in one area, when you could use the same money toward something else.
Generally speaking, gas stations along highways tend to be more expensive, so if you can hold off on filling when on the highway, it might be better. Use apps like GasBuddy or if you know you’re going to not be in dire need of gas in the current moment, then TomorrowsGasPriceToday.com might be a better choice. It tells you the gas price the day before so you will be able to use this information to help plan better. You can always tune into the local news stations on the radio as well as they cover gas prices in the area.
Make sure to check your credit cards to see if you get any rewards for purchasing gas at certain gas stations. You can also get loyalty cards to use at gas stations for greater rewards in the future.
Driving to Save Fuel
There are several ways you can minimize your fuel consumption:
- Ensure that your tires are properly inflated
- Pack light to improve your gas mileage
- If possible, try to drive when it’s cooler outside
- Drive at a steady pace
- According to the EPA “quick acceleration and heavy braking can reduce fuel economy by up to 33% on the highway”
- The EPA also suggests that running your AC on the max setting will reduce gas mileage by 5 to 25 percent (oh no!)
- If it’s warm out, roll down your windows and let the breeze in, and try to keep your AC at a minimum
Accommodation Cancellation Policies
If you are booking an accommodation, read into their cancellation policies – some places will charge you if you cancel last minute. I know if you are planning a trip, the last thing you would want is to cancel it, but you never know, your circumstances might change, and they always seem to be at the last minute.
Reading the terms and conditions is a very useful tip to keep in mind, as lengthy as they are, they might contain some very useful information that you will regret not knowing later on. Bad weather, falling ill suddenly, or even circumstances out of your control may happen, so make sure to choose establishments with flexible rebooking or cancellation policies.
Last Minute Lodging
Doing things last minute may not actually be such a bad idea in actuality. Booking and/or making hotel reservations at the last moment does have it’s advantages, surprisingly. Hotels often have big discounts on rooms that don’t sell so be on the lookout for those. Get great deals too by using Hotel Tonight to book a room on the same day. Trip Advisor can help with all of this in advance too. With Hotel Tonight, even if you have made reservations ahead of time, it can help with unplanned stops made along the way due to travel fatigue or bad weather.
Camping
What better way to enjoy the great outdoors than to camp? Find and book great camping sites using the government website (recreation.gov) and Reserve America. If there is no washroom facilities available on the campsite, use Warm Showers to find friendly locals who will let you freshen up in their homes.
Free Accomodation
Interestingly enough (and whether some people want to admit it or not), the main reason for people’s road trips or trips in general are to see family (in terms of domestic travel). Spending the night at a relative’s house might be the wisest form of accommodation as family tends to welcome you with open arms. CouchSurfing (the app) is a great way to get free lodging too, just in case family is not an option for you or one you want to explore.
Eating Out
When travelling on a road trip, frequenting fast food drive thrus and roadside restaurant chains might get boring after a while. So why not change things up? To find local restaurants, try using an app called Yelp, which lets you filter your search results by distance and price. Also make sure to check out websites like Groupon and Living Social for coupons, vouchers, and deals for eateries.
Food and Drinks
Snacking along the way is important too, and because you’re whole objective is road trip on a budget, packing snacks from home is a good idea. Granola bars, crackers, dry cereal, nuts, fruits, and cheese strings are all great snacks to bring along and very filling too. Don’t forget the breads and sandwich fillings in case you can’t find a restaurant in time. Bringing a cooler is a useful tip as you can pack foods and snacks and ensure that they are fresh if you’re planning on camping or for campfire cooking.
Stay hydrated (as best as you can) and save money on beverages by bringing reusable water bottles and using thermoses. When you need to stock up on snacks, look out for local grocery stores or farms along the route, instead of relying on gas stations – it will work out much cheaper for you, plus the items will be fresh!
Staying Awake
Caffeine although a useful resource in keeping you awake, might not be the ideal thing to rely on when on a road trip. Sleepiness is a real dangerous thing when it comes to a road trip, especially if you are the driver. But if you didn’t bring anything, stopping for energy drinks or coffee along the way can quickly rack up the expenses. You can try packing coffee, energy drinks, or teas, or even walk with reusable containers for those times when you need the caffeine boost. It will surely save you money in the end.
Final Thoughts
I know this blog post was long, but I really hope you learned some useful tips. Going away this long weekend? Share your posts on your socials and tag us in them. Safe travelling!