Road Trip Planning To Maximize Your Trip Enjoyment: 17 Things To Prepare
A road trip can be a very enjoyable and even life altering event. Many people want to go on road trips but don’t have the time and resources. But even if they do, they sometimes ruin or don’t fully enjoy their road trip because of inadequate planning and preparation.Here is a comprehensive list of what you should plan or prepare to do before you embark on your road trip in order to enjoy the most of it. Remember, you’re usually exposing yourself to unfamiliar environments when you go on a road trip which can be uncomfortable.
"Road Trip Planning” Summary List:
1. Google ‘My Maps’ or Any Map2. Vehicle
3. Water
4. Food
5. Communications
6. Money
7. Bookings
8. Toiletries
9. Clothing
10. Medicine
11. First Aid
12. Emergency Kit
13. Weather Protection
14. Electronics
15. Camping Gear
16. Sports Gear
17. Entertainment
Final Words
”Road Trip Planning” Details:
1. Google Maps/My Maps’ or Any Map
Google Maps have largely replaced physical maps in terms of day to day navigation. This is because unlike physical maps, Google Maps shows routes and interesting place to visit, dine, lodge, shop and so on.
Many travelers these days also use the “My Maps” feature of Google Maps to plan their road trip. If you are interested in knowing how My Maps work, there are plenty of good instructional YouTube videos available.
Another interesting thing about Google Maps is that you can check the reviews of the different establishment along your road trip. This gives you a good idea of how nice, bad, the costs, and even if you need to stay away from the establishment.
If you’re a businessperson or are into sales, marketing or advertising, Google Maps can give you the locations and details of some prospect establishments and companies you might want to visit along your road trip route.
If you’re going on a road trip because you have plans of relocating, Google Maps serves as a good scouting guide as you go along and scout your road trip route.
It is advisable that you bring along a physical map just in case you lose access to Google Maps and My Maps. Smartphone batteries can easily get drained especially when using internet based applications.
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2. Vehicle
You should bring your road trip vehicle to an automotive repair shop for a general checkup. This is because you’re testing the limits of your vehicle when you take it for a road trip. This especially applies if your vehicle is old already.
Just imagine the stress you put in your vehicle during road trips: You drive much longer that its used to and you also put much more load than your vehicle is used to. You would also more than likely drive your vehicle in unfamiliar and hospitable terrain like unpaved roads.
You should never forget to bring your spare tire as well as vulcanizing tools. You should also bring vehicle repair tools in case your vehicle breaks down. Radiators and car batteries are usually the first ones to break down during road trips, so bring car emergency kits for them.
People who go on road trips usually underestimate their vehicle’s petrol consumption. A vehicle without petrol is useless. You should bring extra petrol because circumstances may arise where your vehicle runs out of petrol before it reaches the next petrol station.
Being stranded for hours and even days because of your vehicle can ruin your entire schedule and ruin your road trip. Also, a faulty car air con can ruin an otherwise enjoyable road trip especially during summers.
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3. Water
Always bring a lot of drinking water. Even home tap water can be better than sourcing or buying drinking water during your actual road trip. This is because there could be no source of drinking water on your road trip route or it can be very expensive when bought.
Drinking water serves other purposes besides quenching your thirst. It acts as a coolant to you and your car especially in hot weather. Many people suffer from dehydration during summer and car radiators overheat when exposed to the sun for hours on end during road trips.
Remember that you can live for weeks without food but you’ll die of dehydration if you don’t drink water within days. If you’re stranded in the desert, you’ll live approximately one and a half days before you die of dehydration.
You can also use drinking water for bathing, washing and cooking. A grown man needs to drink approximately four liters and a grown woman needs approximately three liters a day. As you can see, drinking water is not only a requirement but a lifeline during road trips.
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4. Food
Just like water, people need to eat food. We all know for a fact that almost every human has been conditioned to eat three sets of meal a day: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. We can also add that many people eat snacks in between these meals.
This is the reason why food could be one of the biggest or the biggest expense in road trips. People who go on road trips are also likely to try the local cuisines being offered in the establishments along their road trips which further adds to their food expense.
This is why you should plan your food consumption during your road trip. Most people just go to the supermarket and buy snacks, canned goods and ready to eat meals whose cost could easily add up.
While buying these ready to eat foods can save you from having to cook your meals, they are generally unhealthy and not as fulfilling as actual meals.
One tip: Bring hard candies. They relieve boredom & stress and also makes people less hungry. This is because hard candies take a long time to be consumed while they also enable you to simulate the activity of eating.
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5. Communications
During your road trip, you might come into a situation where you are in need in an isolated area and there is no one in the immediate vicinity to assist you. Your only recourse then is to wait until help comes along.
But what if no one comes along? Then you need to contact people who can help you. This is why you should make sure that your communications capabilities are sufficient. This entails having adequate working communications devices and even backup communication devices.
This is when extra smartphone batteries and even an old mobile phone can come in handy. You should also determine if your road trip routes have cellular capabilities. If not, you should consider more robust communications equipments.
There are also car brands with inbuilt emergency communications feature. Some car brands whose some cars have this feature are Mercedes Benz and Toyota.
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6. Money
Every activity these days require money. You want to eat in a restaurant? You need to pay. You want to sleep in a hotel? You need to pay. You want to be entertained in an entertainment venue? You need to pay. I think you pretty much get the picture.
If you are going on a road trip, don’t assume that every establishment you visit would accept your credit card. This especially applies if go to remote areas where modern conveniences are not that present. But please, don’t think that your credit cards are not essential.
They are handy when you are paying for high ticket items and emergency services. High end establishments, car repair shops, medical clinics and the likes usually have credit card processing facilities due to the high price of their products and/or services.
Also, don’t forget to check for special deals being offered by the establishments along your road trip route. But remember, shady establishments along road trip routes also advertise fake deals because they know most people who go on road trips are non the wiser. Be aware of this.
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7. Bookings
I think you’ve watched too many road trip movies not to be aware of this scenario: A family goes on a road trip to go to a vacation destination. Along the way they encounter all sorts of trouble and hardship only to finally reach their vacation destination in the end.
But upon reaching the vacation destination, they discover that it is closed because it went bankrupt, under maintenance, full already, or close for the season. The movie “National Lampoon” popularized this all too familiar true story at times.
Prevent this from happening to you by booking in advance with your vacation destination if they offer such service. This would save you the problem of wasting your time going on a road trip only to have your target destination establishment reject or abandon you.
Just imagine a scenario also where all the resting places along your road trip route have been fully booked and it’s already late at night. Unless you’re prepared to sleep in your car or go camping, you might find yourself having no night’s rest.
Also, if you book early, there is a high chance that you could get a discount in an establishment. Walk Ins and Last Minute Bookings are usually more expensive because establishments know that you want their service at that very minute.
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8. Toiletries
Restrooms can be hard to find during road trips. Also, they are either full or dirty because either they have been neglected or many other people have used them before you came along. This is the reason why many people use semi secluded areas as restrooms despite lacking privacy.
One of the biggest comforts of home is having a toilet at your disposal everytime you need it. Going on a road trip removes this comfort and it might even make your road trip unbearable. Invest in a portable toilet and similar devices. It would make your road trip more comfortable.
Also, don’t skip on toiletries. There might be activities you’ll do during your road trip which are very laborious. For example, just an hour’s hiking or playing outdoors can make you smelly, dirty and sweaty.
Let’s face it, no one wants to be near a smelly, dirty and sweaty person. Just imagine what would happen to your car if the occupants are smelly, dirty and sweaty. This situation can be unbearable to the occupants of the car.
Also, it is a good measure to sterilize objects you touch or put in your mouth when you are in a road trip. A sanitizer or alcohol can do a lot of good in preventing a person from being contaminated with a disease located in a place they just visited.
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9. Clothing
This especially applies if you intend to do swimming activities during your road trip. Besides your normal clothes and change of clothing, you would also need either a swimming trunk or a bikini in order to swim. Don’t forget that you’ll also need more than one towel.
Undeniably, you’ll get dirty, sweaty and smelly during some point in your road trip. You can’t only wear one set of clothing during your entire road trip. Letting sweat dry and dirt to accumulate in your clothes can cause skin problems like rashes.
It has already been discussed how a bad smelling car can be very uncomfortable for its occupants. A sweaty person will transfer their sweat on the seats of the car which could make it smelly and leave stains.
Hot, Rainy, and Cold weathers also require special clothing. Plus, the weather can change in an instant. You might begin your road trip on a hot day then followed by a rainy day with cold nights in between.
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10. Medicine
You might get sick when you reach places you are unfamiliar with. For example, if you are used to low altitudes, you can develop breathing problems when you reach high altitude environments.
Headaches and Stomach Aches are common problems when going in road trips. You might develop headaches when you are exposed to prolonged periods riding a shaky car. You might also get sick when you eat foods your stomach is unfamiliar with.
Fever is also a common sickness during road trips. Changing climates, and Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause fevers. An insect bite during a road trip can also cause a fever.
This is the reason why you need to bring medicines for headache, stomach ache and fever. Add to this, if you are taking medications don’t forget not to bring them.
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11. First Aid
Even a small cut or wound can turn lethal if not properly attended in time. This is why you should always bring some gauze, bandages and band aids during your road trip. Make sure to bring clean ones.
Rubbing Alcohol, Antiseptics and even your Sanitizers can prevent a small wound from getting infected during a road trip. Remember, medical clinics and hospitals are not particularly available in many road trip routes.
You’ll also need Scissors and/or Cutters when you need to apply first aid. Scissors and cutters also enable you to open packages like food packaging, so they are actually multipurpose tools.
You also need to bring a Nail Cutter in case the tip of your finger gets damaged like a broken nail. Nail Cutters are so small that you can basically use them as keychains.
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12. Emergency Kit
Flashlights/Torch are a “must have” during road trips. This is especially important if your road trip lasts more than a day. Your flashlight would come in handy whenever you are outside your car at night in a dark location.
Lighters, Matches and Fire Flints are handy when you have to start a fire. Besides their obvious use for smoking and cooking, you can set up a fire and send smoke signals during an emergency or if you want to be found by help.
Knives are also an essential part of your emergency kit. You could use your knife to cut things like firewood so you can cook and get warm. You can also use your knife to defend yourself.
Rope, Rubber Bands, and Plastic Bags are used to organize and protect your belongings. For example, if it’s raining and your car roof is leaking, you could put your belongings in plastic bags and tie them with ropes or rubber bands to prevent them from getting wet.
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13. Weather Protection
Umbrellas are a multipurpose tool to protect yourself from the heat of the sun or from rain. There are even expandable umbrellas that can fit in a small backpack or a purse. You should bring at least one for good measure.
Sunglasses are a good way to protect your eyes from the rays of the sun while you are on a road trip or just traveling. You can get corneal damage, cataracts and macular degeneration if your eyes are exposed to the sun frequently.
Sun Tan Lotions are not only useful if you’re going to the beach. They can be used whenever your skin is exposed to the sun for prolonged periods like long road trips.
Bandanas might be out of fashion these days, but it can protect you from the both hot and cold weather. It can protect your skin from getting a sunburn during hot weathers and gives you warmth during cold weathers.
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14. Electronics
Everyone has a smartphone these days even very young children. But who has a backup phone? Not many, people might even laugh at you for having a backup phone. But backup phones are very important during emergencies.
This is because your main phone might malfunction or run out of battery just when you most need it. That is why it is also advisable that you have extra batteries or even a small generator if you can bring one.
Also, the Storage limit of your smartphone is usually reached during your road trip. This is because you tend to record the images, videos and audio of your road trip experiences. Electronic storage is very affordable these days that there is no reason not to have one.
Your Laptop usually contains the details of your professional life either as a student or as an employee. An emergency at school or work even during your road trip might mean accessing the contents of your laptop.
You should also bring your Camera and its accessories when you go on a road trip. Usually, the most photogenic details of your life can only be found on road trips and vacations. Don’t miss them.
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15. Camping Gear
You might not plan it, but you might end up camping during your road trip. Camping Tents are so small these days that they can fit in a small backpack. It should be no trouble bringing a few tents.
If you’re not into tents, perhaps you might consider Sleeping Bags. They also double as insulation during cold weather so you can even use them while you are sleeping in a hotel room.
You might also want to cook your meals when you go on a road trip and not just eat at restaurants and eat ready to eat food. You should bring a Portable Stove for just such purposes. Don’t forget to bring Butane Gas Refills.
Cooking and Disposable Dining Utensils comes next. Plan what meals you would cook so you know just the right cooking utensils to bring. Disposable dining utensils are more convenient than bringing your cutlery, plates and cups from home.
It is also advisable that you invest in a small generator especially one that can be recharged with renewable energy. Most outdoor devices can now be powered by electricity including your electronics.
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16. Sports Gear
Bicycles are not only used for fun but can also double as an emergency vehicle. For example, if you car runs out of gas or breaks down, you could use your bicycle to reach a petrol station or a car repair shop.
If you think your bicycle would take up too much space in your car, please note that there are already small foldable bicycles that can fit in a medium sized bag. Your bicycle can also fit in areas where your car won’t.
You should bring at least a volleyball when you go on a road trip. It can be used not only for playing volleyball but also for playing basketball and soccer. You can even play with a volleyball when you go swimming because it floats.
You could also bring Fishing Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment if you like fishes or being in water. Both of these activities have the advantage of possibly providing for your meals.
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17. Entertainment
Don’t forget to install several videogame apps in case you need to entertain yourself while traveling for a long time inside a car. You can even play co-op games with the people traveling with you.
Card games remain as one of the most popular ways to entertain yourself while on a road trip. Many travelers even gamble a little when they play which further adds to the fun of playing with cards.
You might catch up on your reading while you are on your road trip. Nowadays, you can fit hundreds of your ebooks in your iPad or eReader. Both devices are by themselves so small already that they are more convenient than actual books.
You should also research and make a list of camping fire entertainment and other road trip entertainment like storytelling, guessing games, riddles and so on. These activities usually don’t cost money and are a lot of fun.
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Final Words
It is easy to get excited when deciding to go on a road trip. It is easy to get fixated on what you plan to see and do during your road trip that you forget the boring and tiresome parts of a road trip.
Careful planning and preparation ensures that you don’t overlook details in your road trip which can ruin it. Even failing to consider one of the items listed above can be enough to ruin an otherwise enjoyable and remarkable road trip.
A road trip can become dangerous and even lethal if you step in a situation where you need help but there is no one around to help you or you can’t contact help. Remember, when you are going on a road trip, you expose yourself to unfamiliar surroundings. Be prepared.
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