While road trip fantasies generally involve a spontaneous take-off, the fact is that a bit of planning can go a long way towards helping you avoid breakdowns and speed traps, making your trek everything it was meant to be. Check out this guide to the Ultimate Road Trip:
- Food and Beverages. To stave off hunger or to avoid losing time by stopping every time the munchies hit, consider bringing along some road food of your own.
- Burn some CDs or make a few tapes of your favourite songs. Radio stations will come and go, but those tapes and CDs will get you through the silent patches.
- Road games. Bring trivia cards, crossword puzzles (passenger only, obviously) or games designed for playing in the car.
- Mix things up. Take turns driving and sleeping. Ideally, a driver should always have the navigator to keep him awake and take over when he’s tired. If you’re traveling in a group of four, consider breaking up into teams and shifts, each with a driver and a navigator. The driver and navigator each drive for two or four hours (switching between them), while the second team sleeps in the back until their turn.
- Bring a good, reliable camera and plenty of film. In a road trip, the best pictures are often taken in the car. Be ready with film on departure. This also prevents you from having to resort to overpriced disposable cameras — if you can find them.
- Pack in small bags. Try to break up your packing into several smaller bags, rather than one large suitcase. This way you won’t have to sift through every belonging in order to find the item you were looking for. Smaller bags also make for easier loading and unloading at stops.
The following is a short list of useful additions to any trip into the unknown:
- Emergency kit, with flashlight, candles, matches, first aid material (Band-Aids, gauze pads, bandages, aspirin).
- Rope, bungee cords, jumper cables.
- Flares.
- Windex and a roll of paper towels.
- Two bottles filled with water.
- A multi-tool, like the Swiss Army Knife
- Cell phone
- Road maps
- Clothes for all occasions
The point is, when traveling cross country, expect the unexpected.
Sometimes, there's nothing better than a road trip. You, a few buddies or your Gal and not a care in the world. You’re free, you’re heading off to the unknown and the road is your friend.