Road Trip Survival Guide: Tips for a Smooth Drive

Hey there, lovelies! After my most recent road trip to visit family for Christmas (my partner & I travelled roughly 4,000 kms round trip!) I have STRONG opinions on how to best survive a long road trip which include a lot of things I WISH we had done, & so I wanted to share them with you all to learn from my mistakes & to hopefully pick up some of my helpful habits too! :)

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1 - Strategically Pack

First things first, something I have always felt strongly about (but my Partner often forgets, or just flat out doesn't care, about) is where to pack things in the car for ease of access; it's not just a game of Tetris packing in as much as you can so that it just fits!

If everything has its own place in the car, & is easy to reach, it will be way quicker to find.

It's easy to just chuck your things into the car wherever they fit so you can get on the road as quickly as possible (especially after a lot of stops) but trust me, it's going to be a road trip game changer if you put just 5-10 minutes of extra thought into where to put everything before packing, & re-packing, the car.

Let me set the scene: Your Partner is driving & you are the passenger & they say it's getting really bright can you please get their sunglasses so they can see better. Not a problem, car passenger (or as I like to call myself, 'co-pilot') to the rescue! But then you look around & have NO IDEA where the sunglasses are, only to be told that your Partner has put them in the "bag full of dirty clothes on the back seat of the car" . You turn around to look at the back seat that has MANY bags on it & start frantically pulling out clothing from what looks to be the bag fully of dirty laundry, only to find...nothing but smelly underwear that your Partner has clearly worn one too many times...

Squinting & having trouble seeing your Partner has to pull over the car so you can both dump out the entire contents of said bag to find the sunglasses, ah-ha! They were in the middle of all the dirty clothing camouflaged so well that there was NO WAY you could have possibly found them.

This traumatic (& time consuming) ordeal could have been avoided completely if you & your Partner had simply chosen a spot for this essential item prior to the start of your road trip. By keeping essentials like your sunglasses (& the below items) within arm’s reach it will make your trip run A LOT smoother!

My personal preference for where to stash essentials is behind the driver's seat so, as the passenger, I can easily access everything & be the best 'co-pilot' I can be!

Some essentials I like to have handy are:

• Snacks, Chewing Gum & Water

• First-aid kit (with band-aids, tissues, pain killers etc.)

• Travel pillow

• A car bin (you can get ones that a small to medium sized that attach to the backs of car chairs & centre consoles & have a wipeable liner so you can re-use)

• Mobile phone chargers

• Music (sorry but IMO only serial killers drive with no sound playing)- If you are old school make sure your tapes & CD's are easily accessible - If you use a device like an MP3 player, iPod or have music on an app on your mobile phone make sure you can charge it via the car & that you have DOWNLOADED music/podcasts/audiobooks on it to last your trip (very important if you are driving in areas with little or no reception!)

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2 - Plan Out Your Stops

Planning your stops is really important for a smooth trip. You can use free apps like Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps to plot out your route (how long it takes to get from point A to B, from point B to C etc.), if there are road works, flooding, fires etc. & where to find the best places to stop for food, fuel, & bathroom breaks along the way; paying attention to online reviews & ratings others have made online.

Speaking of bathroom breaks, there can be some absolutely horrible public toilets out there & planning to stop in places you know will have clean facilities can make a BIG difference in the quality of your road trip. My Partner & I like to plan out food stops around the bathroom breaks wherever we can as the food establishments usually have a much higher standard of cleanliness than a roadside truck stop for example. Even fast-food places like MacDonalds, KFC & Subway usually have quite clean bathrooms so you can 'do your business', eat & be on your way feel fresher & fuller ;)

Aim to stop every 2-3 hours to stretch your legs & avoid driver fatigue.

Try to enjoy the journey & explore some quirky roadside attractions along the way, in Australia we have a lot of tourist roads, 'big things' (search "Australia's 'big things' to visit" online & you will see what I mean - my Partner & I visited the 'Big Easel' in Emerald, Queensland, on our most recent) & lookouts are all signed on main roads really well; if you are due for a break & the attraction isn't that far off your route why not make a memory & stretch your legs all at the same time!

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3 - Stay Entertained During the Drive

Long drives can get boring, but not if you’re prepared, some of my easy suggestions/ favourites to keep entertained are:

• Download some podcasts, or an audiobook.

• If you’re traveling with friends or family, play some classic road trip games like “I Spy” or “20 Questions.”

• Use the time to practice your karaoke skills – just make sure to keep your eyes on the road - or you could start to learn a new language!

• Download a mix of music to listen to, try searching for playlists like:

  • Road Trip Classics

  • Feel-Good Indie

  • 80s Road Trip

  • Chill Vibes

  • Sing-Along Hits

  • Country Roads

  • Rock Anthems

  • Summer Hits

  • Acoustic Road Trip

  • Upbeat Pop

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4 - Plan for Emergencies

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so make sure you check & pack a few essential things before your road trip! Being prepared will give you peace of mind and help you handle any unexpected situations.

• Pack an emergency kit with items like a flashlight, batteries, a multi-tool & a first-aid kit.

• Make sure you have a spare tire & the tools to change it

• Have the numbers written down (on paper kept in your glove box) of who to call if you break down

• Check your fluid levels & tire pressure before starting & after ending a leg of your trip to try & catch any potential issues

• Bring along some extra blankets & warm clothes – you never know when you might need them.

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5 - Stretch, Strech, Stretch

After sitting for a long amount of time on a trip (a drive, flight, bus ride etc.) your blood flow can slow, your body gets stiff & just feel super uncomfortable, to make your trip more comfortable it's really important to stretch on each break you have & have a longer stretch after your journey has ended.

My simple favourites for long trips are:

• Stretching my arms up above my head & back as far as I can (touching the roof)

• Side neck stretches (tilt your head to one side, bringing your ear towards your shoulder, and hold for a minute. Repeat on the other side. You can also gently turn your head from side to side.)

• Raising one knee to my chest & back down, then changing knees

• Pointing & flexing my toes, alternating to help blood flow.

  
  

Final Thoughts

A well-planned road trip can be a great adventure rather than a stressful ordeal. Just remember to strategically pack the car (keep all essentials within arm's reach), plan your stops (to avoid potentially horrible experiences & super expensive fuel), stay entertained (download entertainment for when you have low or no reception) & prepare for emergencies!

After my recent trip I am on the hunt for a car bin that won't take up too much space but can hold a few things until we get to a spot we can empty it, & a decent sized behind the seat organiser to store smaller items so I don't have to dig through a bag of dirty laundry ever again!

Safe travels and happy road-tripping lovelies!

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