ROAD TRIPPING
Planning on doing some road tripping this summer? My family loves a good road trip. When my husband was in the Navy and we were stationed in Virginia Beach, we made several road trips to Texas to see our family. My husband is a big fan of road trips and usually does most of the driving. We drove to California from Texas, stopping in Las Vegas on our way to California and stopping in Arizona on our way back. Our recent road trip was to Galveston. We are not road trip “experts”, but we have found that certain things help the road trip go a lot smoother and can help save money at the same time. If you read my previous blog post “Vacation Stress”, you learned how to take the stress out of your vacation planning. Now, let me help you do the same for taking road trips!
1. Get Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready
The most important thing to do is, to make sure your vehicle is road trip ready!If your car hasn’t been checked out by a mechanic recently, this would be a good time to get that done. A week leading up to the road trip, I clean out my car. Having your car clean makes a huge difference when it comes to being comfortable during the drive. The day before your trip, go ahead and fill up your tank, this will save some time on your drive.
2. Travel Time
Depending on if you have certain arrival times or not, may depend on the time you head out. If you are traveling during the week, try to leave out super early before the morning rush hour traffic starts. When traveling super early, pack your car the night before. Try to keep most of the bags in the trunk/truck bed or other storage areas and out of the way of passenger seating.
3. Planning Your Trip Route
When planning your trip route, check to see if there are plenty of gas stations along the way. When traveling in Texas, you can almost depend on there being a Buc Ee's (or other nice gas stations) along major highways! There were a couple between Fort Worth and Galveston. This is important to know, #1 because you will need to refuel, #2 you will need a potty break, and #3 you may need to stretch your legs. Knowing that there are nice gas stations/rest areas/restaurants to stop at will make your road trip that much better.
4. Road Trip Snacks
A few days before you leave, buy road trip snacks, especially if you will be in the car for a long time. Depending on where you are headed and how long it will take to get there, you might want to make sandwiches as well. This will also help save time and money. There are so many ideas on what to take and how to prepare it and store it on Pinterest. This last road trip to Galveston, I had our small cooler in the back with water and sodas, and had a bag packed with a variety of chips and granola bars within an arm's reach (in the back seat).
5. Dress Comfortable
I like to be comfortable when traveling, so I dress in comfortable clothes, and no matter the weather I tend to bring a sweatshirt in case my husband keeps the AC on high or the heater on low!
6.Traveling With Kids
If traveling with kids, make sure they have something to help them pass the time. Books, electronics, toys, and things of that nature will help keep the “How much longer?” questions down to a minimum. Pinterest to the rescue again on this topic, my kid is grown, so I don’t have to worry about that any more.
7. Create A Music Playlist
The most important thing to us is to have a good music playlist, one that includes a little bit of everyone’s favorite tunes! Listening to music or podcasts can help pass the time.
Hope these tips help you out and you have a great safe road trip. Happy Road Tripping!
