A road trip is one of the most thrilling and liberating experiences one can have. When you’re on a solo road trip you have complete control over your itinerary. You allow yourself to be as rigid or spontaneous as you choose. When compared to flying from one place to another, driving from city to city or cross-country may be quite an adventure.
A solo road can be a challenging task. Preparing for it is a crucial step. The key to its successful execution is proper planning. While on a road trip, you must be ready for anything and everything. The tips discussed in this article aim to help you prepare well for a solo road trip.
Before You Start
It is important to have a purpose for a road trip. The purpose can be recreational, educational, or professional. Whatever it is, the only way to enjoy the trip without having any regrets, later on, is to be aware of what you are going to do. A trip has a lot of risks and challenges involved. Make sure that you are prepared.
Before leaving, you can make a checklist of the following things:
- Safety Checks: Make sure that you have your car serviced and it has all the safety features like airbags working perfectly. It should have full gas and tires should be changed. Your ride must be equipped with repairing and medical kits. Also, make sure that you have bought the vehicle spare parts from trusted providers like sunwayautoparts.
- Book Your Accommodation: Looking for a place to stay after reaching a destination can be a little bit tricky. It is important that you book your hotel in advance and confirm the booking with the staff before leaving to avoid any uncertainties.
- Get the Important Documents Ready: Make sure that you carry your medical and car insurance papers. Also, check that you are carrying your driving license, vehicle documents, and personal ID. It is also recommended to have some cash handy in the wallet.
- Roadside Assistance: Buy a road assistance plan before leaving. It may be useful if you get stuck in remote locations.
Tips for Road Trip
Now that you have all the resources ready, it is time to get mentally and physically ready for a great solo road trip. Read the following tips:
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Inform Someone About Your Plan
The first rule of safety is to always let someone know where you’re going. Before going on a trek, spending the day at the beach, or settling into a camping spot for the night, call a parent, friend, or spouse, and then check in with them when you arrive at your location to let them know you arrived safely.
Better still, text someone your whereabouts or buy a wrist tracker to keep track of your exact location.
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Set-up Sources of Entertainment
You may become bored if you rely exclusively on the surroundings to keep you alert. Boredom can lead to tiredness, which is dangerous while driving. So bring some happy tunes, audiobooks, or podcasts with you.
If you’re worried that the sound of talking will bore you, even more, make sure you’ve your travel playlist ready and you have got plenty of music to keep the beats going.
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Carry Food and Water
It’s also a good idea to bring some non-perishable food and drink with you in case you have to travel for a long time without stopping. You’ll want to have a variety of healthy, nutritious snacks on hand, rather than just the usual road trip junk food.
Consume as little salt as possible to avoid dehydration, and drink as much water as possible while avoiding soda.
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Be Flexible With Your Plan
Maintaining a sense of flexibility on a road trip is critical. You are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment if you are not flexible. Something will undoubtedly go wrong on your road trip, just as it will on each other journey you take. Perhaps it’s not reaching a particular destination when you expected to, getting a flat tire, or stopping at an attraction you intended to visit only to discover it was closed.
Manage your expectations by making a plan but being willing to accept that it may not work out exactly as you had hoped.
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Don’t Drive for Long Durations
It is not recommended to drive a vehicle for more than 12 hours without taking a rest. In fact, for most people, eight hours of active driving is sufficient. Your eyes will be heavy and you may begin to lose focus after a long day on the road, rendering you vulnerable to accidents.
Most highways in the United States have many rest places where you may stretch your legs or take a vegan sleep aid vitamin.
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Plan Your Stops and Comfort
Keep in mind that you will be sitting in a car for the majority of the day when planning a road trip. As a result, dress comfortably in something you won’t mind sitting in for long periods of time.
Pack water coolers to keep your water cold in hot weather. To make it more thrilling, do some study before you leave and plan the good stops on a map.
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Carry Backup Resources
It’s a good idea to have extra batteries and chargers for your important equipment. Keep a fully charged old cell phone in your glove box in case of an emergency. It’s best to plan a route in advance and have a backup of any virtual navigation system you’ll be using. Make sure to save the map offline or carry a paper map.
Conclusion
Road trips can be physically demanding, but there are benefits too. With a little planning, travel tips, and a positive attitude, one can have a really amazing solo road trip experience.
So, let loose, be a bit bolder, maybe add some neon lights to your car for a little more adventure, meet strangers, and have loads of fun!
Photo by Amos Bar-Zeev on Unsplash
