In one of our previous blogs, the Nashville car window tinting experts gave you tips for having a successful and enjoyable road trip. We’ll continue on this topic today, giving you more tips for helping you stay on the road and enjoy all the great things road trips can offer!
Take more breaks.
You know the type—the dad who won’t make an unscheduled stop no matter how hungry you are or how badly you have to go to the bathroom. It’s pedal to the metal for six or eight hours with some of these dads (why do they always seem to be dads?) because, darnit all, you’re all going to make it Grandma’s house by 8 p.m. and there’s nothing you can do to stop that.
This is not the recipe for road trip success.
Skipping out on breaks where you can stretch the legs, use the restroom, and take a breather will only make the road ahead seem longer and longer, and make passengers frustrated and exhausted. Plus, skipping breaks can lead to driver fatigue, which puts everyone in the vehicle at risk.
Taking a 15 minute break every two hours won’t put you too far behind schedule, and it’ll give everyone in a car to breathe some fresh air and improve their circulation before they hop back in the car. Plus, these breaks make for great opportunities to check out some scenery or buy some snacks!
Drive less in a single day.
If you have a lot of miles to cover, like on a cross-country road trip, it’s important to break up your daily driving schedule into reasonable chunks. An eight-hour drive feels much easier on the first day of driving than it does on the third day of driving, so take this idea into account and err on the side of caution when planning where you’re going to stop for the day.
Road trips aren’t just about driving—they’re about experiencing new places along the way. Adding a day or two to your road trip journey in order to drive less each day will allow you to spend more time outside of the car, and keep you refreshed for the following day on the road. You’ll see ultimately have a more fulfilling and exciting road trip experience, and you won’t run the risk of driving tired (or being cranky) on the road.
We know—more days on the road means more nights in hotels or at campsites. But if the idea of a road trip is to have fun and experience new things, the extra couple of nights in a hotel will be totally worth it. Save the 16-hour days for the truck drivers, and see more of the world through your camera lens or your sunglasses instead of your windshield.
Pack emergency items.
If you’re heading into remote territory—driving deep into the bowels of nature where cell service and gas stations are few and far between—you need to be properly prepared for emergency situations. All it takes is a blown tire or an oil leak to leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere—so bring plenty of supplies just in case.
Always keep non-perishable food and water on hand (these are not part of your road trip snack and beverage collection) to keep yourself nourished if you have to wait for a tow truck (or anyone) to arrive, and keep a few blankets and pillow on hand just in case you have to spend a chilly winter night in your vehicle. Finally, always keep a spare tire and the proper tire replacement tools with you, not matter how much space it takes up in your vehicle—you’ll be glad you had that spare tire on you when it gets you out of the desert and all the way to a tire shop.
Know when to stop.
There’s no way to truly plan for the magic you will experience on a road trip—that’s why you must have semi-flexible plans in order to enjoy those special moments, and to enjoy amazing places as long as you feel you need to in order to avoid any regrets.
On a cool summer evening in Montana, you might think you’re going to cruise another few hours west on I-90 to make it to the affordable and sleepy mining town of Butte for the night. But the second you stop in Paradise Valley outside of Livingston and watch the sun go down over Canyon Mountain and paint orange and purple on the Yellowstone River, you’re going to realize that you just can’t drive away from this time and place in the universe because you’re too busy soaking in the beauty. That’s when you decide to get a cheap motel in Livingston and spend a few more hours enjoying the peaceful sounds of bugling elk and the clear, starry Montana skies while you still can.
When you’ve spent days on the road and you’re trying to stay on schedule, it can be easy to drive away from moments that you wish you could hold onto forever. Don’t have any regrets—throw out your plans if you must, and enjoy those special moments. They’re the reason you go on road trips in the first place.
That’s it for part 2 of our series on making the most of your road trip. Stay tuned for part 3 of our series, and check out our other blog posts in the meantime!