When we did our road trip most of my concerns are directions so not only did I have the GPS plugged into the car also had my smartphone and I also printed out (yep paper) the directions. Gas up the night before. Had plenty of supplies like water, snacks and for my daughter who was 11 plenty of games books and toys.
Be sure you have a service such as AAA in case you have trouble. XM Radio is great for road trips and be sure all of you agree what station you will listen to before you go. Our rule has been the driver chooses or the one who pays for the last tank of gas chooses.
Portable jump starter/air compressor unit in the car at all times (not just road trips). And make sure it's charged up...
I agree with many of these. I'm a road-trip junkie. Love them. I always get the car checked out before a trip. I've got AAA for any road emergencies. I make sure I have snacks and directions. I also think it's important to get out of the car and explore the areas I'm traveling through. I try to take a break and walk around every 2-3 hours, even if it's just walking a couple laps around the rest area. I know people younger than I am can do those long hauls, but I can't. Once I'm tired, it's time for me to stop driving. Back in my 20's, I fell asleep at the wheel and that's a mistake I decided to only make once. I try to limit myself to no more than 8-10 hours behind the wheel in one day. I have a husband who worries when I'm on the road alone. I have an app on my phone so he can follow along on my route to see where I am. Mostly I do this to avoid the endless "Where are you now" texts.
Enough gas money on the debit card. This might be "the norm" for folks in other parts of the country, but I was surprised on our recent family drive to Florida and back that most gas stations were "pre-pay" or "credit card only", which rendered my pile of gas money more difficult to use. I got lots of exercise paying, coming back out to pump, and then walking back in to retrieve my change. Except just north of Atlanta, where a clerk gave my change to someone else...
Interesting on the prepay to get gas, in Oregon there is no self serve so that's different also from other parts of the country. Safeco insurance has roadside assistance so we don't need AAA but it is a good idea to have some sort of roadside help if needed. Wednesday my daughter and I are taking a uhaul from Portland to crater lake for a cpl of days and then onto Vegas so this thread is very timely!!!
Great responses! What about the app? An app that tells where you are? I need that! Thank you all so much.
My daughter just flew out to Calgary and then met up with her friend who lived along the border of BC. They packed her up and drove her back to Ontario. We all have iPhones and used the built in Friends app to track her route and make sure she was safe.
There are an endless stream of things to worry about if you let yourself do that. realistically, a credit card will basically cover any troubles you may have.
I thought it was more or less standard these days to have to either use a card or go in and leave a deposit to turn the pump on. I have, however, seen a few bill acceptors on some pumps. I know there is one brand (Arco?) out west which will accept debit cards but not credit cards for some reason.
Great thread with some great suggestions. I also love a good road trip, but like Sonja I have reduced my planned hours to 8-10 per day, although I sometimes go over if I am feeling energetic. Please bring maps with you. I've had 2 experiences where my GPS was a total failure, and without a map I would have been in pretty deep shit. Credit card and some cash separate from your wallet. There's something about road trips and losing things for me. I think t's because I tend to rush when I make a stop and my mind is elsewhere. Lots of water and sensible snacks. I also learned to drink some of the bottled coffee drinks instead of risking the coffee at certain places. Bad coffee or food can ruin a road trip in a hurry! And I have visited some restrooms that were simply horrifying, so if possible don't wait til the last minute to stop I am also interested in the App Sonja mentioned above.
I have two. We use Maprika for when my husband does solo mountain bike rides. When I do a big road trip, my mom likes to follow too so I use RealTime GPS by greenalp.com. She can follow on her browser and doesn't need to download an app. I just text her a link when I'm heading out.
as a lover of road trips... we always rent for a road trip (it's cheap, and if the car breaks down, we just call Avis and they have a different one for us; thankfully it's never happened though!) be sure to take the right clothes...we went to tunica a couple years ago, and the first stop was Grand Canyon..we brought pants and a sweater...didn't realize it was going to get down to 4°! We had to go to old Navy and get JACKETS and gloves! haha Another vote for the credit card. We had budgeted $2500 for the entire shebang, and we had $3000 available on the credit card, plus we had about $500 in CASH on us (for places that only took cash) We actually have another planned for this October, we like them so much.
We drive to Tybee Island Georgia every spring break from upstate NY to stay for a week at the beach house. Each rear seat is supplied with a puke bag stolen from the ER as someone never fails to get car sick. Lol We usually drive it straight through and pack quite a few DVD's to entertain the kids. Highlight of last trip was passing "Mack" the semi as my son is a huge Disney Pixar Cars fan. For some reason it won't let me post the photo.
We usually do a road trip once a year to different Nascar race tracks. We've been to some amazing places by going a week early and stopping at different sites. Getting ready to go in September to the Darlington race. Staying a couple of days before at Myrtle Beach.