At this point in my life, I’ve taken quite a few road trips across the United States. Each one is a different experience, but still so much fun. Road trips are an easy way to see the country and travel on a budget, either alone or with people. I’ve taken road trips solo and with people, but travelling solo is definitely more challenging than travelling with others. Here are a few tips that I’ve learned from my solo road trip journeys!
1) Prepare what you’re going to listen to while you’re driving.
Are you going to listen to music, podcasts or audio books? If it’s on your phone, make sure to download them to your phone in case you don’t get reception (which happens often on road trips). I would make sure that you have a lot of variety as well, because you never know what mood you’re going to be in. If you only have podcasts prepared but want music, it’s best to make sure that you have options easily ready on the road and make them easily accessible while you’re on the road.
2) Bring road snacks!
I love road snacks. There are a few things that I always bring with me, like Powerade/Gatorade and fruit, and I make sure that they’re easily accessible to me when i’m in the drivers seat. You can always stop at gas stations, but if you’re not interested in stuffing on junk food, definitely bring some healthy snacks for your drive!
3) Ask people if they want to chat on the phone while you’re driving.
I almost always try to spend most of my time talking to people when I’m driving solo. Whether it’s friends or family, I spend many hours of driving talking to people. I think that it’s an easy way to keep your mind engaged and prevents you from zoning out, and it helps the time pass much easier. Of course, if you’re road tripping, there are always spots where you can’t get cell reception, so that’s when you’ll need music or other audio for engagement.
4) Stop frequently.
This is something that, when I was younger, I didn’t do. I always thought that it was better to wait and just straight-shot it to your destination and stop less frequently. However, now that I have more experience driving and driving solo, I think that stopping more frequently is important. Making a 5 to 10-minute pit stop at a rest area or gas station to use the restroom, fill up on gas and stretch a little bit makes you feel so much better in the long-run. Nowadays when I drive, I typically stop every two hours. It makes me feel so much better and I am so much less stressed about pit stops.
I hope that these tips help you on your journey! Stay safe, travel safe, and have fun!
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Thank you for reading! Do you have any other road trip tips? Let me know in the comments below and like this post if you want more like it!
Xoxo’s
Emmalee
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Emmalee Mauldin 