The most memorable road trips aren’t always remembered by how smoothly they ran. Many people remember the detours, the unplanned moments, the roadside coffee shop, the vista you nearly overlooked, and the realization that you have traveled much further away from your regular routine than you have in months.
Freedom while traveling feels so good when you are prepared in advance for what you’ll do if things go wrong.
A Great Road Trip Starts Before You Turn Your Car On
Take a quiet look over your vehicle before leaving for your next road trip. Look at your tires (the tread depth), check your engine oil and coolant levels, check your brake lights, tail light, and side marker lights, check your windshield wipers, and check your spare tire.
Check your phone charger to see if it works in the car. Also, make sure your GPS app is up-to-date. This doesn’t remove the romanticism from the road trip. It actually helps protect it. Doing a quick inspection of your vehicle at home is going to be significantly less stressful than finding a blown-out spare tire on the side of a highway you don’t recognize.
Also consider letting someone who trusts you know where you’ll be traveling, especially if you’re heading into remote areas or planning on driving later in the evening.
Little Things That Travelers Take Can Help Ease Delays
You won’t need to bring everything needed to cross a continent. But bringing some basic supplies can greatly improve the overall experience of being delayed unexpectedly.
Keep some extra bottled water, non-perishable snacks, a flashlight or lantern, a basic first aid kit, jumper cables, reflector triangles, and an extra blanket in your vehicle. Also include a printout of important telephone numbers in case your battery runs dead and your cell signal goes out.
These are not big changes. These are just little ways to give yourself a sense of control when the day takes an unexpected turn.
Knowing Who To Call For Assistance
Perhaps one of the biggest assumptions travelers make is that getting assistance will be easily accomplished after they get stranded. Unfortunately, spotty cell signals, unknown towns and districts, and late-night driving hours can quickly escalate a minor problem into a major crisis.
Before your departure, write down roadside assistance contact information, insurance company emergency contact numbers, and a local tow truck service number that’s familiar with the region you’ll be traveling through. Even though you may never use these services, knowing who to call can alleviate a tremendous amount of stress from the situation.
Build In Some Flexibility In Your Plans
A secondary plan isn’t only used when you’ve broken down. It’s also for scheduling purposes. Don’t fill each hour with activity. Give yourself time for rainy days, tiredness during long drives, missing turns on highways, slow traffic due to construction zones or accidents, and random stops along the way.
If there is enough free time built into your plans, a delay will not completely ruin your vacation. Instead, it gives you the ability to adjust your plans around the delay and continue moving forward.
The Best Secondary Plan Is Having Peace of Mind
Regardless of whether or not you’re taking a weekend getaway to visit family or embarking on a month-long adventure across several states, your road trip should still be fun and relatively spontaneous. You should be able to choose which road to drive on based on the scenery alone.
Your secondary plan is simply there as a backup option that allows you to enjoy your journey without feeling anxious or stressed about potential problems along the way.
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