Taking a road trip to avoid flying? Read this post before you hit the road for tips to make the car ride a little more pleasant!
Hey y’all! It’s Hannah again, Teri’s assistant here at A Foodie Stays Fit. I’ve really enjoyed writing these guest posts, and this topic is especially fun because it’s about something I do often: drive long distances. I’m a recent grad from Samford University in Birmingham, AL which is an 8 hour trek from my home in Winston Salem. My first year there, I flew home twice since it felt the most time-conscious. But, I quickly realized that it took about 6 hours total to fly home (with time driving to the airports, connections, etc.) and that felt silly since it costs 3 times as much to fly! Now I’m a United States road-tripper (not really, but I drive a LOT).
After doing the math, I realized that I would spend MUCH less money buying gas instead of a plane ticket and actually enjoy the freedom of driving. So after my freshman year, I started driving home 3ish times a semester and didn’t bat an eye. I’ve actually grown to enjoy long drives a lot, if you can believe that.
I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences (fender benders, flat tires, and ATL traffic), but in general, I enjoy the alone time and the freedom to travel when I want to. I’m about to get married, and I’ll be moving to South Carolina in the fall. This means MORE time in the car (though, not as long), to see family.
Today, I’m sharing my best tips for making your car rides fun, easy, and much more enjoyable than they were before. If you’re looking for helps for long drives with toddlers, TeriLyn has got you covered in this post.
Let’s dive in.
This is my trick to making long drives feel much shorter. Since Birmingham is about 8 hours from home, I left my dorm room around 4:00AM (crazy, I know) when I came home for the weekend. If I’m going to make a long trip for a weekend, I want to have the entire weekend free instead of spending a big chunk of it in the car. While 4:00AM may not be feasible for you (especially if you have kids!), try to plan on leaving earlier than you’d naturally want to, and definitely go to bed early the night before to get some good shut eye. You can make it extra special for kids by stopping somewhere yummy for a breakfast treat. When I was little, stopping at Chick-fil-a was the best part of our whole trip.
When you drive in the wee hours of the morning you get to see the sunrise, stop for coffee, and arrive in the morning at your destination. There’s nothing more annoying to me than driving all day, just to arrive by the evening and go to bed.
If you’re leaving at the crack of dawn, you’ll need to remember to go to sleep at a decent hour. Use a sleep mask, ear plugs, whatever you need, but GO TO SLEEP. We do not need sleepy drivers on the roads.
This makes the start of your drive so much more pleasant! I don’t pack my laptop or camera equipment until I’m leaving in the morning, but other than those items, I put everything in the car. It takes some planning, and you’ll be so grateful in the morning when you’re not scrambling.
I always fill my car up with gas the day before as well. It’s worth the extra effort the day before so I can get up and hit the road right away. I hate when the morning of a trip feels stressful, so I make every effort to get as much prepared the day before as I can.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE gas station snacks and a good Chick-fil-a stop (healthy food is NOT my default!), but it’s wise to have a few things packed ahead of time. You’ll also be thankful you don’t have to stop a million times. It’s a much healthier option to have a few snacks packed. I like to go grab a few things from Trader Joes the day before my trip and leave them in my front seat for the morning. This includes filling up my water bottles!
If you’re traveling with kids, grab a couple treats the day before to surprise (or bribe, no judgement) them with. For us, this was PopTarts and M&Ms.
Teri never leaves her house (let alone travels) without Prince of Peace Ginger Chews. They’re perfect for soothing car sick nausea and they taste like candy!
If you make the same drive often, you’ll know the places that make the best stops. But if you’re driving somewhere new, you’ll want to plan how many times you need to stop so that you can make your drive more productive. I recommend stopping at rest stops when possible since they’re generally clean. If you have a 6 hour drive, I would stop 1 time if possible, but 2 is great too. You generally add about 15/20 minutes to your ETA when you stop, so just keep that in mind! I should probably stop more for the sake of stretching, but I usually make the 8-hour drive with 1 or 2 stops (for gas and a snack).
The beauty of driving a long distance over flying is that you’re in control! You can choose when and where to stop and when to leave. If you’d rather take your time on the road trip, then enjoy every stop and don’t worry about making it a quick drive.
I’m bad about following this rule, but my mom said this on a long trip together and it’s a good idea. Even if you know that your half tank will get you to your destination, you never know if you could hit traffic! It’s always smart to top off your tank at every stop just in case something unforeseen happens.
Long road trips are some of the only time that I get to read for fun. I love Audible and save books for my drives so that I have something to look forward too. I’ll even make myself wait until I’m driving to listen as a “treat” haha. My favorite podcasts are American History Teller, Slow Burn, and The Thing About Pam.
On speaker phone or bluetooth, course! I like to call my grandmother and friends that I haven’t talked too in a while. It makes the drive fly by when you’re having a conversation with someone.
Make sure you add these to your road trip packing list before you hit the open road.
I have a Popsocket on my phone, so I use this holder that clips into my air vent. You can find all sorts of phone holders on Amazon. It completely changed the game for me!! I love not having to hold my phone to see my GPS.
Most people already have a phone charger in their car, but if you don’t, you’ll need one for a road trip.
I hate when my car gets dirty, so I keep some form of trash bag/can in my car. Sometimes It’s a plastic bag, but I’ve found some car-specific ones on Amazon lately that I love. If you’re in a rental car, definitely bring a plastic bag at least!
I am ordering this right now. A GAME CHANGER. It clips on your air vent and holds your Chick-fil-a sauce. This would make a great stocking stuffer for the holidays.
Yes, I feel silly and look pretty dumb when I wear these, but they actually work. They cut the glare when driving in the rain and even help at night.
No brainer!
If you don’t have bluetooth capability in your car, this is amazing and works with a usb port. My fiancé has used one for years and still loves his. It works with your radio.
This is for the neat freaks out there like me. It’s GREAT to use after a long drive – I hate the feeling of crumbs in my car. This one uses your charging port!
I love the Stanley 40oz bottle, and TeriLyn loves this tumbler from Simple Modern.
I hope these tips and products help make your next drive more enjoyable. Like I said, I’ve truly grown to love spending time alone in the car. As a productivity driven person, having some time where I literally can’t get anything done is really good for me.
Only if you’re a passenger, of course.
It’s always smart to have one of these in your car. And make sure you know where your spare tire is, and if you also get an Emergency Road Side Kit with essentials like jumper cables, even better.
You can find me here on Instagram!
If you missed my other guest posts, you can find them here:
What it’s like working for Teri, a full-time blogger
So college is cancelled, now what?
Eating healthy when you don’t want to
20 Indoor activities for adults at home
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One response to “Tips for Long Drives or Roadtrips”
Wow, I’m Samford grad too! Prepping for a long trip – 2 days of driving 10+ hours, but the first leg we are going to Bham! Great article and you had really good product links! Thanks for the ideas.