Planning a road trip properly might sound easy, but make sure you are ahead of the game with accurate road trip travel tips. You sure don’t want to be in the position of asking ‘Where is the camera‘ or running low on gas when there’s no gas station nearby. You will experience such things when your road trip is not well organized or well planned. Having the right road trip travel tips will not only make your trip much organized but far more adventurous too. Here are a few road trip travel tips on planning a road trip and the factors to be considered while doing so. I am sure many of you are already smiling as you read this. Well, yes. It’s most common and happens all the time but one can definitely avoid these small hangups by planning with the right road trip travel tips.
Plan Ahead With These Road Trip Travel Tips

Road Trip Travel Tips | (c) Photo By New Zealand Mirror Travel
Select And Study The Destination
Selecting a destination is one of the top most road trip travel tips I can provide. More so if you are planning it across America, as the country gives a wide variety right from deserts, mountains, ocean shores, shopping destinations and small towns that haven’t changed for years. All of them are super exciting to explore and the trip will surely amaze you with how diverse and huge the country is. Once you zero down on to your destination, decide the route you are going to take. Keep a map handy, you never know where you might end up.
Check The Condition of Your Vehicle
Another top most road trip travel tips is about your vehicle. Make sure you check whether there is enough gas, get the oil changed, check the spare tire, fill the windshield fluid, and get your car ready for the long trip. Remember to get the car fully serviced to avoid trouble during the trip. Don’t forget about keeping your license, registration and insurance up-to-date, and in your car to avoid unpleasant situations.
Know Your Companions
Companions may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when searching for road trip travel tips. However, the people you are planning the road trip with make all the difference in the basic planning. If you have your family and kids along, you have to be a little more attentive towards their needs. If you’re planning it with your friends, it can be more spaced out and relaxed. Anyway, both are going to be super fun and memorable.
Music…Food…Bags
What is a road trip without music, right? In fact, it is one of the most important travel tips I can give. Music gets everything rocking. One of the things I never forget on my journeys is to carry my favorite music with me. Music also reduces the intensity of fatigue on a long road trip. If you’re planning the trip with your kids, make sure you carry snacks, water-bottles, juice boxes and fruits. Carry garbage bags to dispose the waste. Some kids or even adults suffer from motion sickness. Therefore you must carry vomit bags too. Also make sure you and the kids (if traveling with them) use the restroom every time you stop. You never know how far away the next stop is.
Cash…Camera…Games
Perhaps this is one of the most forgotten road trip travel tips. Ensure you carry enough cash or cards and don’t run out of them. With less cash or no cash, you just might have to compromise on a lot of things, which I’m sure you don’t want to. So go loaded before your trip. To capture beautiful moments and make them live forever, a high mega-pixel digital camera is essential. Make sure you carry it along, charge it and replace it with new batteries if the camera happens to work on batteries. Also, plan for games. Adults enjoy it as much as kids, and it’s a great idea on a long road trip.

Road Trip Travel Tips | (c) Photo By Gokwala
Accommodations
My road trip travel tips also include accommodations at your destination. If you are traveling with kids and family, hotel reservations are compulsory and should be confirmed beforehand. With friends, trust me, it’s fun to stay at a roadside motel when it gets dark, and just adds more adventure to your trip.
Other Accessories
One other important road trip travel tips is figuring out what has to be carried during the road trip. You don’t want to regret forgetting something you ‘so’ wanted on the trip. For example, your sunglasses and sunscreen. If you don’t want those embarrassing sunburns, sunscreen should be kept handy. Sunglasses reduce the strain on your eyes and look stylish at the same time. Wearing stylish flip flops is recommended because it’s much more comfortable than wearing shoes. After all, you will be on a road trip, not a business meeting.
Avoid Peak Traffic Hours
We usually plan trips to break from long work hours, traffic and routine, right? Therefore, my road trip travel tips also include checking your route to destination. Remember, even though you are on a vacation, the world is still working. Make sure you avoid the rush hours. That way you will be able to enjoy your trip to the fullest. So, plan your route and time accordingly. You can also make use of bypasses and alternate routes to avoid peak driving times.
Collect As Much Info As Possible
Road trip travel tips also include gathering ideas and information about the destination you are visiting. By knowing all the famous attractions and activities in and around the destination, you can spend your time better at the destination. So find out the different attractions and how to get there. You can also consult road trip planners for more ideas and get the best road trip travel tips.
Just Go All Out and Have Fun
Last but not least on road trip travel tips, a happy state of mind is the aim of any vacation. So go all out and have a blast. Despite proper planning, things can go wrong sometimes. But, you don’t have to worry. Instead take it in the right stride. You are going to be laughing uproariously on those silly things that went wrong when you look back at it. Lay back. Relax. Laugh.
With these travel tips, nothing can go wrong when you’re on the road. Now that you know how to plan for your next road trip, make it the most memorable one. Enjoy and have a blast by following these simple road trip travel tips.
I love the last portion of your article where you mentioned to just have fun and go all out. Have a plan, but be willing to veer away from it every now and then.
When my friends and I took a road trip earlier this year, the best part of the trip was when we decided to take a side trip to visit Barasoain Church, which was along the way. It was very much part of the history of my country, and being there and going around it left me in awe on how beautiful it was.
Traveling does mean you have to plan and organize, but it sure is a thrill when you step out of the box like you did :)
This is some really good info! I learned the “Know Your Companions” part the hard way one time… I traveled with some people I didn’t really know that well, and it turned out to be very unpleasant for almost 10 hours straight. That’s the last time I make any long road trips without knowing or understanding how to interact with the people I’m traveling with!
Just like you, I am sure many have experienced this because they are on a road trip with total strangers. Planing ahead and knowing who is going will make is much more pleasant trip overall.