Tips for a Safe and Successful Long Distance Road Trip

Road Trip Adventure

Road trips can be a fun adventure filled with laughter and memories, but they're also daunting and should be carefully distanced, you put yourself at risk if you aren't properly prepared for the task. Use these tips to ensure your trip is both safe and fun.

Plan for Everything

The more time and energy you put into your trip before it starts, the easier and more relaxing it will be. If you until the last minute to pack, not only will you experience higher levels of stress and frustration, chances are you'll leave something valuable behind as well. Factor in traffic as well. No one likes sitting through rush hour in densely populated areas. You should also charge your phone, tablets, and video game devices the night before so that all your (and your family's) electronics are usable for the journey ahead.

Ensuring your phone is fully charged is especially important if you plan to use it for navigation. You should always plan for stops along the way. How often should you get gas? Where will you stop for food? These are questions you should ask and answer before you hit the road.

Get Plenty of Rest

It's important that you go to bed at a decent hour the night before your big trip. If you don't get adequate sleep, you're likely to wake up in a foul mood, which is not the proper way to start a trip. More importantly, it's extremely unsafe to drive when you're tired. Like driving drunk, driving when you're tired impairs your abilities, putting yourself at risk and endangering other drivers on the road. No matter how busy your schedule is, or how early you're leaving for your drive, you should strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep before the big day.

Don't Skip Breakfast

Breakfast helps keep you energized and healthy throughout the day ahead. Even if you plan to leave early and get a head start on traffic, you should prepare or stop for a quick breakfast before you hit the open road. Driving while hungry will also cause complications, such as irritability, fatigue, and stomach cramps.

Stretch Your Legs and Clear Your Mind

Driving for long stretches without a break is not good for your body or your brain. You've probably heard plenty of times before that office workers should get up and stretch because sitting at a desk all day is bad for circulation. Well, the same is true for driving. Plus, endless roads and lanes of traffic can make your mind a little fuzzy and affect your concentration. To avoid irritation, impaired focus, and poor circulation, it's important to leave the car for a while. Take time look around, stretch your legs, and grab some snacks or take a bathroom break at a gas station. Even a few minutes outside the car and off the road can help boost your mood and focus.

Don't Rush

Things don't always go according to plan, and sometimes schedules get messed up. If you leave the house later than you wanted, don't try to compensate for the time lost by speeding. Speeding is one of the leading causes of accidents and is a factor in about 30% of all car crash fatalities.