Road Tripping: Tips and Tricks for a Amazing Road Trip Experience
Our first road trip, in the early 2000’s, happened almost by accident. We had taken some time off work to enjoy the summer with our young son but decided not to book anything. After the first day, I was bored and felt like we were wasting time. A friend from my running group had mentioned buying a place in a town where the mine had closed down, on Vancouver Island. I called her and asked if we could stay there. She said, “Sure, just leave $50 to pay the cleaner when you leave.” I looked up the ferry schedule, we packed up our camping equipment, because the drive was too far to make it in one day, and the next morning we hit the road.
When to Embrace Spontaneity and When to Plan
On that trip we found out we enjoyed and can endure long drives and there was no need to plan everything in advance. On the first day we made the 12 hour drive to the coast and happened to catch the last ferry to the island. Once we got to the island, we found a campground, which we later realized was right beside a prison. The next morning we were up and off to finish the 4 hour drive to the north end of the island.
A couple of years later we decided to embark on a two week road trip. We packed the camping equipment again, road trip snacks, clothes, passports, and our new Garmin GPS. We got up early, got in the car, looked at each other and said, ”Where should we go?” We decided Seattle looked like a great place to visit so we’ll start there. We set the GPS and off we went. Once we arrived in Seattle, we went to a Starbucks for a coffee and to use their free wifi to book a hotel room for a few nights. This was pre-smartphone days.
This was where I learned how to be savvy with booking hotels. While we were there we decided we should book ahead for the next stop since it will be the weekend. We looked at google maps, decided where we wanted to go and found a place to stay. That is how we managed the entire road trip. We went to: Seattle, Astoria, Olympic National Park, Portland, Coos Bay, San Fransciso, Los Angeles, then Las Vegas on the way home. In subsequent years we did road trips down to Arizona, across Canada, and the mother of all road trips to Miami and across the South.
Smartphones and high speed cell service have made research and booking so much easier, but the availability of reasonable priced hotel rooms isn’t what it used to be. I still highly recommend it as a great vacation and I’m sure decent three star hotels are still readily available but you may want to plan a little more in advance than we used to. If there is something specific you want to do, book it early to avoid disappointment. We learned this lesson when we couldn’t go to Alcatraz in San Francisco. Apparently the tours sell out months in advance.
The Allure of United States Road Trips
We found what works best for us on a road trip is 3 days in a city. We look up what the primary sites are, starting with Trip advisor and the best places to eat on google and yelp. Then we go to the main area and just walk around. We find after 2 full days of exploring and eating, we’re ready to move on to somewhere else.
A good road trip is a combination of big cities and smaller, quieter areas. We stayed in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but we also camped in Olympic National Park and the KOA in Astoria (who knew you could get a swimming pool and free pancake breakfast in a campsite!) and stayed in Coos Bay to ride the sand dunes.
Crafting the Perfect Itinerary
Experiences are the purpose of travel (and life). Research the area you’re going to be in to figure out what you want to do and see there. Or if you read something that interests you, plan a trip around it. We did a road trip to Arizona because I saw an article on Slide Rock Park and really wanted to go and see it. The park did not disappoint and neither did Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix, or San Diego. One place to look for interesting and unusual things to do is Atlas Obscura. We’ve had memorable experiences on road trips, from whale watching to riding sand dunes.
Practical Considerations
Consider renting a car for your road trip. Unfortunately, the prices have increased exponentially since COVID but shop around to see if you can get a decent deal on a car. If you have a Costco membership, Costco Travel offers good deals and a comparison for car rentals. Expedia is another useful site. Renting a car saves the wear and tear on your car.
Unlimited mileage is a necessity. If you’re in Canada and are planning on crossing the border on your road trip, make sure your rental agreement allows for it. We rented from Avis because of this and they never asked any questions when we brought the car back with over 10,000 new kms.
You can increase your flexibility by bringing some camping equipment – tent, sleeping bags, stove, and cooking utensils. I don’t mind camping for a few nights at a time but then I’m ready for a bath and a real bed. If you have the room in your vehicle, you can also sleep in it. We had a large tarp we through over our SUV to cover all the windows.
Road Trip Essentials
The best thing about road trips is being able to bring comfort items like pillows and blankets. Make sure you are comfortable in the car. Pack light. Laundry facilities are not hard to find. The biggest challenge is knowing what to bring when you are not sure what you’re going to be doing. I pack comfortable clothes and shoes that are good for walking, loose layers for time in the car, workout wear in case we do anything more extreme than walking (like the time we went mountain biking in Moab) and a casual dress in case we go out for a nicer dinner.
Electronics are now essential for a good road trip. You need either a GPS or google maps. If you are crossing the border, know your cell service plan. Most Canadian plans charge up to $15 a day to use your phone in the US. To save on this expense, I use an esim when I travel. I have tried a few but Airalo is my favourite. An esim can provide all the data you need for the cost of one or two days with your cell provider. GPS is the best thing to happen to road trips. It allowed us to visit sites like Bruce Lee’s grave site in Seattle and Voodoo Donuts first location (where we met the owners) in Portland.
Entertainment
Entertainment for those hours in the car. If you have kids, make sure they have things to do, books, games, and things to watch plus headphones. For the adults, music – consider a good playlist, and we also enjoy listening to audiobooks. It’s a great way to pass the time. Many libraries have audiobooks available to borrow for free. I use audible because I listen to audiobooks whenever I’m driving alone. A service like Sirius also has a lot of options for different types of music and we enjoyed listening to comedy shows.
Sustenance
Food is the other road trip necessity. We have a small cooler that fits in the center, behind the front seats to keep drinks cold. It is fun to load up on treats. Pick out some of your favourite candies, chips, chocolate etc. Also pack healthier and more filling snack foods like, protein bars, trail mix or nuts (if no one has an allergy), cheese sticks, beef jerky and fruit is a good option but you have to eat it before you cross the border because produce cannot be taken into another country. It is up to the discretion of border security. We have been allowed to keep a couple of apples but on another trip we had to throw out our bananas. Then make sure you have hydration. Bringing bottled water and drinks saves you from gas station prices. We also bring energy drinks. We do not drink them regularly and they are not healthy but they get us through many hours of night driving. Once you’re on the road, stop at a grocery store or Walmart to restock.
What Works for You
The first trip will be an experiment to see how much driving you are comfortable with. We both drive and just switch when one person has had enough. We have figured out that we like to clock a lot of miles at night when the highways are quiet. The longest drive we have done is from Ottawa to Edmonton, only stopping for gas, bathroom, and quick bites to eat. Total drive time was 37.5 hours. We were ready to stop for the night if we needed to but once we got going, we just kept motoring. Everyone is different. If you need to stop after 8 hours of driving, plan accordingly. I figured out that I like night driving because there is way less traffic.
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