Avoid small towns on Sundays and other ways to make a better road trip

If you’ve seen a summer vacation flight recently, you might agree with my idea that 2022 will be the year of the road trip. With high fuel costs and labor shortages, rising inflation is not a great recipe for affordable air travel. If done correctly, a road trip can be a great opportunity to see a large area of ​​the country at once. However, if things go wrong, road trips can be a terrible slogan. These tips prepare you for success with your next autobound excursion.

Rent a van instead of using a car. Rent a van instead of using your car is a gift that you will continue to give. First, secure more space. This is the most important on a road trip. Second, because it is the responsibility of the rental company, there is no need to take care of vehicle maintenance (oil change, etc.) before departure. Third, this is an additional cost, but it doesn’t add any damage to your personal vehicle and you can spend enough money. Finally, rental vans usually have a larger gas tank than a regular vehicle, so if that’s your privilege, you can reduce the frequency of outages.

Interior car wash budget. You are about to embark on a long journey in a very limited space. Keeping that space in good condition is in your best interest. Make sure you’re clearing your car from wrappers and other debris at every pit stop. If possible, avoid eating hot food in the car (if you don’t want the odor to remain). If your expedition lasts longer than 7 days, it may be worth budgeting to clean the interior on a trip to the car wash (unless you want to do it yourself, then) Get covered).

Avoid small towns on Sundays. Part of the joy of a road trip is to see some of America’s little sleepy towns that aren’t drawn on the big screen. The only problem is that these small towns tend to be closed on Sundays, so be sure to plan accordingly. It’s a shame I had to eat at McDonald’s because I didn’t realize that the famous local drinking fountain was closed.

Bring a healthy treat. I’m not trying to be a villain. I think part of the fun of a road trip is to rush to a gas station store and get chips, candies and soda. That said, it’s also a good idea to mix in a decent amount of healthy snacks. It’s not uncommon to have bowel problems when you’re on the roadYou don’t want to contribute to your own misery.

Please bring some gum. At some point you will probably start to feel terrible when you are in the car for hours at a time. Stopping the shower is probably out of the question, but one small way to refresh is to add chewing gum. I know there aren’t that many, but you have to win a small win to get them. Be careful not to swallow..

Do not hook the auxiliary cord. The old “anyone who drives can choose the rules of music” is fascinating, but is it advisable to avoid that practice in order to divide the privileges of music more democratically? One of the great things about going on a road trip with friends is that thanks to the pure amount of unstructured time spent together, you can see their side that you wouldn’t normally see. is. One way to reveal this is to see which music they chose to play. Think of it as a trigger for a road trip conversation.

Clean your house before you leave. “Wow, awesome, awesome. Do you want me to clean my car and my house?” Yes. Road trips provide a way to breathe life that you wouldn’t normally have on your vacation. You don’t want to go home with a fully loaded dishwasher and an unmade bed. Take the time to clean your house before you go on a trip. Thank you immediately after returning to Japan.

Pack a paper map. As you drive more remote in the country, your mobile service will deteriorate. Knowing that, if you can’t rely on technology, it’s a good idea to get a paper map of the route.You can also Download Google Maps directions in advance.

Please do not overdo. In reality, 10 or 12 hours of continuous time in the car sounds like a slogan, but in the end it’s feasible. In fact, it’s incredibly unpleasant. When planning a road trip, you may want to schedule a few days over 12 hours to move from point A to point B, but do what you can to resist that urge. You wouldn’t want to overestimate the time you can realistically drive and force an unplanned overnight stop.