Smarter Road Trip

I recently drove from Dallas, TX to Boston, MA and had no previous road-trip experience. In fact I was moving from Dallas to Boston with all my worldly possessions. It was an enjoyable experience and I completed my trip in good time and comfort. Before I started, I consulted many people who were either road-trip gurus or lived in the states that I was passing through. This helped me get an idea of what I was against and plan better. Here is my attempt at consolidating that information into a few basic pointers that will make a road-trip much easier and much more fun.

This is by no means a complete checklist for road-tripping. It is more of a quick start guide.

Get a GPS:
There is no substitute to this. Paper maps just don’t cut it anymore with the amount of dynamicity in road development. It is good and advisable to have a paper map of your trip, but it cannot be your first line of defense against getting lost. GPSs are relatively inexpensive and show a host of valuable information other than just your route. If you cannot afford one with an online mapping service, get one with pre-loaded maps. These are available at $100 prices and allow for uploading the latest maps using a flash card. Most GPS manufacturers let you download the latest set of maps they have for free and use a flash card to upload them to the device. Make sure the cigarette lighter port of the car is functioning, as the GPS will charge through that. Do carry a paper backup in case something goes wrong with the GPS, but stop by the nearest town once something like that happens to fix it. If you have a smartphone, which you almost certainly do, figure out how to get google maps or live search for that. While these are not turn-by-turn navigation software, they give you some cool features like traffic updates and detours due to accidents / road-work that a conventional GPS may not have.

Get your car tuned:
Make sure your car isn’t nearing a scheduled service limit. If it is, have it serviced before you start the trip. Also have your batteries, tires and fluids checked for long distance travel. Carry a few extra fuses in case you pop one (My cigarette lighter fuse blew).
Get a AAA plus membership. It is well worth it over the period of a year. It is not a good idea to save a few dollars and get the basic, because the basic has only 3 mile towing where as the plus has 100 mile towing. They will replace tires, batteries and get you fuel in case you run out at much lower prices for services than any other road side assistance plan. AAA members also get huge discounts at hotels, car insurance and many other travel services and hence it is a must have. Make sure you carry your card with you. They will service you with just the number, but it takes some explaining over the phone.

Book hotel rooms over the phone and not the hotel website:
In my case I checked hotel prices online for the nights, and they were always higher than the rate they gave me on the phone. Call the hotel directly and ask them for the rates. Also remember to tell them about your AAA membership. Almost all hotels offer a discount for AAA members. However this may not hold true if you are trying to get a combo deal. In that case follow the procedure for getting that combo. If you have a credit card with variable rewards, you may want to up the travel rewards from hotel stays and such.

Keep your car documents easily accessible:
Car documents such as your registration, insurance and such should be kept easily accessible in case you are pulled over for any reason. Check with your insurance company regarding driving your car out of state. Some insurance companies may not operate in some states and most of them have different policies for out of state driving.
Make sure you follow all the laws of the road. All states have minor variations with regards to lights and signs. Try and get a hold of the driver’s license manual for the states you are driving through and take a quick look to see if you find something you did not know. For example some states have a no left turn on red. Some states have different speed limits for highways. Make sure you are well aware of the laws and follow them. Some GPSs have the ability to warn you against speeding based on the set speed of that road. That would be a good feature to look for, but don’t depend on it completely because there might be road work or a new sign that your GPS isn’t aware of. Use it as an aid to driving only.

On the trip:
You can find umpteen websites that list out what you should carry, so I won’t go deep into that, but here are a few essentials that you shouldn’t forget and keep easily accessible.
Extra clothes.
Sleeping bag in case it is cold and you don’t have good lodgings.
Mouthwash, hand sanitizer (Don’t touch gas station faucets), paper towels.
A battery operated lantern (An absolute must).
Water, energy drinks and snacks.
Car phone and GPS chargers.
Tool-kit and tire-replacement accessories.

Try to avoid using cruise control. On long trips it is easy to fall asleep on the wheel and that can be fatal. Actually driving helps keep you awake longer. The moment you feel the slightest bit drowsy, stop, take a nap or do a few spot exercises or both. Most highways have rest zones and miles to the next rest zone. If you think you may feel sleepy before the next zone, sleep at this one.

I reiterate, this is not the end-all resource for road tripping, but more of a helper guide based on my experience. Hopefully you will find it useful. Happy road-tripping.