Road trips are a great way to not only see the world around you but it’s also great way to bond with friends, think, and see some pretty awesome roadside attractions! On the flip side, road trips can also be the main attraction for disaster and bad decisions. Now, disaster and bad decisions don’t necessarily have to be the case when it comes to road trips… with proper planning and knowing the do’s and don’ts of road trips, your road trip with friends can be one of the best you’ve ever had.

“Should I stop and get gas now or wait until we get to the gas station?” When it comes to road trips, the least amount of bad decisions you make, the better your trip will be. Your decisions on a road trip really can make or break the trip… even with planning the trip. You definitely want to do your research on where to travel to. Are you looking up the best road trip locations for 2019 in the US or abroad? Are you looking up road trips with the best roadside attractions? Once you figure out where you’re going to, the other preparations can take place.

The “Other Preparations” For Your Road Trip

So the fact that you are going on a road trip, means you will be driving for extended periods of time, also meaning that you will not only need to prepare yourself for this road trip but you will also need to prepare your car for this trip as well.

For yourself, you want to make sure you get plenty of rest a few days before the trip so that you will be well-rested for the drive. As far as your car is concerned… you need to take your car to get fully checked out and serviced. That means making sure your oil has been changed, you have enough air in your tires, and your car insurance is current.

In case you get into an accident that results in injury to you, your passengers, or another driver, you need to have a personal injury lawyer ready to fight to get you the best outcome possible for your case. This is not something you want to focus on for your trip but it is an important aspect of your trip, which is safety and protection. So have fun on the trip but be safe too!

Road Trip Do’s and Don’ts: The Do’s

Everyone Take Turns Driving

On on-road trips, you’re driving for extended periods of time, it helps the trip go smoother when everyone gets the chance to be the passenger. Leaving the driving up to one person isn’t really fun for the driver because they are always having to keep their eyes on the road. Now, there are some people who really enjoy driving on road trips and don’t mind driving the entire time but even if that’s the case, everyone should still at least offer to drive.

Stay Hydrated and Bring Plenty of Snacks

Everyone thinks that strenuous physical activity is why you need to stay hydrated but little do people know that it’s important to stay hydrated while driving too. You’ll be driving a notice a headache start to kick in and you’ll wish you had some water then.

Also, the most important part of a road trip is the snacks! You don’t necessarily need to have healthy snacks on the trip unless you absolutely must but on road trips, there should never be a shortage of snacks… make snacks the top priority on your road trip list.

Bring a Spare Car Key

You never know what might happen on the trip. You might arrive at your hotel and need to grab your ID out of the car and realize your keys are sitting right there in the driver’s seat. If you have an extra car key, give it to one of the other passengers or tape it under the bumper of your car because locking your car key in your car can totally kill the fun on a road trip.

Road Trip Do’s and Don’ts: The Don’ts

Try Adventurous Foods

A lot of you may not like this one because road trips are adventures and trying the food from different and unique places are part of the adventure… Well, that may be true but when the whole essence of the trip is in a car, food poisoning is not the best way to spend a road trip. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that “travelers diarrhea” also known as food poisoning affects 30-70 percent of travelers so it is pretty common to experience but to save everyone the hassle and suffering, eat what you know!

Wait till the Last Minute to Stop For Gas

Nothing can be worse than running out of gas in the middle of nowhere all because you decided to wait until the next gas station came up. If you see a gas station and you’re on half a tank of gas, go on and fill it up… that’s a good time to stop anyway… it gives everyone the chance to walk around and stretch out their legs.