A Guide to Road Tripping

Published on 22 February 2022 at 18:25

 

I have been fortunate enough to have visited many of England's counties. Some have been road trips and most have been for holidays. And plenty of our road trips have been spontaneous days out. So I feel I am slightly a pro when it comes to spending time on the road heading for new adventures. 

 

Below I list some of my greatest tips from our experiences to set you up for your next road trip. 

 

Sat Nav  

Unless you are already a true pro at getting to your destination, you will need to set this up before anything else. It's a bit of a priority so make sure it has had all updates available to ensure there will be no hidden surprises along the way, and of course double checking that the postcode you're entering is the correct one. 

 

I remember one particular road trip that ended up with an extra 2 hours on our journey just because I put the wrong postcode in, yes tut tut I hear you, my passengers at the time had never been so happy to get home and safe that night. 

 

Reviews

As this will be your very first time at your chosen end goal, do you really know anything about the area? Is there significant parking? Are there public toilets available? And what is that one and only pub really like in the village? It doesn't take 5 minutes just to have a read up about where you're going.

 

Photo from Pexels

 

Music/playlists 

As you know music is part of my life, it's always there for you no matter what mood. And there are some great tunes for a road trip out there. Set the playlist up the night before and also bear in mind the audience. Who will be listening? What genres or bands are your co-passengers' favourites? Classic sing alongs are highly recommended. Music can really make the journey a lot more serene and happier. 

 

Fluids

Fluids for both you and the car. There's nothing worse than having a dry mouth from all that singing and snacking and there's no services ahead on the road. Water is the best fluid to keep in the car all the time. Fizzy drinks may quench the thirst but your belly may not be thankful for it later. 

 

Fluids for the car are just as important, checking the levels of water and oil prior to the road trip is the best way forward. Keeping extras in the car will put minds at ease and you just never know if they'll be needed. I remember we had to help out a fellow road tripper once, stopped on the side of the road and needed water for the car. It got him to the nearest station anyway, and his passenger was so grateful for the fresh bottle of water we gave her too.

 

Photo from Pexels

 

Games to play

We always turn to that simple and easy game of eye spy but apart from trees, the sky and things in the car there isn't much past that. But it does keep everyone occupied. 

 

Another favourite is the alphabet game, where one person starts with an item beginning with A and the next repeats it but adding an item beginning with B and so on and so on. The alphabet can even be for different items, such as animals, colours or things found at the seaside. 

 

Then there is the obvious ‘Would you rather’ game. Asking it as a question that gives two possible replies.  For example: Would you rather be invisible or fly? Would you rather live without tv forever or your phone?  The kids love it.

 

You could make the ‘car bingo game’ for passengers too. Before the road trip, prepare a chart of maybe 8 things that you would spot on the journey, everytime someone spots it they can cross it off their chart and maybe organise some prizes for one line and a full house.

 

Extra tips 

 

  • Poundland are offering this great cutlery set in a tin all ready to use. Keep these safe in the car, you never know when they will come in handy.

 

  • A picnic blanket is also very useful to have in the car, if you stop at a beauty spot there is nothing better than taking a rest to admire. Or, if any passengers are cold (of which there is always that one person) they can wrap up. 
  • Carry some extra usb type chargers for phones, because you never know.

 

Q: What is your favourite road trip memory, either from your childhood or as an adult?


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Comments

Fadima Mooneira
3 years ago

Good tips to begin a road trip. Planning a playlist is super important for me. I need music while I travel. Thank you for sharing.

Jeanette
3 years ago

Thank you for reading, yes agreed with the music, I really enjoy creating play lists.

Transatlantic Notes
3 years ago

This was really useful as I was just talking to my husband about doing a staycation where we round trip to various places in our state. Thanks for this, these tips will help us make the most of it all!

Molly | transatlanticnotes.com

Jeanette
3 years ago

You're welcome and I hope you have a lovely trip too

Nyxie
3 years ago

Podcasts, playlists, and sat navs are a must-have for any road trip! Great post and wonderful information.

Jeanette
3 years ago

Could not agree more here. Thank you for reading.

Jamieadstories
3 years ago

These are useful tips for taking a road trip.

Jeanette
3 years ago

Thank you so much

Cassie
3 years ago

Great list. I've gone on many a road trip but don't ever remember making sure that I had extra fluids for the car, aside from water of course. But the water was meant for the people, not packed with the car in mind. Great thinking. I also like the idea of extra chargers. Chargers have a way of disappearing so this is getting adding to my list for sure!

Jeanette
3 years ago

You're welcome and thank you for your comments. I always thought making sure the car has extras for a 'just in case purpose' was a given haha. I feel like I have imparted my worries on to others now.

Lo
3 years ago

This post was full of so many fun great ideas! I’ve honestly never thought to check reviews or learn about the area prior. My family loves spontaneous trips to the beach but we do spend a lot of time looking for parking, activities and restaurants. Definitely adding this to our future plans! Also, with an 11 year old daughter, how have I never thought to play games on the road 🤦🏾‍♀️

Jeanette
3 years ago

Awww you're very welcome. I hope now you can enjoy your road trips more without worrying about finding those amenities

Lisamarie
3 years ago

Love all these tips and as a mom with a huge family I will take all the tips I can get! The one thing we do when we have a big family vacation we travel at night so we get there before the girls even know it, and before the " Are we there yet", starts lol

Jeanette
3 years ago

That is another superb idea, thank you also for that tip too

Fransic verso
3 years ago

Awesome games, I will save them in mind to try them when we go out

Jeanette
3 years ago

Aww that's good to hear, they're our favourites. I think the prizes for the bingo is encouraging

Kayleigh
3 years ago

Very few people make sure that their cars are prepared for the road trip, something that was drilled into me from an early age by my dad. When I was younger we lived quite far away from my grandparents so when they drove us home, I used to love singing with my brother and sister (and nana) and closing our eyes when we passed ‘the green bridge’ x

Jeanette
3 years ago

Yes this is true, my dad also taught me this, I just instinctively thought it was a known fact. Thank you for your lovely comments

readandreviewit
3 years ago

Ooh fab tips! I love a good playlist when travelling, it can really make the time go that much quicker. Games are always super fun too! Thank you so much for sharing x

Jeanette
3 years ago

Thank you so much for reading. Music is definitely part of my life, something for everyone in every song