Doing a road trip is the perfect way to practice Carpe Diem philosophy, to enjoy the moment because you will spend a long time driving from one point to the next one, the journey also becomes part of the trip, and you can plan accordingly to enjoy every moment of the trip. This is not possible when you do another kind of trips, flying or taking buses or trains, as you are depending on the already fixed schedules and the timings are, for example, planned according to the time needed to arrive at the airport and boarding the plane.

Traveling can feel sometimes a bit intimidating when you think ahead and start to realize all the planning required to make it real.  Especially if you are used to traveling with organized trips or used to use public transportation during your trips, planning a road trip feels a bit overwhelming. Although planning and having a successful road trip you will need some more planning than on your previous trips, it will be an extremely rewarding experience.

Road trips are perfect when you love driving, and especially if you are not doing it alone, because you will be able to alternate the driving times and not feel tired all the time and thus, enjoy the trip.

There is no other way to travel that will make you feel freer. You have total control (except for traffic and road conditions) over the route and the most enjoyable part of it, all the stops you will do!

After several years of driving experience and doing different kinds of driving trips I wanted to share with you some of my tips for having a successful one! In these times this is the best way to start traveling again and exploring your own country and the nearby wonderful areas we usually don’t take the time to explore. Have fun and safe driving!

 

 

1.      DESTINATION

The destination you choose will guide many of the following decisions you need to make while planning your road trip.

You might have already some roads you are dreaming to explore, but maybe you are needing new ideas and will need some time to find where do you want to go next.

To gather inspiration, you can check online on Instagram for example, you can just go through your feed, but you can also check for hashtags related to the topic, like #roadtrip that is having more than 5mill posts, or also searching more specific hashtags related to one area or country #roadtripeurope #roadtripgermany #moroccoroadtrip to name a few #campervanlife and #RVlife are also others I like to check.

A great function I use a lot is the “save” where you can create folders for different topics or places to keep the images found later.

Pinterest is another good source to find articles about that road trip you are wanting to do, and create folders to save each idea in a different folder to read later when needing the details about the route, state of the roads, and places not to miss.

Something that will determine your destination is the season, there are destinations where it doesn’t matter much but others, like Patagonia, Iceland, or Morocco just to name a few, might be better to drive around at certain times of the year, when conditions are not too rough.

Once you have decided the destination, you can start planning the details about it and make the next important questions, like

• This road trip will include one or several countries?
• How many days do I have?
• Do I need a Visa or an International Driver’s License?
• And not least important, what is the budget?

2.      VISA AND DRIVER’S LICENCE REQUIREMENTS

If you are planning an international trip, you will want to check early enough, not only the visa requirements as per with any other normal trip, but this time you will also need to check up on the requirements to drive in that destination.

Most countries have agreements, and you can drive with a valid Driver’s License from your country during the first 3 or 6 months. But other countries require you to bring an international driver’s license you need to get in your country of residence.

This is particularly important to check before arrival, as it will be required from the moment you rent a car or get checked by local authorities while driving.

 

3.      VEHICLE

The next step is to decide whether you will go with your own vehicle or will you be renting one at the destination. I have done this several times when traveling internationally, or even within my home country, Chile. There, sometimes is cheaper and easier to fly 1000km and then rent a car at the airport to explore the next 1000km by land (yeah, the country is exceptionally long!)

Make a full check-up of the vehicle

If you go in your own car, you want to be sure you won’t be stranded because something that could have been prevented was not done before starting the trip.

Make sure to get a full checkup of the engine, tires, lights, tune-up anything needed, check the oil, and change it if it’s necessary, and everything possible before you start the trip.

 

4.    INSURANCE

As for any other trip, it’s very wise to go having travel insurance covering you from any health issues, accidents, and anything that can mean spending lots of extra money if it’s happening. Important is to check the weather is covering you for the destination you are heading, the duration of your trip, and any other current situation happening, like a global pandemic.

As for car coverage, you should also check if you need to purchase extra insurance for going abroad with your own vehicle and if you are renting check what they have covered and what’s not.

It’s very useful to ask the company what to do in case of an emergency and have a number handy if you need local assistance. I can share with you something hilarious and ashaming.

While on a girls’ trip with mom and sister, I was about to move the car we rented while my sister was arguing with the assholes dudes in this hotel we booked and it was no way we would stay there. I try to start the engine -of course, I put the keys first- and I couldn’t find how to do this! How can I not be able to find how to start a fckin car???? It was hot, I was already sweating and by no means I would call hubby to ask for assistance. What did I do? I called the rental car company and in between laughs they explained to me how to do this. Problem solved!

5.      Planning the Itinerary: Google Maps

 

Once you have decided your destination and duration of the road trip the next step will be starting to plan the itinerary. Later you can start thinking about, how many days would you stay at each place, or rather you would do stops in the route.

I always start by opening my bullet journal where I start writing names of the places I want to visit on that trip. Just quick notes on the destinations, or even some iconic places I would love to include.

Then, when I have a few main locations I go to Google Maps to see distances and I make my own map, where I can add different labels like Places to Sleep, Places to See, Routes, Places to Eat, etc. and keep everything organized in one place, plus you will use it later when driving the road.

 

This is the moment when I start searching for more inspiration on Social Media and blogs as well. Every time you find a place you want to visit, or you get a suggestion about a place, you can add it to your map! I have several labels with places worldwide I want to visit, another list for my city, and I do the same when planning trips, then later when I’m there and I check the map I will find them directly in the area I’m planning to visit.

When you have your map created, and especially when you are ready to start driving a great thing to do, that can save you a lot of headaches is to download the maps to your phone to be used when you have no data or signal. Even if you are driving in a busy area, sometimes you will find yourself with no internet, and of course, exactly when you need this the most. Having the map to get accessed offline will make driving easier, and this is a must if you are driving a bit in the countryside or mountain areas.

Here’s How To Download a Google Offline Map:

• If you don’t have the app, download the Google Maps app on your phone and open it.
• Open the menu, where your picture is shown, and search for the “Offline Maps” icon
• Click at “Select your own Map”
• To select the area, zoom in or move around the map to your desired area.
• Click download.

 

 

6.      Route quality and conditions

To check the quality of the roads I check first on Google maps, if you put the view to see the roads, you will be able to see what kind of street you are looking at if it’s paved or not, plus you will get information about the traffic.

Remember to check this before starting and also to save the map before, as you might have changed the signal during the driving time and you don’t want to be driving without this valuable information.

If I don’t find much information about a certain route, I go to double-check about it in blogs, Instagram, or Facebook groups where people that have recently traveled there are sharing information. I try to gather as much information as before so I don’t get huge surprises when I’m already driving longer on a road I can’t change easily, or I took away up in the mountains where it was another one with a tunnel, or near the ocean or with amazing views.

This is the most important part cause some roads are changing depending on the season, areas that get muddy, or they have damages that are hard to see (hello deserted areas) and this can affect not only your security but also the time you will need to reach your next destination.

 

7.      Tolls and Driving rules.

Reading about the road conditions and checking up on the map can also give you information about paid roads and what kind of toll you will need to pay. Sometimes it’s only cash accepted in the middle of nowhere, or you need to purchase a card before getting into it, or they have an electronic system and you will get an invoice later, especially if you are renting the car this is good to ask the rental car company so you avoid surprises later.

It’s will be also wise to research the local driving permissions and rules, the road signs, and anything that will keep you and others safe, plus it will save you issues with local authorities. No one wants to get a fine for passing a sign or passing the speed limit on vacation, right?

 

8.      Plan the driving times and stops

It all depends on the conditions of the road to calculate de driving times. As you might already know, it’s very different to drive in a German Autobahn with no speed limit and perfect conditions, to drive on a small one-way road in Morocco’s countryside. So this is one of the most important things to keep in mind when planning your timings.

There are places where it won’t be so safe to drive in the night and you might as well make some stops on the way to see important places, so give them extra time and try to now be so ambitious in the distance. You will thank me later, as you will be less tired and you will enjoy not only arriving at places but also the driving times itself.

If you leave some flexibility and extra time, you will have more freedom to make extra stops to see that pretty waterfall you didn’t notice before in your planning or to make a stop to get ice cream or anything you might want to add to your day.

9.      FOOD
Check places to eat, buy snacks and water

 

No road trip will be perfect without having some life-saving yummy snacks to fuel you up when you start to get hungry, and the next restaurant or gas station is still far from where you are.

Especially if you have any health condition that either makes you need to eat often, or there are things you must eat that are hard to find. Prepare your driving day with a prior visit to the supermarket or a local market, or even bring some things from home when they are things hard to find at the destination.

Don’t forget to bring several bottles of water, calculate at least 2 lt per person per day, and always have an extra just in case. If you want to keep it responsible, try to refill the first bottles you buy and reuse them during your trip!

Take the time to check if there are restaurants or places where you can grab food on the way, or plan your meal and make some sandwiches, and plan a picnic perhaps.

 

10.      Location of Gas Stations

 

There is nothing more stressful than being in the middle of the road, with no one around in miles, having the red light of the fuel on. Am I wrong? If you have had that experience you probably are now very aware of this and check details on where you can fuel up while doing a road trip. If not, don’t let this happen!

Check before your trip, the availably of gas stations, how far from each other they are located, sometimes you must get into a town or a bigger city to fuel up and this will meantime, so it’s a good idea to plan.

For some roads, this is not super important as you won’t be covering many kilometers per day, but for others, like Carretera Austral in southern Chile, is very important as your fuel can be just enough to reach the next gas station, so you must not miss it.

11.      Booking Hotels

If you are not camping or going with your RV, you will need to find hotels to sleep in. I love to plan using Booking.com because of the flexibility most hotels have to modify or even cancel your reservation a few days before arriving.

If I’m traveling in a low or shoulder season I love to book as I’m getting closer to the dates, so I have the flexibility to modify my route, add new places I find, or get recommended or eliminate some if I need to.

Want to say thanks for all the information you find here on the blog?  If you book through this link, you will help me to get a little commission from your booking at no extra costs for you, it really helps me to keep this blog running!
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For making your reservations, take some time to read the passenger’s reviews, I personally start with the bad ones, so I can have an idea about what we could deal with. It takes some experience to recognize what kind of hotels you like within your budget, so if it is your first time, be ready to find surprises sometimes. It’s part of the adventure.

Trust your gut, and not only trust the pictures, because depending on your destinations, but they can also look better than they are in reality. I’ve had bad surprises in Turkey and Russia, and after some time trying to reach Booking.com customer service I could get a cancellation at the moment. I do it while I’m still there in the hotel so I’m sure it’s done.

You can also find great surprises and having the flexibility to drive a bit more than planned can lead you to local gems otherwise you won’t get to stay, like this beautiful hotel we stayed in while road tripping Morocco, a little green paradise!

12.      Security on the road and cities

When you are driving in your own country you probably know what things you have to be careful inside a city or while driving on a highway. For example, in Chile we know you just don’t leave anything of value inside your car when you leave, even less, we don’t leave anything visible of little value inside the car, like sunglasses or brand-new sneakers, cause they might call attention and someone could break a window to steal them.

This takes a lot of importance to research when you are planning to drive in a foreign country, where we don’t know these kinds of security reality and it’s very smart to know about it before having a bad experience.

Check if it’s safe to stop in isolated areas, or what about parking, if it’s safe to keep your windows open, or anything that could happen there. I always ask the people in the rental car office about security and give examples from my home country, most of the time they get shocked saying nothing of that is happening there, that’s always a relief!

13.      Keep yourself healthy

Driving for super long times will make you tired not only mentally, but also physically. Despite you might want to arrive fast to the next place, try to plan some stops just to take a break, walk a bit, and give yourself time to relax.

Even if you love driving, your eyes get tired after some time, your back and legs can hurt after keeping the same position, and this will affect the quality of your attention and your driving.

While you drive, try to keep your legs in a comfortable position, usually, knees can hurt if you maintain them at a 45° angle, so try to either stretch them or bend them to avoid this stressful position. Your shoulders can get tense, so it’s a great idea to add some stretchings for the whole body when you make any stop, you will thank me later!

Even if you are not wanting to make so many stops, don’t stop drinking enough water, this is also important to stay awake and focused while driving. Another good thing to remember is to open the windows every now and then to get fresh air inside the car.

 

 

14.      Music!

What’s a road trip without music?!! Music is making the driving times much fun and I always make different playlists, check already made ones on Spotify, and check how to connect my phone to the car radio system. I also try to check the local radio stations and get the music everyone is listening to right now there.

Having a variety of music styles for different moments during the day will make the driving more fun and relaxed! What are your favorites?