Traveling to a new place can be extremely exciting but also stressful with a new experience. Quite often when people travel they aren’t prepared for all that can happen. When I drove cross country, I learned some of these tips the hard way. Other tips I have learned and noted from hearing about others’ experience when traveling. Please read these tips and enjoy.
Tip 1- Always have your passport on you.
This is generally a good rule to have when traveling by any transportation in general. You never know if you’ll accidentally end up in Canada or Mexico especially if you are driving on one or more bordering states. You can easily take the wrong turn or there is a detour because of construction. If you ever plan to travel, you should really buy yourself a Passport even if it seems like a worthless investment at the time. Your future self might even thank you later.
Tip 2- Have a bunch of songs on your phone/music device.
Driving in a car by yourself can be very boring after a couple of hours. Driving cross country is about 3000 miles from one coast to the other, which takes about 8 hours every day for 5 days, which is the equivalent to a full-time work week. I had so many songs on my phone that the songs were on the third repeat for all of them by the time I arrived in Seattle. Having the songs lists on shuffle made the days not feel so long because I didn’t know what song to expect.
Tip 3- Bring plenty of snacks and water.
When you’re driving, you’re using your brain a lot because you need to concentrate on your surroundings. It becomes harder to focus on an empty stomach. The best way to curb hunger is to eat snacks that are easy to handle while driving that isn’t messy. Some great snacks are Goldfish, fruit snacks, and grapes. Water is also essential because it keeps you from getting dehydrated especially when driving in the summer.
Tip 4- Stop in every state that you pass through.
Driving cross country can be very long, boring, and taxing on the mind and the body. Plan what you want to see the night before the next leg of your trip. Each state has different activities or landscape that makes them special. Plus, if you want to mark off visit every state on your bucket list, this is an excellent opportunity to get a lot of the states marked as visited. Wisconsin is famous for cheese while Pennsylvania is known for their past in coal mining and Amish culture. Don’t forget to take pictures!
To help keep track of the states you visited, click the link below to check out a World Map that scratches off like a lottery ticket.
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Tip 5- If two or more vehicles are involved in the trip, always make sure that all drivers have GPS even if one car leads the entire trip.
If you are the car following and not using a GPS, then you will be very stressed out by the time the first hour is over. So many things can cause you to lose the car you’re following. It could be anything from someone cutting you off to just missing the yellow light. Plus, it will really agitate the person leading. Also, make sure the GPS systems are using the same route.
Tip 6- Stay in hotels that have a free continental breakfast.
Eating out while traveling can get really expensive and it is extremely difficult to keep leftovers from spoiling when you’re driving 8 hours with a stop or two to see something new and exciting. Some hotels offer free continental breakfasts, such as Quality Inn and Travelodge, as early as 6:00AM, which makes traveling early in the morning work well with breakfast plans.
Tip 7- Try not to travel on holiday that gives people long weekends.
Any holiday weekend, such as Memorial Day or Labor Day, should be avoided at all costs when traveling because it is almost impossible to find a hotel that has a vacancy. Some websites that book hotels often overbook and you arrive at the hotel learning that they are completely booked, which leaves you aggravated, tired, and still no place to stay for the night. If you really want to travel during a holiday weekend, try to figure out where you want to end the day so that you can book a hotel early in the morning.
Tip 8- Always carry a small amount of cash but always have your debit or credit card with you.
If you travel on a turnpike in a state like Pennsylvania, you can only pay your toll in cash. But if you don’t have the cash for a $3 toll, it will cost you an extra $10 fee because you did not have cash and then another $2 fee to pay with a card online, which is a $15 turnpike toll. I remember feeling my heart drop seeing how much a $3 toll cost me in the end.
Tip 9- Fill your tank at least once a day every day even if there is still a quarter of a tank left.
Making sure you have gas throughout your entire trip is crucial. I suggest that you fill your tank when it gets to a quarter left because certain states, such as North Dakota and Montana, don’t have as many gas stations. The mountain states have a lot of scenery and land that is not disturbed by buildings. The lack of gas stations is a price many are willing to pay as they enjoy the views on their journey through the mountain states.
Traveling cross country is fun and exciting, but you definitely need to be prepared. Sometimes being prepared just means that you should carry a little cash while other tips may not be as obvious, such as carrying your passport even if you aren’t leaving the country. I hope you learned something about my tips and that you feel more prepared for traveling across the country.
