At the end of June, I took a 9-hour drive up to New Brunswick, Canada. Now, I have never driven for more than maybe an hour... So a 9 hour drive? I was petrified. But, I was also all for it. So the road trip was happening, regardless of how much anxiety the thought of driving 9 hours gave me.

Having arrived, I learned what is really needed for a road trip. 9 hours isn't a lot in comparison to other drives that people make for their road trips. But, there were still things that I learned are needed.

1. Sleep

A good night's sleep, at that. If you do not get at least 8 hours of solid sleep, the drive will be more exhausting than if you did. I got less than 8 hours, and it involved constantly waking up, too. I was just far too excited to sleep. So, driving for 9 hours? I wanted to sleep so badly. Talk about hardcore blinking and forcing your eyes to stay open.

2. Coffee

Start your trip off with a stop to get some coffee. That caffeine will give you a solid start to your trip. This is an essential. Even if you do not like coffee, just drink some. You will need it. I love coffee, so I need it every day. But I never appreciated it more than when starting off this trip.

3. Red Bull

This is so important, especially if you did not get that solid 8 hours of sleep. Or any energy drink, really. Oh. So. Very. Important. You will get tired, even if you pull over and get out of the car. That will not really restore your energy enough. The boost you get from an energy drink, even if it does not last long, will make such a huge difference. The coffee will wear off, and the Red Bull will become a must.

4. Snacks

I’d say to start off your day with some breakfast, but even I did not do that. I was sad when i realized hours went by and I had not eaten a meal all day. I started my road trip off late because I overslept, still managing to not get enough sleep. Therefore, in order to make it with good time, I could not make stops for meals. So, snacks were so important.

5. Candy

Basically, candy could be included as a snack, but honestly get some jolly ranchers or mints. It will help you from pigging out and eating a whole sharing size of chips… just saying.

6. Set your GPS, and DO NOT disconnect it whenever you make a stop.

Let it keep rerouting. I made the mistake of ending it while I made a stop… I did not have service and had to drive without direction until my phone found a second of service to start the GPS again. As if my anxiety was not bad enough. Let the thing reroute, even if it gets annoying when it continuously tells you to get back on route.

7. A friend that also drives

Trust me… a road trip as the only driver… not safe, and oh so very exhausting. And, actually, a bit boring - seeing as you get to stare at a road for many hours while the passengers can find entertainment in many ways. Unless you are really good at getting a ton of sleep - I am not one of those people. So the hours I spent driving were a lot longer than the hours I got of sleep.

In the end, road trips are worth it. The views, the people you see, the activities you do, it is all worth it. I would do it again, and I plan to.