"Hey, let's just drive?" I said as my parents and I discussed ways we could get all of my stuff seamlessly from Ohio to Arizona. They both got quiet for a second, and then my dad said, "Sure, why not? I did that when I was young too"
Growing up in the Midwest we live for a good road trip. When everything is at least an hour away from your hometown it's a road trip just to get to the city. So from the time I was little I loved road trips. Most states are only a couple hours apart in the Midwest/East Coast as well, so you can see new things and new cities quickly! From day trips to week-long road trips, I have gotten to see a lot of the country just by driving there. A cross-country road trip with stops along the way was exciting to me.
Here's a little background on our first cross-country trip. We started in Southern Ohio, crossed Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and finally reached Arizona. We stopped in Independence, Missouri; Branson, Missouri; Bentonville, Arkansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tucumcari, New Mexico; The Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona; Flagstaff, Arizona; The Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; and Sedona, Arizona. The trip was a week long. The beauty of a road trip is you can see so many new things as you go along the road, and you can see a lot of non-tourist destinations along with the major tourist destinations in the same trip.
I will be making another cross-country road trip, probably with a different route, this August to take my car back to Arizona. With this coming, up I was thinking about some helpful tips I've learned from my travels to make cross-country road trips stress free and fun!
Plan your major route before you start.
I know it can be tempting to just take off and go with no route in mind, I love to do this sometimes, but for a major trip like this it is important to have at least your major route planned. Before we left we talked about what we would like to see along the way and then planned our route based on major sites. Planning your route helps relive stress from the drivers, as well as potential disagreements about possible routes that could arise when traveling with a group. For the most part we stuck to our route, but we did stray a little bit off our path at times, we all agreed to stops at an interesting locations along the way. Planning the route also helped with our time management because I had exactly a week to get to Phoenix for my move in. I wanted to be sure I could fit in the major sites, and planning the route helped with this.
Bring HEALTHY Snacks.
This may sound silly, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Driving and being on the road a lot is tiring, and then if you are eating snacks like Cheez-its and Twinkies, you are going to feel sick. If you bring healthy snacks like bags of grapes, or granola bars you are going to feel fueled and ready drive! Sure it's okay to treat yourself and have the occasional bag of chips, but for the most part stick to healthy snacks, and meals also.
Bring something to entertain yourself, besides your phone (When you are not driving)
As entertaining as I find scrolling through VSCO or sending snap updates to my friends, you can only look at your phone for so long. For me staring at my phone for too long, especially in the car, makes me feel sick and tired. So when I went on my trip I brought my stress relieving adult coloring books and literally completely filled one up along the way. I brought my notepad as well just to write without looking at a screen. Find something to entertain yourself with non-technology wise because there is a good amount of downtime in the car.
BUT, Check your phone once in a while for festivals and landmarks near you!
Nothing is more fun than a spontaneous stop on a road trip! Check your phone for festivals and fun things going on near you. If you have time stop by! We were traveling through Arkansas and noticed there was a festival going on in the town of Bentonville so we decided to stop by. It turned out when we got there that we were actually at the location of the first Walmart! There was a huge festival in the town's main square with live music and a Walmart museum behind the company's first store. Something I never expected, but definitely fun, and interesting! Things that can only happen on road trips!
Get out and Stretch.
GiphyWhenever you stop at a rest station or for gas, get out and walk around and stretch a little bit. This will increase your heart rate a little bit, because you have been sitting for long periods, and will increase blood flow as well. My grandma gave me this tip when I was traveling with her, and now whenever I travel I make sure to get out at every stop.
If you do not pre-book, Book your hotel room in early afternoon.
Waiting until the day of to book a hotel room on a road trip is not really a problem, but be sure to book it at least in the early afternoon of the day you want to stay. On the days we didn't have a pre-booked hotel we made sure to call early in the afternoon, by this time we knew how far along we would be on our trip. One day we forgot to call early and could not find an open hotel in Amarillo, Texas until 1 a.m.!! You never know how busy a city may be because of local events. It is safest just to call ahead and be sure that you have a room reserved!
Enjoy the company of those around you!
Hopefully you like the people you are with while driving across the country. I traveled with my family. Being in the car with people for hours allows you to talk about anything under the sun. I talked for hours with my parents about everything from their childhoods to what was going on in the news. We had a great time. I am very close with my family and I was about to not see them for four months so my time with them was valuable. Overall, I would say traveling with people allows you to get to know them better, family or friends, so take the time to do that!
DON'T STRESS!!!!
If something goes wrong along the route do not stress. We were fortunate to not have any major problems along the way however little things did arise like traffic jams. We all kept a stress-free attitude and kept smiling. When you're traveling this is the best possible solution. Traveling is fun, don't let it stress you out.
I hope these tips help you plan the perfect cross-country road trip! Something I think everyone should do at least once.
man running in forestPhoto by 
