Top 50 Long Distance Road Trip Tips For A Safe & Easy Drive

A road trip is one of my favourite types of vacations to go on. There’s no flight involved, and there’s so much flexibility.

Although it may seem like a simple trip to go on, there’s quite a lot to think about before you hit the road. From planning where you’re going to taking precautions for safe travel while driving.

I’ve gone on both short and long distance road trips with my family, friends, partner, and even hit the road with my cat. Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot from every road trip I’ve been on.

So, here are my top 50 long distance road trip tips to make the most if your time on the road!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Road Trip Tips Based On My Experience

Every winter my family drove 26 hours from Montreal to Florida over winter break to visit my grandparents.

We also loved going on at least one shorter summer road trip a year to either Cape Cod or New York for a few days. From growing up sitting in the back seat on family road trips to eventually upgrading to the drivers seat.

So, when I met my travel partner in crime it was no surprise when we started going on some road trips of our own. Starting with daily trips to Vermont, then upgrading to an 11 hour drive to Prince Edward Island, until finally we did the same 26 hour drive from Montreal to Florida (with our cat might I add!).

Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot over the years about what to do (and what not to do) on a long distance road trip.

There are a lot of different aspects to a road trips – from planning where you’re going, car safety, to the food you should bring. So to make my list of top 50 road trip tips a bit easier for you to read, I’ve separated my long distance road trip tips into seven categories:

1. General/ Planning Road Trip Tips
2. Car Road Trip Safety Tips
3. Packing For A Road Trip Tips
4. Food & Drink Road Trip Tips
5. Entertainment Road Trip Tips
6. Overnight Stays On Long Distance Road Trip Tips
7. Road Trip Tips For Crossing The Border

General Planning Road Trips Tips

1. Decide What Type Of Road Trip You’re Going On?

There are three types of long distance road trips:

1. A long distance road trip where the drive is merely a means to an end. It’s a way of getting from point A to point B, as quickly as possible.
2. The road trip is the trip itself so you’re stopping at points of interest along your route.
3. Lastly, your road trip could be a combination of both: you’re willing to make some stops along the way, but you’re going to be selective about it.

It’s important to know which long distance road trip you’re going on so you can plan accordingly. If you’re planning on stopping at all other than a rest stop, you have to add at least an hour for each stop (even if you think it’s going to be quick!). If you’re going to be getting out of the car, everything adds up! It takes time getting off and back on the highway, finding where you need to go, parking …etc.

P.S. Make planning your upcoming road trip even easier with my printable travel planner.

2. Always Know When Your Next Stop Will Be

If you don’t know where you want to stop, at least know when you’re going to stop next. The most annoying part of driving for a long time is not knowing when your next stop is going to be. That’s why, plan a maximum amount of time between stops – and let every passenger know the time frame.

With my partner, we like doing 3 hour intervals. It’s a good amount of time for each driver and between pee breaks. But you can also do 2 hour intervals, especially if you’re travelling with more people or kids. Just knowing how long it will be to your next break gives you a goal to look forward to while driving. You don’t feel like there’s 8 hours (or more) of driving ahead of you, just 2 or 3 hours to go!).

Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean that you can’t stop before if you need to. This is merely in place to give you your next goal and to make sure you don’t go too long without stopping.

3. Pee At Every Stop, Even If You Don’t Have To…

You want to minimize the amount of stops you have to make. A good way of doing that is to make sure everyone pees every time you stop, even if they don’t have to. This way, you can avoid stopping every hour when someone else has to pee.

This is a main road trip tip I learned travelling with my family! It’s especially important instil in your kids, or driving with a few people.

4. Download Your Maps Offline Beforehand

If you’re using a GPS you want to download the most up to date map before your long distance road trip.

But even if you’re using Google Maps downloading the map offline is still very useful. First, in case you don’t have good reception on the road (which is very possible!) you’ll still have your route.

It also saves you data on your trip. Imagine it has to download the map as you go, for eight hours … a day… until you get back home. That’s a lot of data used!

5. But You Should Still Have A General Idea Of Where You’re Going

You don’t want to be in a situation where you loose connection or you miss what your GPS said be completely lost. Don’t put all your trust in your GPS, you should still have a general idea of where you’re going.

Take note of what highway you should be on, and of course the direction you’re going in. It may sound obvious, but we put a lot of trust in Google Maps these days.

6. Check Your Route With Toll Roads Vs. Without

You probably want to avoid tolls if you’re going on a long distance road trip. Tolls can add up quickly, especially on longer drives.

Sometimes toll roads are worth avoiding because they save you money and don’t make a huge difference to the route and time. But, sometimes if you avoid toll roads, it can add quite a bit of time to an already long drive. You don’t want to do that!

Just check both options before leaving and decide which route is better for you! The money savings might not always be worth it.

7. Always Have Cash On You For Long Distance Road Trips

On a long distance road trip, you never know where you’re going to be. You can find yourself in the middle of nowhere, in a small rural town, without any bank or ATM. So it’s always good to have some back up cash on you.

For example, you might need it if you find yourself stuck on a toll road by accident. We’ve needed cash for road side assistance sometimes to patch up a tire. Or sometimes rest stops have cash only vending machines. You can also find yourself driving through a really small town that’s also cash only.

Whatever the case, just bring cash. You might not need it at all, or you’ll be really thankful that you have it!

8. Avoid Driving Through Big Cities During Rush Hour

You want to avoid adding time to your drive as much as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to avoid driving through larger cities during rush hour.

Obviously, this can’t always be avoided but it’s worth planning your route a bit beforehand and seeing where you might be and when.

9. Leave As Early As Possible To Maximize Daylight Driving TIme

When you’re driving in a new place it’s always easier to drive during daylight than driving in the dark at night. So in order to avoid as much night time driving as possible, the earlier you leave the better.

There are also usually less cars on the road in the morning, which also makes driving in a new location a bit easier!

You might also be interested in: How To Plan Your Vacation In 9 Simple Steps

10. If You’re Multiple Drivers, Figure Out The Best Times For Everyone To Drive

With my partner, I was a much better driving in the morning when he was still tired but I was wide awake. But come the afternoon, there was no way I had the energy to drive.

I noticed the same thing with my parents on our long distance road trip to Florida every year. My mom would always take the morning and after lunch shifts. She preferred driving during those times, otherwise, like me, she would get very sleepy.

11. If Possible, Be Flexible On Your Departure Date

Of course, you can’t always have a flexible departure date depending on what you’ve needed to book in advance. But, this can save you some time and stress if you have a window of when you can leave. This is also one of the benefits I love about road trips vs. vacations where I have to fly to my destination.

With a flexible departure date, you can keep on eye on the weather conditions on the days you’re planning on leaving. Don’t forget to check the weather for your entire route.

We always have a few day buffer to choose the best possible weather conditions to leave. Sometimes it makes no difference at all. Other times we’ve avoided giant snow storms along our route by leaving a day earlier or later.

Also, always be prepared for extreme weather along your route. If you travelling in the winter make sure to have a shovel and wiper in the trunk.

Road Trip Safety Tips

When you’re going on a long distance road trip, your car is probably one of the most important things you need. Here are some road trip safety tips for safe driving!

12. STOP If You’re Tired!

I feel like I shouldn’t even have to say this road trip safety tip. But seriously, listen to your body, there’s no point in pushing yourself to drive further. Only bad things can happen.

If you’re tired, PLEASE STOP!

13. Pack A First Aid Kit

This is a new addition to our car – we always have a first aid kit under the seat (like this one on Amazon). Since we’ve bought it it’s already come in handy a handful of times. Hopefully you don’t have to use it but even if you just need a band aid or after-bite, at least you know you have just in case!

Just don’t forget to restock it before every long drive or adventure you go on!

14. Check Your Car Before Leaving

If your car is new this is less important but for older cars make sure everything is running smoothly. Bring your car into the garage to check the breaks, battery, engine…

Also check when you’re due for an oil change. Depending on how long you’ll be on the road for, you might want to get this changed before you leave.

15. Have An Extra Bottle Of Windshield Washer Fluid

You end up using a lot more windshield washer fluid on a long distance road trip than you think. The amount of bugs that end up hitting your car… anyway, I won’t get into that. The extreme weather conditions you may hit on your drive. You definitely don’t want to run out of this along the way.

We were once stuck in terrible driving conditions with freezing rain without any fluid. We had to pull over on the side of the road and wait for it to pass. After that happened to us, we always have a backup in our trunk just in case.

16. Fill Up You Car With Gas The Night Before

There’s nothing worse than setting out on the road and immediately needing to fill up with gas.

It will save you time the next morning and stress about finding a gas station. You want to hit the road as early as possible, you don’t want any delays for something as silly as filling up with gas!

Do yourself a favour and fill up the night before when you aren’t stressed with getting on the road

17. Have Road Side Assistance

If you don’t already have road side assistance get it … NOW! You’re going on a long distance road trip, anything can happen. This is like CAA, or sometimes if you’re leasing a car, it automatically comes with it (double check by contacting your dealer).

I hope you won’t have to use it, but it’s a very good safeguard to have and you’ll be very happy if you need it.

18. Have Jumper Cables Handy (& Know How To Use Them)

If you’re driving an older car these are a must have because batteries aren’t always the most reliable. This is especially important if you’re driving in colder weather where the battery can die overnight.

P.S. Also make sure you know how to use them before leaving!

Packing For A Road Trip Tips

Packing for a long distance road trip is very different from packing for any other type of vacation. If you pack properly, it will make travelling on the road a lot easier.

Here are my road trips tips for packing on the road, and you might also be interested in my digital and printable packing guide, which includes a road trip packing guide!

19. Important! Clean Out Your Car Before Packing It Up

Before you start cluttering your car, make sure it’s clean.

Trust me, it’s an annoying step, but you’l’l thank me later. During your long distance road trip, the inside of your car is only going to only get messier, so at least start with it clean slate.

Throw out any garbage and receipts that have been left around. I even go with a vacuum to pick up any dried mud or leaves that we track in over the seasons.

So the seats and the floor are sparkling clean for the start of your trip!

20. Limit What You Pack For Long Distance Road Trips

Even though you’re travelling in your car, there should still be a limit to what you pack. I

‘m always guilty of saying that I can just throw something in the car because I have so much space! This includes extra shoes, that dress you’re unsure about bringing, or extra jackets.

When flying somewhere, airlines make these limits for you (with weight restrictions). So you make sure to only pack the essentials.

It’s kind of hard to not take advantage when you have an entire car available to you and zero restrictions. I mean, how can you not add in all of those just in case items.

Well, the more you pack, the more you have to unpack and repack… everyday. I find this leads to a very disorganized car … very quickly! The less you have, the more organized it will be and that’s so much easier to travel with.

For simpler and easier packing, follow my packing like a pro tips!

21. Pack Up The Car The Night Before You Leave As Much As Possible

If you can, pack up the car as much as you can the night or the day before you leave. This lets you see how much you can fit (and if you have to take out anything out last minute).

Plus, the morning when you leave you’ll have a lot less to do and worry about – you’ve already done it! You can wake up, pack your last minute items and hit the road!

I usually pack my everything except for my overnight duffel (if I have one) with my toiletries.

22. Pack Up The Backseat With Things You May Need

If possible, pack up the backseat of your car with what you may need on the road. This also includes your overnight bag if you’re staying overnight.

Once the trunk is packed, I like to leave it that way. That way, I don’t have to open it up until I unpack it at my final destination.

I packed the backseat with our overnight duffel bags, and lunch and snacks for the road. So the trunk was neat and closed the whole time we were driving.

23. Make Use Of Packing Under The Seat

Just like you make use of every nook and cranny of your suitcase, the same should be done with your car.

Not only should you be placing things on the floor of the backseat, but you should also use underneath the seat if possible. This is where I like to put extra pairs of shoes so they don’t take up any extra space. I’ve also stored water bottles here!

Food & Drink Road Trip Tips

One of the best things about going on a long distance road trip are road trip snacks! Of course, there are some things I’ve realized over the many road trips I’ve been on for eating and drinking on the road, including some road trip lunch ideas for you!

24. Bring A Reusable Water Bottle

When you’re driving, it can be easy to forget to drink. I’ve gotten to the hotel and downed several water bottles. Also don’t not drink because you don’t want to pee – THIS ISN’T HEALTHY!

One way to make sure I always drink is to bring a refillable water bottle (see my water bottle of choice on Amazon). I refill it at rest stops, sometimes I have to buy a water bottle at the gas station.

But a refillable water bottle also keeps your water cold (if it is cold to start with). The worst is opening up a bottle and getting warm water after a few hours. Who’s going to want to drink that!?

25. Bring A Travel Mug

Like my refillable water bottle to keep my water cold, I also always have a travel mug to keep my coffee warm (see my go to travel mug on Amazon). This was a life saver! I find if I drink an entire cup of coffee at once, I have a huge boost and a sudden crash, with a time limit to pee of about an hour.

With my travel mug, my coffee stayed hot for hours. I was able to drink it slowly and consistently throughout my three hour driving shift. This meant a constant stream of caffeine, and no emergency pee break.

26. Don’t Drink Coffee? Get Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Driving is tiring, there’s no way around that, and it doesn’t get any easier the longer you’re on the road. If you’re worried about dozing off while driving, but you don’t drink coffee (or worry that it will make you run to the bathroom?) pick up some chocolate covered coffee beans to snack on.

My mom used these when we drove to Florida and it worked like a charm! Check them out on Amazon!

P.S. These also make some delicious long distance road trip snacks and you avoid those nasty coffee spills that always happen when trying to drink coffee while driving.

Shop Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

27. Try These Coffee Alternatives For Energy

Just don’t like coffee because of the crash or the taste, try one of these caffeine alternatives for energy. These teas are great alternatives because they include L-Theanine which is a more slow and steady energy boost (so you can say goodbye to those pesky caffeine crashes…which is probably a lot safer for a long distance road trip anyway!).

28. Pack Daily Portions Of Your Road Trip Snacks

I did this on my last long distance road trip to Florida and it let me stay so much more organized in the car (and I guess healthier too).

I packed daily portions of our chips, granola bars, and other snacks for each of it. I put these in a small lunch bag that was easy to reach.

This way, I wasn’t opening up an entire bag of chips for us to down without realizing it.

I also didn’t have to fish through all this food in the trunk – leaving a mess afterwards. And we didn’t have to worry about what we would do after opening up a snack and not having a way to close it back up afterwards.

Plus, because it was more or less portion controlled it was probably also a lot healthier for us.

I packed enough for one day at a time, and then refilled it when we got to the hotel for the next day on the road.

29. Bring Ways To Store Food: Containers, Extra Sandwich Bags, & Chip Clips

Bring ways for you to store your food by packing containers, sandwich bags, and chip clips are all great just in case items to have that I find I always end up using. I use these for food storage if we have left overs, or ways to close the chip bag once it’s opened!

30. Pack Ice Packs & An Insulated Cooler Bag

Like packing containers, and sandwich bags, ice packs and a cooler are just in case items for food storage that I always find come in handy. These are for your food that need to stay cold while on a long distance road trip.

So if you order dinner the night before and have leftovers, now you don’t have to get rid of it. Store it in the fridge in the hotel and now you have an ice pack and cooler to keep it cool during the day.

Now you have lunch for the next day on the road.. which brings me to my next point for road trip lunch ideas…

31. Try Pack Lunch On A Long Distance Road Trip!

Packing a lunch for your long distance road trip makes being on the road so much easier – I can’t even tell you. Stopping and ordering lunch on the road is stressful. You’re driving, you’re hungry, and you’re stopping when everyone else is stopping and hungry. It’s a mess!

Sometimes your stops also won’t line up with when you want to eat lunch. I find when we pack a lunch, we have the freedom to eat when we want and where we want. We also aren’t restricted by the restaurants off the highway, which are never good!

32. Road Trip Lunch Ideas: Leftovers Or Make Your Own

If we’re leaving from home, I’ll either buy party sandwiches or make an egg sandwich. If we’re already on the road, we try to order more for supper the night before so we have leftovers for the drive the next day.

But, on every long distance road trip I go on these days, I also pack items to make a quick and easy lunch as a back up if leftover don’t work out. That includes bread and peanut butter – I know, this isn’t exactly a romantic lunch but it’s practical as hell. You can bring the lunch foods that work for you.

These back up items also work for supper too just in case. We’ve arrived at our destination late, hungry, and just don’t feel like trekking to find a place for supper. So peanut butter sandwiches it is!

(Now do you also see how the sandwich bags, containers, ice pack and cooler come in handy!?)

33. Pack Paper Plates & Cutlery

To make road trip lunch ideas a bit easier on the road, you can also pack some paper plates and plastic cutlery. It comes in handy for making sandwiches on the go (and not making a mess in the car). But also for eating any leftovers the next day.

34. Pack Healthy Snacks Too

The best and worst part about a long distance road trip are the snacks! You love them but definitely feel gross after eating them. Always try to pack at least one healthy snack to chomp down on when you’re bored on the road and feel like eating something to pass the time.

Baby carrots and an apple are my go to!

Entertainment For Long Distance Road Trip Tips

It’s boring if you’re just driving on the road for hours without anything to do. If you’re driving with someone else, you can’t expect to have enough to say to each other for the entire drive.

Entertainment is a must while on the road (but obviously it can’t be something too distracting for the driver). It’s important tot find what works best for them while driving. For example, my partner is an audio book guy but I’m a music gal!

35. Download An Audio Book You’ve Already Read

Audio books are great to listen to for a long distance road trip. They tend to be a few hours long which makes for great entertainment. But I recommend downloading an audio book that you’ve already read (or listened to). This way, you can still concentrate on driving and if you miss anything in the story, you already know what happened.

For us, this was the Harry Potter Series. Plus there are so many of them that it’s perfect for a long distance road trip. You can subscribe to Audible to download your favourite book.

36. Create A Road Trip Playlist Beforehand

Get pumped for the drive by creating a road trip playlist! It’s also optimal to choose the best songs for you while driving, you don’t want any slow melodies that may put you to sleep. It’s pump jams for me for three hours straight!

Similarly, of you’re into podcasts I’d create a queue for podcast episodes so you don’t have to find one you’re interested in while driving.

37. Download Everything For Offline Use!

Like downloading the map offline beforehand, download any podcast or music you want to listen to. This can really eat your data if you’re listening and download music all day long. You don’t want any surprises. Also if you loose connection for a bit, it won’t matter.

38. Play Eye Spy To Pass The Time

If you’re one for some road trip games, download and print my road trip eye spy (includes four checklists just for road trips!).

It gets you to look at your surroundings and appreciate what you’re driving by!

Overnight Stays On Long Distance Road Trip Tips

If you’re going on a long distance road trip that requires some overnight stays in hotels, these road trip tips are for you.

39. Don’t Leave Anything Valuable & Visible In The Car Overnight

There are thieves everywhere. Parking in a hotel parking lot is not exactly a safe place – especially depending on where that hotel is. So, in order to avoid any heartbreak on the road, make sure there’s nothing visible in the car overnight. Especially nothing of value.

We always bring our laptop bag inside, even if we aren’t planning on using our laptops that night.

40. Bring Your Own Pillow

I cannot stress this enough! Bring your pillow on every long distance road trip you go on! It’s one of those items that you should take advantage of bringing because you’re driving in the car. Your pillow doesn’t take up that much space and will be a life saver.

If you’re on the road for a few days you probably have some long days of driving and waking up early. Any sleep you do get, in a new place, you want it to count. We had a terrible sleep in a hotel but it was made so much better by having our pillow with us. No neck pain the next morning. It wasn’t a bad sleep because of lack of comfort.

41. Put A Colourful Pillow Case On Your Pillow

The only thing worse than not bringing your pillow at all is forgetting it at the hotel. So put a colourful pillow case to identify your pillow. This way you won’t forget it the next morning (or there’s less of a chance of it) because doesn’t blend in with the white hotel pillows.

42. Research Hotels Before You Leave

If you have a pre-defined destination, then great. If you don’t, you’ll probably have an idea of where you’re going to be stopping each night either way. I’d recommend researching the possible hotels within about an hour and a half radius of each other along your route.

This way, you won’t have to be researching anything while you’re driving. When you have a better idea of where you’re going to stop for the night, you know which hotel you can book. Quick and easy!

43. Don’t Wait Too Long To Book Your Hotel

There’s a premium for last minute hotel bookings that you’ll pay if you wait too long. Around 12:00 you have a good idea of how much longer you can drive for and where you’re going to be for the night.

If you can, book by 12:00 to avoid those night of surcharges. Prices go up for the night after the sun goes down.

44. Stay At Hotels With Free Breakfast Included

The hotel with breakfast included will probably be more expensive, but it will be worth it. Free breakfast is great on a road trip for two reasons. First, it makes leaving the next morning less stressful, easier, and quicker.

Second, if you don’t have leftovers from the night before, you can make an extra sandwich at breakfast.

This will also mean you have free coffee to start your day early with you on the road! So no need for an extra stop after you leave.

P.S. This does not include Bed and Breakfasts…

Unless you have time to wait in the morning, I wouldn’t recommend booking Bed and Breakfasts for long road trips. It isn’t fast – at all!

We’ve made this mistake and taken an hour sitting at breakfast just getting anxious to get on the road already. They kind of defeat the purpose of having breakfast included with your hotel on long distance road trips.

We always book Hampton Inns for long distance road trips. It’s a self serve buffet breakfast.

45. Always Pack An Overnight Bag

Pack what you need for your overnight stays in a separate duffel bag when driving for a few days. Like I said, if you can, this will go in the back seat of the car so you can leave the trunk closed with all your extra luggage.

The point is to keep it separate from your large luggage. It will keep your travel items more organized. You’ll have a lot less to bring up to the hotel room for the night, and a lot less to pack and unpack. That also means less things you risk forgetting in the hotel.

46. Write A List On Your Phone & Set A Reminder

Write a list on your phone/ notebook of things you think you might leave behind in the hotel. These are things like chargers, your pillow, anything you put in the fridge or freezer. As soon as I take something out, I write it down on the list what I took out and where I put it.

The second step is to set a reminder on your phone to check it the next morning around when you think you’re going to leave. I say to do this because I always forget to check the list. But I still find that when I write something down, I have a better chance of remembering it. So it helps me either way!

Road Trip Tips For Crossing Borders

Some road trips will bring us across a country’s border. In that case here are my long distance road trip tips if you’re crossing a border.

47. Figure Out Your Phone Plan Before So You Always Have Data Coverage

If you’re crossing any borders, make sure you’ll have data once you cross. You can check with your carrier if you have roam like home. You pay a premium but you’ll be able to use the same phone plan from home wherever you are. It’s good for the first day crossing the border, but it will add up.

Another really easy option (and cheaper) is to get an eSIM (electronic SIM). It’s becoming more popular for phones to have eSIMs. If it does, you can download the app Airalo (use my code MEGHAN4675 for $3 off) and pay for a plan in any country. It’s only a data plan, but it’s really easy to set up and you’ll have it as soon as you cross the border.

48. Include Time On Your Drive For Any Border Waits

Of course, you never know what the border wait is going to be like before you arrive at the border. So the best you can do is to plan that you’re going to have to wait.

Maybe plan that the day you cross the border is a shorter driving day just in case you’re stuck waiting at the border.

49. Research If You Need An International Drivers License

Some countries won’t accept your local license so you’ll need to get an international driver’s license.

P.S. If you’re driving across the Canadian – U.S border, you won’t need to get this.

50. Know Location Specific Driving Rules

Driving rules differ between countries and can even differ between States (or Provinces).

Take Montreal for example, did you know that on the Island there’s no right on red!? It’s the same for driving in New York City.

You should do a bit of research beforehand to know what the driving will be like along your route.

My specific driving guides:

• Driving In Ireland
• Driving In Iceland
• Driving in Scotland
• Driving In Provence
• Driving The Icefields Parkway

Above All – Remember To HAVE FUN!

Travel is always stressful and adding in driving to the mix is no exception. But it’s important to remember to have fun nonetheless! Don’t let the stress get to you too much!

You’re on a road trip after all! Have fun! If you see something cool that was unplanned, stop and see what it’s about. It’s all about seeing discovering new places and having the time of your life. If you think about it just as a boring drive, well it’s going to be a very very long drive.

Quick Links For My Long Distance Road Trip Must-Haves

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Last update on 2024-11-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API