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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 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!

Everything You Need To Go Before Going On A Long Distance Road Trip

Road Trip Tips Based On My Experiences

I have a lot of experience with road trips, dating back all the way to when I was 10 in the back seat, upgrading to passenger, and now even driver. I’ve also gone on both shorter and longer road trips over the years. From driving 26 hours from Montreal to Florida over winter break to visit my grandparents, to six hours to Cape Cod for a summer vacation. Not to mention, I’ve now experienced road trips in different countries, from Austria to Iceland.

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. And 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

P.S. Plan your ultimate road trip with my travel planner to stay organized.

a landscape scene with a car parked on the side of the road, he seems to be looking at something intensely, maybe a phone. The landscape is incredible though. There's a wood and metal fence separating the road from the view. It's yellow and green grass, leading to grass covered sand dunes in the distance. The clouds are in motion, but there's a large gap on the top left corner to see the lovely baby blue sky.

General Planning Road Trips Tips

These are my general road trip tips for planning and navigating your time on the road.

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

There are three types of long distance road trips:

  1. 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. 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 points of interest, 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.

drive in Ireland avoid roads single lane two way roads. The view of the driver on the right side, the steering wheel, and maps on the small screen in the middle. Through the windshield there's a narrow tree lined road.

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 driving for no more than 3 hours at a time. It’s a good amount of time for each driver and in-between pee breaks. But you can also do 2 hour intervals, especially if you’re travelling with more people or with 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.

driving-uphill-in-the-mountains

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.

You might be interested in: 5 Money Saving Tips For Booking Direct Flights Online

4. Download Your Maps Offline Beforehand

If you’re using a GPS, download the most up to date map before leaving on your long distance road trip. And the same goes even if you’re using Google Maps, I always download the maps offline.

This is in case you don’t have good reception on the road (which is very possible!) you’ll still have your route. And 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!

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5. 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, and 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.

download maps offline before driving the icefields parkway. A closeup of google maps on a small screen in the middle of a car. Beyond the windshield are evergreen trees, tall mountains, and the road leading beyond.

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. I’ve needed cash for road side assistance 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!

Read more: How To Plan Your Vacation In 9 Simple Steps

morning-drive-long-distance-road-trip

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. Maybe it’s waking up earlier to avoid morning traffic, or planning a longer dinner stop to avoid evening traffic.

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

When you’re driving in a new environment it’s always to drive during daylight than driving in the dark. So the earlier you leave in the morning, the better. This way you can hopefully stop earlier in the evening to avoid driving at night.

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

road cutting the mountain range in half driving through quebec national parks

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

I am a much better driver in the morning compared to my partner. I am much more awake than in the afternoon, and I appreciated having less cars on the road. My partner on the other hand, needs to wait several hours for his multiple coffees to kick in! But come afternoon, the roles are completely reversed.

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 shift. She preferred driving during those times, otherwise, like me, she would get very sleepy.

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Plan the ultimate vacation

My digital travel planner template has everything you need to plan your vacation: research templates, travel planner itinerary, travel budget templates…etc. . You can print it out or use it digitally on your phone, tablet, or computer.

P.S. Get an additional discount on my Etsy shop with my code ATRLOVE!

driving-with-a-partner-find-a-schedule

11. If Possible, Be Flexible On Your Departure Date

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

If I’m traveling in the winter, I always have a few day buffer to choose the best possible weather conditions to leave. Sometimes it makes no difference at all, but other times I’ve avoided extreme snow storms along my route by leaving a day earlier or later.

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 one of the benefits I love about road trips vs. vacations where I have to fly to my destination.

Pro Tip: Always be prepared for extreme weather along your route. If you travelling in the winter make sure to have a shovel and a snow brush in the trunk.

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Road Trip Safety Tips

When you’re going on a long distance road trip, your safety is the most important thing. These are some tips to stay safe on the road…

12. STOP If You’re Tired!

I shouldn’t even have to say this road trip safety tip, but seriously, listen to your body. If you’re tired, stop driving. There’s no point in pushing yourself to drive further, only bad things can happen And it’s not just about your safety, you’re putting other people on the road at risk when you drive tired.

13. Pack A First Aid Kit

A new addition that I always have in my car these days is a first aid kit under the seat. Since I’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 have just in case!

And don’t forget to restock it, and check any expiration dates before every long drive or adventure you go on!

foggy-weather-expect-delays

14. Check Your Car Before Leaving

If your car is new this step is less important, but for older cars, you want to 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. But keeping your windsheid clean from bugs isn’t the main concern.

If you’re traveling in the winter, extreme weather conditions you may hit on your drive unexpectedly. I would a lot of windshield washer fluid during winter storms as ice can build up as you’re driving. You definitely don’t want to run out of this along the way.

I was once stuck in freezing rain without any fluid. I had to pull over on the side of the road and wait for it to pass because I wasn’t able to see. After that happened, I now always have a backup in my trunk just in case.

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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. So I always recommend to go out and fill up your car the night before you leave instead.

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

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. You might also be driving in more remote locations, away from family and friends that can easily come help.

Sometimes if you’re leasing a car, it automatically comes with road side assistance, you can double check by contacting your dealer. Otherwise, I signed up for CAA. 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, jumper cables are a must-have because batteries aren’t always the most reliable. This is also especially important if you’re driving in colder weather where the battery can die overnight.

pug standing in the middle-of the road driving in Iceland. Grass lines the road, leading until the sky in the distance. No one else is in sight.

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.

You might also be interested in my digital and printable packing guide, which includes a road trip packing guide!

19. Clean Out Your Car Before Packing It Up

Before you start cluttering your car with suitcases and bags, make sure it’s clean! Trust me, this might seem like 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.

This includes throwing out any garbage, like all those random receipts and granola bar wrappers. Go through the glove compartment and trunk to clear out what you don’t need. And I even go with a vacuum to pick up any dirt on the seats and floors from crumbs to mud.

renting a car in provence for a road trip through the south of France. A woman stands with a giant smile on her face, and two thumbs up and she stands next to the back of the car, where it says the name of the car, Megane (and her name is Meghan). There's a small white house int he background.

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.

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. But this can add unnecessary mess and stress to your car and vacation. I can’t recommend enough to make sure to only pack the essentials, just as you would if you were limited to one suitcase.

Let’s just say, 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!

a completely packed trunk for a road trip. The trunk is open on a powder blue subaru crosstreck. There is no extra space, just barely above two bags filled with pillows on the top row. It's hard to see anything but you can see a box of n95 masks, a plastic shovel, and a garbage bag filled with more items. It's a sunny day, but the car is dirty!

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, lock up your house, and hit the road!

I usually pack my everything except for my overnight duffel (if I have one) with my toiletries, and any valuables, like laptops and jewellery.

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 while driving. This also includes your overnight bag if you’re staying overnight. Once the trunk is packed, I like to leave it that way. You don’t want to have to open it up until you unpack it at your final destination.

I pack the backseat with overnight duffel bags, and lunch and snacks for the road.

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!

packed-back-seat-on-a-long-distance-road-trip
It looks like a mess, but it’s an organized mess!

Food & Drink Road Trip Tips

One of the best things about going on a long distance road trip are road trip snacks! But besides for what snacks you’re going to choose, here are some more tips for staying hydrated and well fed while driving.

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. If you’re thinking you shouldn’t drink because you don’t want to have to pee, this is unhealthy! It’s better to drink consistently throughout the day to stay well hydrated.

One way to make sure I always drink is to bring a refillable water bottle. There’s usually a fountain at rest stops to refill it, otherwise I’ll buy a water bottle at the gas station (I’ll still add it to my water bottle so it stays cold).

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!?

reusable-water-bottle-and-travel-mug-for-long-distance-road-trips

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. 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 of about an hour before I really have to pee.

With my travel mug, my coffee stays 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 instead. My mom used these when we drove to Florida and it worked like a charm!

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.

showing the packed trunk with luggage. A blue and black suitcases sit in the trunk of a grey jimny (similar to a jeep) in Iceland. On the suitcases are canadian flag luggage tags. The car is parked on a hill, at the top, you can barely see some of the Reykjavik architecture, of red and yellow attached buildings.

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

Depending on how many days you’re driving for, you might want to consider portioning out your snacks. I packed daily portions of chips, granola bars …etc. I put my daily portion into a small lunch bag that was easy to reach. The rest, was easy to access in the trunk or under the seat. At the end of the day, I would replace my rations for the following day.

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). 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 I didn’t have to worry about what I would do after opening up a snack without having a neat way to close it back up for later.

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

Bring ways for you to store your leftover food, like empty packing containers, sandwich bags, and chip clips. I use containers for food storage if I have left overs after a meal (I like bringing these containers so I don’t have to worry about cleaning them out after using them, I’ll just throw them out). And the chip clips come in handy 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 always come in handy. You don’t have to worry about your food spoiling if you have any leftovers from dinner.

I’ll storey any leftovers in the hotel fridge, and put my ice packs in the freezer. The following day, it all gets packed into my insulated bag for an easy lunch on the road!

You might also be interested in: How To Travel As A Picky Eater And Not Starve

road-trip-to-pei-with-the-crosstrek

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. Stopping and ordering lunch on the road is stressful. You have to find a place to eat, and it always ends up taking more time than you think.

Sometimes your stops also won’t line up with when you want to eat lunch. When I pack a lunch, I have the freedom to eat when I want and where I want. I’m not restricted by the options of the restaurants off the highway… which are never very good!

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

Leaving from home is the best time to pack a lunch, I’ll often make egg or cheese sandwiches. If I’m already on the road, I try to order more for supper the night before so I have leftovers for the drive the following day. An easy leftover to have and eat in the car the following day is pizza!

But, on every long distance road trip I go on these days, I also pack items to make a quick and easy lunch in a hotel room. I love bringing a loaf of bread and peanut butter. I know this isn’t exactly a romantic meal, but it’s practical! It doesn’t need to be refrigerated and can easily be made into a sandwich.

These back up items also work for supper too, in case you arrive at your destination late, hungry, and you just don’t feel like find a place for supper. So peanut butter sandwiches it is!

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Road trip lunch ideas: Pack your own lunch for flexibility, like enjoying it by the Ocean!

33. Pack Paper Plates & Cutlery

To make road trip lunches even easier on the road, I also always pack disposable plates and 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 following day. And again, I don’t have to worry about washing these, I just throw them out afterwards.

34. Pack Healthy Snacks Too

The best and worst part about a long distance road trip are the snacks! You love them, but you definitely feel gross after eating them. I always try to pack at least one healthy snack to chomp down on when I’m bored on the road and feel like eating something to pass the time. Baby carrots and an apple are my go-to!

road-trip-lunch-ideas

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!

P.S. If you like playing games to pass on the time while driving, or traveling with kids, print out my road trip Eye Spy game.

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. 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 me, this is always 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.

listening-to-the-harry-potter-audiobook-on-a-long-road-trip-audible

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 up jams for me for three hours straight!

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 use all 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!

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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 the hotel is. To avoid any heartbreak on the road, make sure there’s nothing visible in the car overnight. Especially nothing of value, like laptops or jewellery.

40. Bring Your Own Pillow

I cannot stress bringing your own 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 having it will be a life saver.

Being on the road for a few days is exhausting, so you want to be able to get your best sleep possible. A great way to do that is to bring your own pillow. This also saves you from possible neck pain the following morning from sleeping on a bad pillow.

41. Put A Colourful Pillow Case On Your Pillow

The only thing worse than not bringing your pillow, is forgetting it at the hotel. To avoid this, put a colourful pillow case on it to identify it as your pillow. And hopefully 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.

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42. Research Hotels Before You Leave

If you don’t have a pre-defined destination, you should have a general idea of where you’re going to be stopping each night. I’d recommend researching the possible hotels within about an hour and a half 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.

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. You should have a better idea of where you’re going to be stopping at that at around noon that day. So if you can, book by then to avoid those surcharges. I noticed that prices go up for the night after the sun goes down.

Read more: 15 Tips To Know Before Staying With A Cat In A Hotel

a hotel room with a king bed perfectly made in the middle of the room with white sheets. Across from the bed is a tv (that's on). Above the bed are some coral decor. It's a very simple room. There's a small couch hidden behind the bed in the far corner. The piece de resistance is the view out of the sliding doors that lead onto a balcony. You can see the mountain perfectly framed in the windows.

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 three 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. And 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 doesn’t include booking Bed & 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! I’ve made this mistake and taken an hour sitting and waiting at breakfast, 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. I always book Hampton Inns for long distance road trips, it has a self serve buffet breakfast.

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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. This also means there are 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 actually 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!

classic-king-room-great-george-hotel-in-charlottetown-prince-edward-island

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 into your new country. 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. I use the app Airalo (use my code MEGHAN4675 for $3 off) and pay for a plan in any country.

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.

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

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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!? This is the same rule for driving in New York City. So you should do a bit of research beforehand to know what the driving will be like along your route.

See My Specific Country Driving Guides

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!

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.

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Everything You Need To Go Before Going On A Long Distance Road Trip
Everything You Need To Go Before Going On A Long Distance Road Trip

Last update on 2026-05-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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