The holidays are synonymous with good food, family time, and the oh-so daunting travel. Unfortunately, the “travel” part doesn’t always get the best rap…flight delays, road trip traffic, and busy schedules have everyone more stressed than usual!
This year, Tucker and I are road tripping from Southern California up to Oregon for the holidays, and we’ve decided that we are going to make the most of the 14-hour drive. We are frequent road trippers, so we’ve put together a few tips that will take your drive from grueling and long to memorable and fun. Check them out!
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Opt for the Scenic Route
While we could make the drive in 12-hours or less, it would be a pretty boring route up the 5 freeway to get there. Both of us have made that drive a million times, so we decided to mix things up and head up the 395 instead. The 395 takes you up the eastern side of California, and passes through places like Mammoth and Lake Tahoe. We can’t wait for some snowy, mountainous scenery, and I’m sure there will be many photo ops along the way. In my opinion, it’s well worth an extra 2-hours in the car to see parts of our state that we haven’t seen, yet!
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Find Destinations Along the Way
There’s something for everyone on road-trips, whether you are looking for vista points or craft breweries along the way. While you don’t want to over-research your trip, take a look at the map and see if there is an area you want to be sure to stop at. Adding in these little destinations gives you something to look forward to as you drive, and also makes the drive feel more like a mini-adventure! (Check out how we did this on our epic 5,000+ mile road trip!)
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Pack a Picnic
One of the most time-consuming parts of road trips are the obligatory stops to fill up your tank and your tummy. Rather than pulling into a rest stop, why not pack a picnic of holiday leftovers and eat while overlooking a beautiful vista? This will save you some money while on your trip, and will likely be more memorable than other fast food options you would find along your drive. If you are a craft beer fan, it might not hurt to have a few brews or a growler in your cooler to go with your meal!
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Mix Up Your Music
Speaking from personal experience, music on road trips has the potential to be a divisive topic…which is why we are always sure to put a lot of effort into choosing music we BOTH like. Make sure that your music selection has a mix of everyone’s styles of music, and throw in a couple new artists, too! As a kid, my family used to pick an album or two for each road trip we went on, and to this day those songs remind me of certain places along the highway that I sang along to the lyrics. Pick music that makes you happy, and know that it will likely bring back memories in the future! (P.S. don’t forget to bring along some actual CDs, especially if you are driving through remote areas where you may not have phone service!)
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Get Sh*t Done
Got some online shopping to do? Planning for an upcoming event that you’re hosting? There’s no better time to figure out those details that when you’re in a car for hours on end. Put your co-pilot to work researching, communicating, etc., and feel like you’ve accomplished more than just putting hundreds of miles on your vehicle when you park it! No joke—on our recent road trip to the desert the day after Thanksgiving, I did ALL of our Christmas shopping online on our way there. It was the BEST feeling not having to worry about it for the rest of the month!
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Your Co-Pilot Should Be Present, Too
There’s nothing worse than having a co-pilot who sleeps through the drive or scrolls through social media the entire trip. Road trips are a great time for bonding with family and friends, and that’s not gonna happen if people aren’t paying attention! Take the opportunity to put the phone away (unless you’re getting sh*t done) and have some good conversation. It makes the drive go by quicker, and you both get to experience new scenery, funny signage, and the adventure of it all together.
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Be Spontaneous
We’ve all heard it before: “It’s about the journey, not the destination”. It’s important to remember to enjoy your road trip, rather than stressing about what time you will arrive at your destination. That means if a sign advertising “The World’s Best Apple Pie, Next Exit” catches your eye, then GO! You will be glad you checked it out, instead of passing on the opportunity and never knowing if you will be driving that route again. Even if it is a bum steer, at least you can say you tried. Enjoy the spontaneous moments of your trip, and let go of the stress that an ETA would otherwise cause you.
If you are road tripping this holiday season, safe travels and enjoy the ride!
Do you have your own road trip tips that you want to share? Let me know in the comments below!
