It’s almost the end of summer and you know what that means? It’s the perfect time for a road trip. While most people associate summer time with cross-country drive, you may find that end of summer to early fall is actually the best time to go for a great cross-country road trip on a budget across the U.S.
My parents started taking me on annual road trips when I was in middle school. Every year we would take a week-long road trip vacation. Then, when I graduated from college, I took the ultimate two weeks cross-country road trip from the West Coast to the East Coast. In total, I’ve visited over half of the United States.
And here are my 10 tips for a successful road trip that won’t break the bank!
1. Find the right travel buddy
First thing first, while solo cross-country road trips are doable, I must say, road trips are always more fun when you have someone to share it with. Plus, you can split the drive and take away the boredom of hours-long drive.
You’ll be spending almost your entire day with this person, so find someone who you’re comfortable with. And most importantly, find someone who actually likes road-trip, roughing it a little, and that you know you can spend upwards of 16 hours a day awake with.
And personally, if you are ever curious to know a person’s true personality, just go on a week-long road trip with them. You will find out everything and more about that person.
2. Fill up! Don’t take gas stations for granted
Having lived most of my life in metropolitan cities, I am used to seeing gas stations around every other corner of the block. So imagine my surprise when on my first trip actually being the one behind the wheel, I find myself panicking because my fuel light has been on for the past 20 minutes and I see no signs of a gas station.
There’s no worse feeling than having to drive in anxiety of running out of gas. So give yourself the peace of mind by making sure to fill up when your gas meter runs to half.
3. Fall is the best time to go
My parents have always taken me on road trips since I was young. But due to school, we were restricted to taking our vacations during the summer months.
Funny enough, the first road trip we ever took, we visited the Grand Canyon and I absolutely hated it! I think the fact that I was a 12-year-old, going through puberty had the most to do with it, but I still think the heat had partial responsibility.
My parents almost swore off taking my brother and me on road trips ever again after that disastrous trip.
Luckily for me, the college I attended had a late start at the end of September which allowed me to discover the beauty of an end of summer to early fall road trip.
While I always enjoyed my annual summer vacation road trips, you know what I found? I enjoyed it much more when the blazing sun wasn’t burning through my skin all day long.
September to October is, in my opinion, the best time for a road trip since national parks are less busy around that time while hours are still extended and the weather is just perfect.
I was able to visit Yellowstone National Park at the end of peak tourist season that allowed me to actually visit all the geysers with the luxury of taking pictures without a crowd hanging over me.
I even revisited Zion National Park (you must go to The Narrows if you visit!) and actually got to see the majority of the park instead of giving up because it was too hot to go anywhere as I had to when I visited in the summer.
4. Bring an electric kettle
You’re bound to eat out for most of your meals during road-trips. Tasting unique dishes from different parts of the country is, after all, one of the best things when it comes to road trips.
But restaurants and convenience stores aren’t always open at all hours of the night and you never know when you are going to be arriving at your destination. So I always bring an electric kettle(like this basic $20 stainless steel one) to every road trip and stock up on cup noodles for late night snacks or early breakfast comfort.
Plus, it really does save you money and energy to not have to buy what would probably be some equally unhealthy fast food just to satisfy your hunger when you can just eat some cup noodles once you’re already tired and ready to rest in your room.
5. Bring a cooler to put in the car
Road trips can get hot! Especially if you’re going in the summer (or even early fall). My number one tip for beating the heat and enjoying your drive is to bring drinks in the car that you can keep cool in a cooler.
I like to stock up on ice from the hotel/motel I’m staying at and dump it into my cooler in the morning when I’m ready to leave. I keep all my drinks there and can enjoy it throughout the day. After arriving at my next place, I just dump all melted ice and follow the same cycle the next morning.
6. Protect yourself with stick on shades
This kind of goes hand in hand with keeping cool. But when you’re driving in one direction and the sun is attacking you for hours on one side of your body, these side shades are lifesavers!
7. Get AAA Membership
While you always hope that your road trip will go seamlessly, you should always be prepared for when things don’t go right. You never know if you’re going to get a flat tire or if you accidentally get locked out of your car. That’s where having AAA membership will save you money.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve used their services for battery issues, being locked out, and tow services. It is absolutely worth the money to get a membership in the long run.
My favorite thing about my AAA membership though is you can go to any local AAA while planning your trip and there are representatives that can help you plan and make suggestions for your trip! They’ll even help map out a route for you to take.
8. Have a real map
The number 1 rule I’ve learned on my road trips is that you can never rely solely on your GPS. Because it will fail you. If you have AAA, you can go into your local AAA and let them know where you plan to go. They can then give you a giant map of the US with directions from each of your point of interest to the next just in case you lose your signal on your GPS (which happens more than you think).
This is perfect especially if you end up making detours from your original plan as you now have a physical map to highlight and see the bigger picture.
9. Book your hotel while on the drive
The beauty of a cross-country road-trip is you are in charge. You’re not a slave to flight times that you have to chase or deadlines you have to meet. If you enjoyed a national park, you can always stay longer. If you want to leave a location early, you can do that as well.
I highly recommend getting AAA because if you visit one of their local offices,they will give you booklets on different states with listings of AAA recommended hotels/motels, activities, and restaurants which I know may sound old-school in this age of technology but will actually come in handy.
I use their books to search up local hotels/motels around the city I am anticipating to be in when I am ~3 hours away from where I plan to stop for the night. The book gives the listed price and their phone number so I just call the motel I am interested in staying at to check availability and book over the phone.
I learned my lesson not to over-plan and book hotels before I know I am at least a couple of hours away from my destination because cancellation fee is a thing! And it is a wasteful thing!
10. It’s about the journey, not the destination
While I loved all the places I’ve been able to go to, when I think about some of my most memorable times, it comes down to those little moments in the car or those unexpected moments that catch you by surprise. So enjoy the journey.
While I encourage you to plan out your trip, know that things won’t always go perfectly right. And that’s ok! Just know that it’s always best to be flexible. Who knows? You might just find that the break from the structured day-to-day life is enlightening and you’ll learn to embrace it.
