Please share your road trip tips!

[icebrat001]

Hi Everyone!

I'd love to hear about your road trip experiences, what items you wished you packed but didn't, what items do you need to take in general?

Dear SO and I are taking a trip from California to Florida (move to our new home) and we need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. We don't have a clue about what we are doing. Sophie (the dog) will be with us as well.

ETA: We will be stopping every night and staying at a hotel. We only plan on driving 12 or so hours per day so that should put us in Florida by day 4.

 

[azgal81]

We always bring snacks and drinks so maybe a small cooler with those in it. Also good music of course so you don't fall asleep. Maybe some ideas for road trip games you both can play so you don't get bored and make it go by quicker. I know as a kid I used to play the license plate game, i spy and sign game. Maybe mix it up a little and make a list of things you need to find and then cross them off (like purple car, guy with beard in car, sign announcing radio morning show).

Also bring an atlas so you know where all the restrooms are. I don't know if you plan on stopping every night at a hotel or if you are just going to drive straight through with one of you sleeping off and on and the other driving. If you are going to stop maybe look to stop in a town you always wanted to go to that way it won't just be straight driving but fun as well and you'll actually be looking forward to the next stop. I know alot of red roof inns are pet friendly.

It's going to be long but if you make it fun it shouldn't be that bad (although I would still think it's bad but I get bored really easily on road trips).

 

[Nevergrow'nup]

Look for a book called "the Next Exit" It lists what can be found by route numbers (ex. hotels, gas, restaurants, etc.) Very handy to decide where to stop. Cracker barrel restaurants also rent books on tape. You rent from one, listen to it and return to any Cracker Barrel. The miles fly by before you realize!! Just keep an eye on the gas gauge so you don't run out!! (we almost did!) Have fun !!

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

be warned TEXAS is a BIG state. From El Paso to San Antonio is one day's Journey. (I've done it 3x by car) You'll want to have books on tape, good music and drinks in a cooler. A portable (read collapsable) doggie dish for your pup too is a good thing.

Handi wipes to wipe the road grime will be helpful. She won't have Cracker Barrels till she gets to Texas, so*chuckles* she won't know our joy until then. *giggles* but make sure you find a reliable place to rest. State rest stops are good. I traveled Route 10 most of my Journeys out to Cali, If you're going the southern Route that's how you'll do most of your traveling.

It is a long trip. Tell your SO you love her, and that even if you get testy with each other, that you'll love her when the trip is over. This will be a test of your relationship.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Trash bags are very helpful for keeping the car somewhat clean. We always bring one cooler with drinks, cheese, veggie sticks, cream cheese, etc. and use a plastic box for fruit, crackers, chips, cookies, bagels, etc. We also have a smaller box with knives for cutting/spreading, napkins, trash bags and wet wipes.

We love listening to books on tape/CD on our road trips. The miles really do fly by, but we've also missed a few exits along the way because we were so into the book! We now set an alarm to beep at us about 20 minutes before we think we'll reach our exit so we can refocus. We watch eBay for bargains on books on tape or CD. We also have a little card deck that is "52 things to do in the car" with various games, etc. on each card. We draw a card at random when we get bored.

 

[icebrat001]

be warned TEXAS is a BIG state. From El Paso to San Antonio is one day's Journey. (I've done it 3x by car) You'll want to have books on tape, good music and drinks in a cooler. A portable (read collapsable) doggie dish for your pup too is a good thing.

Handi wipes to wipe the road grime will be helpful. She won't have Cracker Barrels till she gets to Texas, so*chuckles* she won't know our joy until then. *giggles* but make sure you find a reliable place to rest. State rest stops are good. I traveled Route 10 most of my Journeys out to Cali, If you're going the southern Route that's how you'll do most of your traveling.

It is a long trip. Tell your SO you love her, and that even if you get testy with each other, that you'll love her when the trip is over. This will be a test of your relationship.

We both have ipods with plenty of audiobooks, we also have PSPs and gameboys and laptops, so lots of entertainment there

Good tip on telling her that I'll love her when the trip is over, because I'll tell ya, just the 6 hour trip from San Francisco to Disneyland had us in a not so nice mood. Although I blame it on the fact that we didn't leave until 11 pm and I am NOT a night person.

I think we planned on going through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, I forgot the rest of the way.

Is Cracker Barrel good?

 

[CathrynRose]

I highly reccomend some ALL spray, or FeBreeze.

The car interior starts to smell -funky- after that long of a drive. Every pit stop get out and sprrrrrraaaaaay away the funk.

I like ALL spray - smells like laundry soap.

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

We both have ipods with plenty of audiobooks, we also have PSPs and gameboys and laptops, so lots of entertainment there

Good tip on telling her that I'll love her when the trip is over, because I'll tell ya, just the 6 hour trip from San Francisco to Disneyland had us in a not so nice mood. Although I blame it on the fact that we didn't leave until 11 pm and I am NOT a night person.

I think we planned on going through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, I forgot the rest of the way.

Is Cracker Barrel good?

Yep you're taking the southern route. you'll be taking I-10 accross Arizona, New Mexico - Stop in Santa Fe, before you get to El Paso and walk around for a bit, it's beautiful there. Texas is a single day drive on it's own. UGH.

Cracker Barrel is YUMMY down home southern cooking. I love Saturday's there when they have Chicken and Rice. *grin* Just so you're not shocked, they're a restraunt and a store together. You'll enjoy it. Take plenty of pictures to doccument your trip across the USA. OH! Make sure you stop at: THE THING IN THE DESERT. *GRIN* It's a buck to see it, it's one of those things you don't want to miss. *snicker*

 

[Martha7]

If you have time, get a satellite radio for the car. I love listening to Sirius, and you don't lose reception ever! They also have traffic info for major metropolitan areas, as well as comedy and tons of music! (I'm not into sports, but they have that too!) Have a great trip!

 

[icebrat001]

Oh my, what is the thing in the desert?

Southern cooking, what's that, like grits, fried chicken and stuff like that?

Martha 7, my old car had XM radio, I didn't really use it as much as I expected, well I suppose I liked it until I got my ipod.

 

[debabe723]

She won't have Cracker Barrels till she gets to Texas, so*chuckles* she won't know our joy until then.

We've had Cracker Barrels in Phoenix for at least 10 years so they'll be able to try them prior to Texas.

All of these suggestions are great. If you belong to AAA, you might want to get a TripTik from them, which will map out your entire route. If you are driving in the summer, the northern route (I-40) will be a little cooler through AZ and NM than the southern (I-10). 12 hours is a long day in the car...if you could add a day or two for sightseeing or relaxing, I think you'd enjoy the trip a little more (done it several time myself so know how tiring it can be). HTH

 

[icebrat001]

We've had Cracker Barrels in Phoenix for at least 10 years so they'll be able to try them prior to Texas.

All of these suggestions are great. If you belong to AAA, you might want to get a TripTik from them, which will map out your entire route. If you are driving in the summer, the northern route (I-40) will be a little cooler through AZ and NM than the southern (I-10). 12 hours is a long day in the car...if you could add a day or two for sightseeing or relaxing, I think you'd enjoy the trip a little more (done it several time myself so know how tiring it can be). HTH

We have AAA, I planned on using them.

Is the travel time similar on both routes?

I don't know how much sightseeing/relaxing we will want to do with a dog in the car everyday. Sophie is very very spoiled and she HATES the car, I think we are going to have to get the vet to give us some pills for her.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

I like to journal things on trips, like write down what time you started, where and when you stop, how much you spent for gas, meals, interesting sights, etc.

Also take lots of pictures so you can remember the fun of the trip!

 

[icebrat001]

I like to journal things on trips, like write down what time you started, where and when you stop, how much you spent for gas, meals, interesting sights, etc.

Also take lots of pictures so you can remember the fun of the trip!

That's a good idea. I think I'll do this.

 

[ToriLammy]

I think we planned on going through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, I forgot the rest of the way.

Is Cracker Barrel good?

Yes Cracker Barrel is good, great food, cool shop and clean restrooms. They have rockers on the front porch.

As for your route, after Texas is Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama and then finally FL. You might want to check the status of the roads in LA and MS, there was and still is a lot of storm damage. A quick check on the internet might help determine if that really is the best route or if you should drive I-40 through OK, Arkansas over to GA and then down. Distance is about the same, and it's all interstate. I'd check. We recently went to Orlando and instead of doing I-10 took I-40.

You might also think about extending your trip a day or two and only driving 8 hours a day. That way you can relax in the evening, maybe see something interesting in the town you stop in and not feel rushed. You may never drive that way again so make it fun. We've driven cross country twice and not having a deadline or timetable makes it much more enjoyable.

 

[ziggystardust]

Our last trip we drove from NY to Orlando non stop. Things i wish we did but didn't

1. Take more pictures, even of the most mundane stuff. I have a lot of memories of the trip but wish I have much more documented.

2. Stopped more often to enjoy the scenery. Even with the pup, you should be able to stop at a lot of the viewing spots along the way. She will need to get out and stretch her legs, probably more often than you.

Oh and just a tip that we were told, and didn't always do, only stop at rest stops that are along or close to your highways. You don't want to be going to far off the main path, some of the places might be a little shady and you def. don't want to get lost and lose valuable time.

I btw and SOOO jealous of you. I want to buy a house in Fl and you guys are actually doing it! Have a great time! The road trip is half the fun!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I only have one.
If you're going to take a road trip in a convertible and you want the top down, make sure to wear sunscreen!

Because let me tell you, baking 12 or more hours in the sun with no sunscreen will cause you to get the most hideous (and painful!) sunburn.

TOV

 

[Lachesis00]

We love Cracker Barrel!

Do not over do it... seriously. Our max per person are 4 hour driving shifts. You will get sleepy. We do tons of road trips between AZ and CA.

Wave to us as you pass on the 10!

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

Dang, You mean I missed a Cracker Barrell? I didn't see one when I passed thru in Az. *chuckles* I thought they ended in Tx.

Also, eat your fill of Del Taco. we don't have them out here. We are getting some California Chains, but we don't have any Baja Express or Del Taco *whines* I miss them. In Tampa though we do have a Mimi's and a Panda Express!

 

[Martha7]

Also, (and I guess this one is obvious), but when my DH and I drove from Cleveland to Ft. Lauderdale during our move of 6 or so years ago, we were with our large German Shepard and our iguana. We routinely stopped at fast food joints for lunch or dinner, leaving one of us always in the car with the animals and the engine running for the A/C. The first person would go in and use the bathroom, then they'd come back, allowing the first person to go in and use the bathroom and then bring the food out for both. We'd eat in the car and then hit the road again. We never left the pets unsupervised. I have a feeling the iguana would have been fine, but our German Shepard was very attached to us and would have freaked right out!