Hoping to avoid road trip mistakes on your next trip?
Well, you’re in the right place because I’ve made them all and then some. But, I’ve listed 5 of the most important things to consider when planning a road trip so you don’t have to make the same road trip mistakes as I did!
After all, road trips are the ultimate form of freedom. You decide when to go and when to stop. You can even decide to scrap the whole plan and go somewhere completely unexpected.
When you plan a road trip, think adventurous, spontaneous, and unforgettable.
Take these 3 adjectives and multiply them by 10 and you’ve got one of our most memorable road trips. Forgoing any kind of road trip planner, we just decided to hit the road!
5 Road Trip Mistakes to Avoid on Your Next Trip
Here’s what happened. With less than 12 hours (and at least half of those spent getting a good night’s sleep) to prepare for an almost cross-country road trip (in the United States), I only had time to plan a very loose road trip itinerary, reconfirm our pet sitters, and repack my bag.
I needed to swap out what I’d packed for a planned trip to Cuba that fell through and replace everything with shoes and clothes meant for trekking in National Parks, not to mention the somewhat cooler temperatures.
When we left New York City in our (literally) just-rented black Chevy Impala, the poor little car had no idea what we had in store for it. (Thank you Kayak for making it so easy to search last-minute rental car costs and compare multiple sites at once!)
We had no hotels booked and only our sights set on Utah, with Arches National Park as our first stop. That’s it. No final destination planned except we knew when we needed to be back at work in New York City.
It was only along the way we realized, oh right, forgot that or didn’t bring that!
Luckily, it all worked out fantastically, but now back at home, my more practical side is demanding a proper recounting of our road trip experience and the lessons learned.
What follows is part plan a road trip tip list and part daily life scenes and ramblings of what happens when you plan a road trip last minute! You can also find my complete, travel-tested road trip packing list to ensure your trip is successful from the start!
Road Trip Mistake #1
Leaving from New York City in the early morning hours, it’s still dark and quiet. Everyone’s tucked away inside their apartments. We loop around the block to get coffee.
Should we stop at the market to get some snacks..maybe even egg sandwiches? Well…we packed a few bananas, 2 Kind Bars, and some pretzels. We both agree.
That’s fine. Let’s just go before there’s traffic and try to drive as far as we can.
Have you ever made a decision you wish you could take back? Fast forward 15 hours. We’re in Des Moines, Iowa checked into a Sheraton I booked from the road. I’m nearly passing out from hunger, desperately searching for the room service menu in the hotel room.
What arrives 20 minutes later is a barrage of food like none the late-night kitchen at the Sheraton in Des Moines has ever seen before. We leave in our wake scattered empty dishes on trays that look as if they were mauled by piranha feeding in the Amazon. The not empty pizza box leaves with us in the morning.
Lesson Learned:
Pack car-friendly food and drinks. Reusable water bottles can be easily refilled. If you’re really savvy, go to the grocery store before leaving and pack a cooler!
When you plan a long road trip last minute, somehow food and water seem insignificant because you think, “Oh, we can get that on the way.”
But that doesn’t actually mean much when you’re trying to drive as far as possible without making any significant stops and you’re starving after 15 hours in the car from only having eaten a few snacks from gas stations.
Remember, when driving across the U.S. especially, there can be long stretches with no stops for gas or food. If you’re picky like me and don’t eat fast food, you’ll have even fewer options.
ProTip: You may have noticed that we drove for 15 hours in a single day…We had no choice given how spontaneous our U.S. road trip was and when we needed to be back in NYC. Luckily, there were 2 of us and we could take turns driving and resting. However, when planning a road trip, it’s a good idea to manage long distance drives with more stops or extra days.
Road Trip Mistake #2
Returning from the bathrooms at a rest stop somewhere in Ohio, my husband asks, “Is the car key in the console? “
I’m immediately alarmed. He has a habit of being a tad forgetful. I look and thankfully it’s there.
He chuckles. I thought I left it there, but that would have been bad.
My eyes widen. Yeah! You think?!?
Do we even have a spare key, I think to myself. We’re in the middle of the U.S. with no Alamo Car Rental locations anywhere nearby. From then on, I don’t let the car key out of my sight.
Lesson Learned:
Bring a spare key if you’re driving your own car!
If you rent a car, ask the rental office if there’s a spare key in the vehicle and where it is. If there isn’t, ask if they have one before leaving the rental location. If your rental company gives you a spare key but it’s attached to the same key ring, separate them so you don’t lose both.
Not all rental car companies will offer a spare key. If yours doesn’t, roadside assistance could become your best friend if you lose a key or lock it inside the vehicle. Be sure you know how to reach them before leaving the rental car company office.
Road Trip Mistake #3
“Honey, I’m getting a Verizon message about having used 90% of my data with more than a week left in the cycle.“
At first, it doesn’t make sense. I spend an endless amount of time on my phone for blog work and hardly ever get this. I’ve even taken the last few days to decompress and disconnect and have connected less than normal.
I grab hubby’s phone and absent-mindedly start another podcast.
We’re binge-listening to Radiolab as we breeze along Nebraska’s I-80 West. It’s an episode called Darkcode about a woman whose computer is hacked and her files stolen. She has to pay a ransom in bitcoins to get her files back. We’re shocked.
It’s about halfway through when I’m smacked with a realization.
“Did you download all these podcast episodes from our Wifi at home?“
His eyes look at me before he turns his head. Apparently not.
Lesson Learned:
Podcasts, audio guides, music playlists, and audiobooks are perfect for road trips! Just remember to download them and save them to your phone from a WiFi zone or else you’ll stream your data right out the window and into a cloud of dust behind you.
And when you’re driving through rural areas or remote corners, even radio signals can be fuzzy at best.
And if you’re thinking to yourself that you don’t have to worry about that because you have unlimited data, let me point you in the direction of road trip mistake #4.
Road Trip Mistake #4
“The road is ending. Which way do I turn at the end of the road?“
A seemingly innocuous question asked by my husband who was behind the wheel. Funny because my screenshot of the Google Maps directions showed no turn.
I stare at the list of directions harder hoping for something to appear. Were we on the right road? Where were we anyway?
“Umm…What route is this? What route should it be?“
Don’t you just love it when your husband answers your question with a question! Let’s try a different approach..direct and honest.
“Love, it says you need to go straight.“
I was hoping he wouldn’t realize the obvious problem with this. Major roads were long gone and there was a large orange sandstone slab of rock staring us in the face. No such luck.
“Do you see where we are? Well, not exactly. “
I pretended to try to find a cell service signal, even though it clearly read No Service in the top corner of my iPhone. Catching a cell signal in the Utah desert, while driving in a remote corner of Arizona, or even in places along the Oregon Coast can be harder than spotting tumbleweed in Manhattan.
“Remember how we loved getting lost in Tuscany?“ Silence. He’s clearly not as wistful as I am at this moment.
He decides to turn right. But, we’re in luck! We’re in the middle of nowhere and yet a gas station appears in the distance like an oasis shimmering in the sun’s rays. I hope it’s not a movie set. It looks that fake.
I also can’t help but think of a student years ago who asked me why we needed maps when we had Google Maps…! How I wish she was here with me at this moment.
Lesson Learned:
Bring a paper map when you’re road-tripping in an unfamiliar area. If you don’t have one, buy one. It’ll help you when technology isn’t an option. It’ll also ensure you don’t end up at a movie set gas station taking photos of a faded map on the wall.
You could also download Google Maps for offline use if you’re sure of your route and destination. If you make a spontaneous change, you’ll be happy for an actual, physical map.
Road Trip Mistake #5
While driving through the Colorado Rockies, night falls fast.
I don’t even see the darkness swallowing the car until I realize I haven’t blinked in 20 minutes. Needless to say, this is also not the best time to see a “Check Engine” light or any other panic-inducing indicator light on the dashboard come to life.
Without warning, perhaps the most unwelcome words are released into the darkness.
“Looks like the back left tire needs air.“
I’m not sure what hits faster, my stunned speechlessness or the stinger in my neck at having whipped my head toward my husband.
He’s just slightly concerned, but one of my worst fears (breaking down on the side of the road) seems about to come true. I take a deep breath and state the obvious.
“We have to find a gas station.“
Of course, we find one but it’s almost as dark as the night surrounding us.
“Let’s see if the air machine works.“
I feed it with coins. Nothing happens. I don’t even get the last of our coins back. The podcast we were listening to about wolves stealing a family dog from its yard never to be seen again takes on new relevance.
The last thing we need after such a long drive is to end up stuck on the side of the road.
Lesson Learned:
Never go on a road trip without an Emergency Car Kit that includes a tire pressure gauge, air pump, and jumper cables. A spare tire kit is also very important in case the worst does happen and the tire needs to be changed.
Luckily, we made it to our hotel just fine, but those were some tense moments not knowing whether or not the tire would deflate or not and leave us on a dark roadside. We would have only had our cell phone flashlights, whatever tools happened to be stuffed into the trunk of the rental, and our flat tire-changing inexperience.
I’d recommend putting together a Non-Emergency Car Kit, too. Things like hand sanitizer, wet wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, first aid kit, and garbage bags are indispensable road trip items we found ourselves scrambling for during the trip.
You can also see my complete list of road trip essentials.
It’s funny because I’ve since learned that one of the most common road trip mistakes is forgetting to bring a roadside emergency kit. That means most of us road-trippers remember to pack snacks and healthy food for the road before we think about what we’d need to change a flat tire!
And the best way to avoid needing these car emergency supplies in the first place is to make sure your car is ready for the open road. In our case, we rented a car. But if you’re road-tripping with your car, get an oil change, fill up the gas tank, check the tire pressure, and even go for a full tune-up before a long journey. You’ll thank yourself for the peace of mind knowing your car is ready and in good condition.
Road Trip Mistakes Bottom Line
As I said from the beginning, the road trip turned out better than great, and, thankfully, none of the above mistakes ended up being a major detour. Clearly, the last-minute aspect didn’t help. Rest assured, we’ll be ready the next time a road trip opportunity presents itself!
And, hopefully, these road trip mistakes weren’t made in vain and you’ll benefit by being well-prepared whether you’re setting off on your first road trip or your 10th!
So, what road trip mistakes have you made?
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