7 Tips for the Best Start to a Road Trip

7 tips to help you get your road trip off to the best possible start. The first day of the trip can really set the tone for the rest of the road trip. Starting off right will make your entire road trip less stressful.

[dmnemaine]

I've always found that the hardest part about playing football is holding the bat steady with your feet.

[rudyk]

The only thing better than these tips is your t-shirt. 😂

[abdulkareem]

That tip which says push to your limits on the first day is very smart. You can then explore and spend time in areas that you don't normally see and leave the nearby areas for the future!

[e.mcneil]

I would give a"thumbs up" on that wacky t-shirt, but the tips are solid, too.

[RSEBoro]

Another aspect of packing the car for a road trip is something my parents used to do, and I do too, is to not advertise to everyone driving by your house that you're going to be away. It doesn't matter where you live and what kind of neighborhood you live in. Some who are passing by may not be from your neighborhood and may be opportunistic. It's just another precaution along with leaving lights on or putting them on timers and having neighbors take in your newspaper and mail. You might pack in the garage with the garage door closed or if not enough room, back into the driveway or a few feet into the garage and at least passers will not know if your just unloading groceries, etc.

One other thing I'd like to add is that in addition to fresh windshield wipers which Kyle mentions, is that I treat my windshield with the product that has an X in the name, which you apply to the windshield for improved visibility in the rain. It works really well when applied correctly, by following the simple directions. I've been so glad that I had applied it before all my road trips as I've not only run into rain on several, but a few of them were heavy summer downpours and one was through a tropical storm. This product and a fresh pair of wiper blades, improves visibility making driving in the rain much easier and safer, especially when on the Interstate, as you tend to be when on a road trip.

[gonefishing]

When we go on a cross-country RV trip, I have a packing list of the easily forgotten things that would be annoying to leave behind: sleepwear, toothbrush, charging cords, vitamins, medications...

Two days before departure, we submit the postcard to have our mail held at the post office, we plug in the RV's 30 amp power cord and start cooling the RV refrigerator and we check to make sure we have the most recent software update for our onboard navigation system.

One day before departure, we top off the RV's fuel tank and our towed vehicle's fuel tank, stock up the RV's refrigerator and overhead kitchen cabinets and stow away our clothes and some music CDs and movie DVDs. The box that holds our road atlas, Next Exit book and Good Sam's book of campgrounds goes behind the driver's seat. And I go through my packing list one last time when we think we have packed everything we should pack.


On the day of departure, we just have to get showered and dressed, have breakfast, load our two cats in their travel carriers onboard the RV, make sure the house is secured, set two chilled water bottles in the console, check to make sure all the RV's signal lights are working, enter the day's destination in the navigation system and make sure the RV gate is locked behind us before we drive away.

My best tips for a low-stress RV vacation: keep the driving days short, allow plenty of days to get to where you want to go, avoid making campground reservations in advance (2-3 hours before sunset is often good enough unless you are staying at a national park during peak season), be willing to divert from your planned route and travel schedule if there is a festival or interesting thing to do that you spot on your route and never ever tell relatives you will arrive at a specific date and time (wait until the day before to be more specific about when you can arrive). Check the weather forecast each day and avoid traveling through storms. If you decide you want to spend an extra day in a location, then just book another night in that campground or another nearby campground. Remember your are not flying commercial -- you decide what day and time you will leave a location and how far you want to travel that day. Your schedule is your own and you can change it on a whim or with the weather.

[LeonardoReyes-obhv]

These are some really good tips! Unlike the other road-trip videos that give you the most obvious tips.

[MrPaultile]

After reading the comments I then realized the humor in your T-shirt, I am not a sports fan observer.
Great tips, I saw my self 30 years ago trying to hurry the kids at gas stops, now I take your advice!

[stevenbtsb]

Rain-X is the best windshield treatment for rainy weather!

[toml.]

I like to have the car ready and fueled the day before, except for one bag with the valuables (tablet, money, phone) so all I have to do is get in, start the engine, and leave. Those last-minute things delay you a half-day!

[nativepangea]

Check your spare tire, jack and removal tools. Arrange the tools for easy access. I feel so bad for people on the side of the road that have to unpack just for a lug wrench.

[clintonrice]

My road trips are typically a few days, with a far-flung destination in mind, such that managing pace of movement over the road is pretty important. While we’ve never taken our dogs on a long trip, I do follow pretty much all of the other tips from this video. The one minor distinction is that I typically like to leave as soon as I get off work in the evening; if I’m going solo, I typically make it 300-450 miles that first night, but my wife likes to go to bed earlier so if she joins, we shoot for about 200. It’s a tough tradeoff between getting that mileage out of the way and paying for an extra night at a hotel, but my trips tend to be tightly compressed on time (driving 2000+ miles round trip to camp in the mountains for two nights, all in 3 vacation days and a weekend, so every hour counts.

[crabring]

These are outstanding tips. I've done several with 5 kids. I'm not sure why i never thought to pack the day BEFORE so we aren't stressing day of and leaving after noon!

[roadtrip]

Going east from AZ on 40, dinner in Albuquerque, overnight in elk city ok. East on 10 overnight in San Antonio and time going thru Houston during off peak hours

[dirtydawg]

I have found that stopping at a rest area, every 1/4 tank of fuel, to stretch the legs, helps greatly

[dvgayle]

You forgot your Jeep...LOL...great video!

[kibashisiyoto]

Forgot the important one my kids driver's ed instructor metioned - always have a roll of paper towels available, for greasy hands or the butt if you have to do a roadside dump due to greasy food.

[walkerpantera]

This man has REAL broad shoulders! im jealous!! love ur vids bro!

[JacksonJSDinky]

Also it’s good to stretch whenever you get gas or food. I drove from Oakland to Phoenix in my 02 explorer and i felt absolutely fine because of it and usually if I drive about 3 hours in that car I’m in a lot of pain

[jonbradshaw]

When parking at a gas station or a rest stop I will park as far away from the building/restrooms as I can so that I have more distance to walk. That is of course if I really really gotta pee, then I run! 🤣