Planning an epic road-trip? Take a look at the top 5 road-trip lessons I’ve learned over the 20,000 miles on the road!
My road-trip days started the fall of 2016, when I spent a few weeks driving 1500 miles across New Zealand. It was an incredible experience in every regard, especially for being my first solo adventure and my first time to drive on the left side of the road!
Since then I’ve taken numerous road trips around the United States visiting our National Parks, some trips were over 7500 miles. Ive also squeezed in another road-trip to New Zealand taking a different route.
Let’s get to it, road-trip lessons learned!
Road-Trip Lessons Learned
1. Don’t try and go too far!
This one might sound counter-intuitive since the whole idea of a road trip is covering ground! Especially coming from someone like me who doesn’t do well with moderation.
However, driving 14+ hours in a day is not fun, even if you have a co-pilot. Trust me, I’ve stubbornly done this many times and its simply not safe.
Having to cover ridiculous distances also will increase your likeliness to haul ass and disregard speed limits. Ive managed to get two speeding tickets while on the road. One in Ely, Nevada on the way to Great Basin National Park and the other in Whichita Falls, Texas. It’s just not worth the hassle or the added expense.
Slow down and enjoy the journey. (Disclaimer, if you’re going to speed don’t do it in Texas, the cost of the fine was nearly triple that of the Nevada ticket.)
2. Be Prepared.
Well as prepared as you can be. When you hit the road for your first proper road trip you will eventually find yourself under-equipped or not prepared for what gets thrown your way. Same can be said for life.
Thankfully many of these circumstances can be avoided with a little thought and preparation.
I’ll never forget the time I made it to a remote campsite at Death Valley National Park. The wind was howling at the temperature hovering around freezing. I had plenty of firewood and lighter fluid so I wasn’t concerned until I realized I didn’t have a lighter!
Or the time I hiked into my campsite at Guadalupe Mountains without checking the overnight forecast. One word- WIND.
There was also the time I nearly ran out of gas in a desolate area of New Zealand. The list honestly goes on but the point is all of these mistakes can be easily prevented.
Scooter hiding at Redwood Forest National Park.
3. Avoid pre-booking accommodation.
This one might be a little controversial, especially to those of you who prefer to have every detail planned out.
I have realized it is much more rewarding to go with the flow and put off searching for a place to stay till you actually arrive. This will give you a chance to scope out the facilities and potentially allow for you to negotiate a better rate than is advertised online.
If you refrain from booking in advanced you also will have much more flexibility to change plans along the way. Because let’s face it, we have all arrived at a town and quickly realized it’s not what we expected and wish to leave ASAP. For me that town was Gatlinburg, Tennessee on my trip to the Great Smokey Mountains.
Sometimes unexpected things will come up, like car trouble. Which for me forced me to hold tight in Portland for two days longer than expected. Had we booked accommodation in advance we would have been out even more money.
There is of course exceptions to this. If you are traveling to a tourist hot spot or if you are traveling during a major holiday weekend. Then by all means plan ahead! Don’t drive 12 hours to Big Bend National Park during New Years and expect to find any availability, at least in the park.
4. Pay attention to rental car policies.
I am a huge proponent of renting a car if you’re taking a major trip, it avoids the maintenance as well as any wear and tear on your personal vehicle. I also drive a truck, so gas milage becomes a huge factor to.
This one really caught me off guard on my second trip to New Zealand. I picked up my rental from Omega Car Rentals in Queenstown. After leaving I noticed a tire was a little low. I added air at a gas station instead of just detouring back to the rental agency. Big mistake.
Two days later the tire was completely flat and there wasn’t a shop open to repair it in Wanaka. Thankfully, my airbnb host Noel let me stay through the weekend till one opened, for free.
Monday morning, the tire shop determined the tire was ruined and would have to be replaced. Unsure of what to do I called Omega, only to find out I AM responsible for the tires. $120 NZ later I was back on the road but I wasn’t exactly happy about it.
Had I been in my own vehicle, I still would have been responsible for the tire therefore I still consider rentals a viable option for road-trips.
“Quincy the Corolla” another rental I took into questionable territory.
5. Laugh and have fun in the moment.
One road-trip I had a severe poison ivy rash on my arms and religiously was using Cortisone cream to reduce the irritation. Early one morning in Missoula, MT I mistook the poison ivy cream for toothpaste…Jess, who I was dating at the time got a great laugh. I didn’t think it was funny until the awful taste went away.
This is by far the most important road-trip lesson learned of all. When you venture into the unknown, unexpected events will happen, both good and bad. Laugh at them because nothing last forever and they should all be cherished!
My first proper road-trip. New Zealand 2016.
