Long Road Trip Planned? Here’s Some Help…

OK, I’ll admit it up front…I love road trips. Even with squirmy toddlers or surly teens. But it doesn’t always go as I fantasize. Here a few tips that may save your sanity (and your savings):

• Fill up on cheap gas. I know it is often only pennies a gallon difference, but it can really add up. Check out the Cheap Gas page here on SOTC to get tips on how to get the best mileage and where to fill up before you set off. Click on the Gas Buddy link half way down that page to find the cheapest gas where-ever you are on your trip.

• Bring a cooler and stock it from grocery stores or farmers markets en route rather than gas station mini-marts. You can get a huge bag of chips at a grocery store for the cost of a individual serving size at a roadside gas station. Stock it with lunch foods and skip the fast food stops. Find a local park or beach for a quick picnic instead. It will be better for your health, better for your wallet, and while it may take a few minutes longer, those picnics will be some of the memories of the trip rather than just another pit stop.

• Want to come up with some creative car games to keep your kids engaged? (and to stave off the dreaded “are we there yet?)  Kris Bordessa, the author of  Team Challenges, has a free downloadable e-book called Travel Talk: Sanity Saving Games for Long Distance Travel with some great suggestions.

• Consider the drive part of the trip. not just a commute. Allow enough time that you’re not feeling stressed. Take some back roads. Stop when you see a scenic marker. Stop when you see a good climbing tree, sand dunes to leap off, or a good swimming spot.

• Create some family traditions around the drive. Hokey, I know, but we used to sing or play On the Road Again, as we backed out the driveway. That morphed into Smash Mouth’s Road Man (sick, I know, but strangely appropriate now that we have teen drivers.) Other good road songs: Born to be Wild,  Hit The Road Jack, Drive My Car, Mustang Sally, Start Me Up, Running with the Devil, Running Down a Dream, Rambling Man, Life is a Highway, and I know, I know,  it doesn’t fit the theme, but trust me: Sweet Home Alabama.