I’ve been on many road trips in my life. However, I’m normally the passenger. I’ve never actually driven more than 3 hours myself. Also, I never pumped my own gas. As I’m sure many know, we don’t have to pump our own gas in NJ. Because of this, I actually had an irrational fear of pumping gas. I can’t really explain it, but I was terrified. But I had to face that fear quickly to take my first road trip out of Jersey. While driving back from Tampa to NJ with my dad earlier this month, I made sure to practice doing just that.
Before I started work, I wanted to visit my boyfriend who lives in Pittsburgh for a week. The drive is about 5 hours to his apartment, but I had to park at a hotel airport, which added another 30 minutes to my drive. Parking in Pittsburgh is expensive and a struggle to find, so it was important that I found a cheaper option. It didn’t matter as much that it was 30 minutes away because I wasn’t using my car during the week.
Now that I’ve completed my drive to Pittsburgh, I wanted to share some tips that I’ve learned from my experience.
Tips
Pack Light, But Not Too Light
I knew a majority of what we were doing ahead of time, so it was easier to pack my outfits. I had enough room to bring a few extra pieces in case I changed my mind about what to wear. Also, I made sure to bring some things to leave there since he just moved into his first apartment and could always use some extras. My road trip is not as adventurous as I’m sure other road trips are, so my packing list was probably different. My visit was going to mainly include exploring the city while others’ might be about exploring the outdoors. However, I think this list will apply to any road trip, so I made sure to bring:
- A reusable water bottle to stay hydrated on my drive
- Snacks to eat (I love these fruit bars)
- Extra socks and undergarments
- Hand sanitizer and wipes
- Travel toilet paper in case bathroom stalls don’t have any
- Toothbrush and essential toiletries
Also, I want to mention that during your long drive, you will want to dress comfortably!
Make a Strategy
Some individuals prefer to merely go with the flow, while others prefer to be as prepared as they possibly can, like me. Whatever personality type you are, it is better to meet somewhere in the middle. Unexpected events are common when traveling and might throw you off your game. It’s all part of the adventure, but it can be stressful at times. I struggle with this a lot! To minimize severe problems during your vacation, you should have a broad strategy in place for a few important things. The things I made a strategy for include:
- Determine what you want to do and see, and when you want to do it (this will help with packing)
- Determine the distance between each destination to help with what to do each day and whether you need to find parking or if you can walk
- I stayed at my boyfriend’s apartment, so I didn’t need to worry about a hotel, but you definitely need to plan for this (I did need to plan where to park my car for a week)
- Because weather can be unpredictable, check the weather forecast for each location ahead of time (This will help you decide what to pack!)
- Make note of the densely populated places for when you plan to do certain activities
- Check for high-traffic locations as well, so you can avoid driving through them during peak hours (I do not enjoy sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, so I left at 6 am to avoid rush hour traffic)
Create a Playlist/Listen to a Book/Listen to a Podcast
You certainly don’t want to be fiddling with the radio while driving, and you will get bored staring at the road without some form of entertainment. You should probably download whatever you’re listening to for your car trip in advance. The reason for this is that you may drive through some rural locations (being lost is part of the “fun” after all!). As a result, you won’t be able to listen to stuff as you normally would. If you’re looking for more playlist ideas, check out the ones below from my own collection!
Bring Some Cash
In high school, I used to have lots of cash from my job. However, I normally don’t use cash anymore since I have a credit card and a debit card. It’s just much easier. However, luckily I remembered to bring some on my trip because some restaurants in Pittsburgh only took cash.
Fill Your Tank Often
I only had to stop once on my trip to Pittsburgh since it was only 5.5 hours. I found a specific place that I wanted to fill up my gas (especially since it was my first time). I found a Sheetz that I stopped at once my tank got to 100 miles left. This place also had a bigger, clean bathroom, which was nice.
Bring a Phone Charger
This should be in your packing list no matter what, but I wanted to really emphasize this one. I always make sure that my phone is fully charged wherever I go. If I somehow forget to charge my phone fully, I get a lot of anxiety because my phone dies fast. On a road trip, you definitely need the charger for the car, but also for directions outside of the car and I’m sure you will be taking pictures of everything like I do.
Keep Healthy Routines
This one is really hard for me. In Tampa, I started really focusing on working out or walking every day. Then, when I got back to NJ, I started focusing on eating better in addition to a fitness routine. However, once I got to Pittsburgh, I struggled to keep up with any routine. I ate lots of unhealthy food and didn’t work out as much as I wanted to. In the end, it’s okay because I don’t get to come to Pittsburgh that often and it’s okay to indulge a little bit. I just want to make sure I don’t lose my healthy routine all together. Also, make sure to drink lots of water!
Consider Several Breaks
As I mentioned earlier, I only needed one break since it was a 5.5 hour drive. However, that one break really helped. I stood up and ate some fruit bars along with going to the bathroom and filling up my gas tank. It took 20-25 minutes, which was a nice distraction as my eyes started bugging from driving for so long.
Take Some Pictures
Sometimes I get embarrassed taking lots of pictures, but then I tell myself who cares what people think. I love looking back on my memories and I was so proud of myself for completing my first road trip. So of course I took pictures of the journey and then I took pictures of my destination. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. I want to document certain moments in my life or ideas that I can look back on in the future.
Keep Your Speed Stable
I made this mistake and learned the hard way that speeding up and slowing down drains your gas. On the way home, I plan to do better.
Neutralize Your Expectations
I also struggle with this tip. I’ve mentioned this many times, but I’m a very anxious person. However, you must plan for the unexpected on a road trip. I left at 6 am to avoid the traffic, however, I drove for at least an hour in heavy fog. I didn’t expect that since I’ve never driven through the mountains in Pennsylvania. I did hit a little bit of traffic, too, because of an accident. My directions ended up changing routes halfway through my trip. In the beginning of my drive, I was totally fine. Halfway through, I started to have a little anxiety and a bad tummy as a result. I just took deep breaths and sang my favorite songs, which helped a lot.
Overall
Be present in every moment and take it as it comes. Whatever the experience entails, make an effort to be open to it. I’m loving Pittsburgh so far and getting to see Robert and Tubby! I know I will visit again soon (most likely every one or two months). I hope if you take a road trip, you find my tips helpful! I’m hoping to write more about my time in Pittsburgh soon, so stay tuned and comment below with your favorite road trip destination!
