10 Road Trip Hacks for Your Summer Vacation

Planning a road trip soon? Before you start going crazy with the details, check out our top 10 crucial road trip hacks that you need to know before you head out!

Flying is not for everyone, and when you fly, you miss some awesome opportunities for adventure. Not to say that a visit through your local airport, attempting to get through TSA in haste, and trying to board your plane before it takes off without you isn't an adventure, but it's nothing like a classic road trip!

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There are some vital things you need to know before you embark on your journey with your friends, significant other, or family (bless your heart).

1. The packing list is first and most important, because you're going absolutely nowhere without the essentials. Don't over-pack! You won't have a lot of room for new things you find on your adventure, and you definitely don't need those 5 pairs of jeans.

• Snacks. Bring more snacks than you think you need. Trust us.
• Bring a cooler to keep your drinks cold and your fruit fresh!
• Car chargers for your phone, laptop, or anything you can't live without charging!
• Trash bag. Self explanatory.
• Get your playlist ready beforehand and bring your head phones just in case your car partners can't take just one more T-Swift song. As if!
• Pillows and blankets are key - for the car, and also when you get to the hotel you're staying at. Who knows if their pillows will be up to your standards?
• A sun visor for privacy, to cool your car down, and to dissuade any thieves.
• Cash for emergencies and tolls and some change for rest stop vending machines in case you didn't bring all the snacks we told you to bring!

2. Do an overall check on your car before you leave. Make sure all your tires have air, check that you have window wiper fluid; you get the idea! Also, know how to change a tire or you have road side assistance. Jumper cables and a spare tire are a necessity in any car.

img via filmguidedublin

3. Get a magnetic storage container or similar where you can keep a spare car key and hide it up underneath your car in case you lock yourself out! Hey, it happens.

4. Bring a paper atlas or print out a map in case your phone dies or you don't have service in the middle of nowhere! Believe it or not, people used actual paper maps before google was even a thing!

5. Have a loose enough plan for some wiggle room. Traffic happens, pit stops happen, spontaneous visits to see the world's biggest beagle or Lenny the Chocolate Moose happen. If you are on a really tight schedule, you may feel uptight or stressed the whole time which defeats the purpose of a vacation!

img via flickr

6. If you're going to a festival, concert, theme park, or anywhere that requires tickets, make sure you have your tickets before you leave! Before you get in the car, have it in your hand, put your ticket up to your forehead, do whatever you need to do to ensure that you do not leave it behind. There's nothing like the moment of panic before you're about to enter your event without your ticket. Don't be that guy (or gal).

7. Be open minded and stop at crazy-looking places on the way! Dinosaur World? You better believe it! Try new local foods in the area and do your best to stay away from chain restaurants and things you can find at home.

8. Have some super fun games in your arsenal ready to go for when you're bored and there's not too much to look at out the window. Memory games are always fun, or you can see how many license plates you can spot from different states, get crazy with it!

9. If you're driving a long distance, take turns napping. If you feel your eyes starting to get heavy, that's the moment you want to switch. We can't express how important this is!

10. You'll also need a wide mouth Gatorade bottle for the guys, and an empty peanut butter jar (with a lid) for the ladies. If you don't get it, think about it, and thank us later ;).

img via digitalcameraworld

We hope that these tips were helpful! If you've got any ideas, send them our way. If you're headed on a road trip soon, let us know where you're going in the comments!