I enjoy taking long drives and road trips to visit family and friends. I enjoy the scenery and catching up on all my podcasts during the drive. Not only do I spend most of my time driving for work, but I often head to Indiana and Virginia. These trips are usually 10 or more hours from Delaware. Other times, you can find me driving to New York City for events and to Pittsburgh to get away. I have tons of experience driving 5–12 hours to places. I thought it would be fun to share 5 tips that I do when I’m taking a long drive.

Consider these essential tips for your next road trip

Forget the Gas Station Food, By Grocery Stores

Road-trip snacks are necessary for any trip. looking to save money. Take a quick trip to Target or Walmart for snacks before your trip. Stock up on all the drinks, snacks, and coffee needed.

Evaluate your Car

Before I leave for a trip longer than 3 hours, I get my car inspected. One thing you don’t want to happen is a car malfunction during a road trip. I suggest getting your car inspected a few days before your trip. Make sure you are up to date with your maintenance and that your tires are in good shape. It’s an excellent way to get all the fluids topped off and tires rotated and know your car is in good condition for a long drive.

Avoid Rush Hour Traffic

I like to drive at night or early in the morning. Sitting in congested traffic is not fun for me when I have hours left in my drive. I also think it set back the scheduled time you were expected to arrive at your destination. The best way to avoid losing time is to avoid rush hour and peak times. Don’t start your road trip early in the morning during morning work hours like 8 am-9 a.m. or dinner times of 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Also, lunchtime at 2 pm can be awful to sit through if you’re not on the highway.

Clean & Pack Early

My favorite thing is to take my car to a car wash a few days before my trip. It’s refreshing to know your car is clean and ready to go for your road trip. I also like to pack my car at night or a few hours before I leave for my trip. If I’m leaving at 5 AM, I would pack my car before I went to bed. That way I’m not rushing and can sleep in a little bit longer if I need to. Stopping by the gas station before your trip and fill up can also save you time.

Apps to Download

If you're looking to save money during your trip, I suggest using Gas Buddy to show you all the gas prices around you. Also, I make sure my Spotify or Apple Music has a few albums downloaded just in case my phone loses signal during the drive.

Essential tips for your next drive