Are We There Yet?

by Sarah Kohl | photo-illustration by Shannon Douglas

Ah, the road trip. It’s the perfect spring break outing for college students with flexible schedules, limited funds and plenty of energy and enthusiasm. It can be a great bonding experience with friends, a time to finally visit the World’s Largest Frying Pan in Long Beach, Wash., and an opportunity to see parts of the country to which you’ve never ventured. Or, with a slight downturn of luck, such a trip can break your car and your wallet, expose you to some of the most massive traffic jams in the country and make you want to toss your too-talkative best friend out the window.

The idea of hopping into a car on a whim and driving off to destinations unknown is tempting. But simply driving around the country can lead to confusion, so it’s always good to have a plan. Consulting travel guides and websites, budgeting time and money and planning out where you’re going and with whom you’re going can help ensure a more stress-free, relaxing vacation. Not all trips are a breeze, of course, but a lot of typical road trip problems can be avoided if you plan properly.

1. Have a destination in mind and know how long it will take to get there

Sounds simple enough, right? It can be if you know exactly where you’re going before you leave. Just because Boston and New York are half an inch apart on the map doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll only be a two-hour detour to check out Boston before heading back south from Manhattan. Ask around, consult maps and try to make a final decision before you hit the road.

2. Make sure everyone has definite places to stay and a secure backup plan

Another given, it seems. However, you’d be surprised at what can happen once you’re actually on the road. Hotels can be booked, youth hostels can be disgusting or located in the red-light district, and friends with prime apartments can bail on you. Camping can be a good backup, as well. If you have a tent, think about tossing it in the car. Just make sure you know how to use it.

“Four of us wanted to go to the beach, so we thought camping would be cheaper [than a hotel],” says Sarah Davis, a fourth-year UGA student from Macon. Forgetting to bring the all-important rain fly that keeps the tent dry in bad weather, all four people ended up huddled inside a tent that shriveled in size during a rain storm. “If the tent says it sleeps four,” she says, “plan on only two people sleeping in it.” And don’t forget the rain fly.

3. Plan an itinerary

Sure, it can be fun to see where each day takes you. Planning events ahead of time, though, can make the trip even more fun. Poor planning or no planning at all can lead to a lot of wasted time getting from place to place and a ton of group tension when someone gets bitter about skipping Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

An easy way to plan ahead is to invest in a guidebook. Many students swear by Lonely Planet guidebooks, which are available for most U.S. states and cities. These books describe plenty of attractions, shopping destinations, decently priced lodging, restaurants, coffee shops and bars. The books are updated on a regular basis and are available at most major bookstores. An online version of the series also is available at www.lonelyplanet.com.

4. Budget

You may think you have enough in your budget to eat at an expensive restaurant, rent a jet ski for the afternoon or splurge on that designer bag. Often, you do have enough to indulge yourself every once in awhile. But before you do, keep in mind that most things you take for granted at home will cost you money—often more than you think it will. Transportation? Don’t forget about cab fares and train tickets if you’re traveling in a city. Hungry? Invest in a giant jar of peanut butter and loaves of bread for quick meals. Eating out three meals a day can add up fast.

Budgeting gas money also can be a big help. Matt Nasworthy, a spokesman for AAA Auto Club South, suggests visiting www.fuelcostcalculator.com which is based on today’s actual gas prices. Type in your destination, starting point, model and make of car and—voila! You can gauge how much your gas will cost before you even leave the house.

5. Learn car etiquette

Bring along friends you know you can stand spending hours with, and don’t be a friend that others can’t stand to be around. Whoever you decide to take with you, talk to them before you leave. Divvy up responsibilities. Plan a schedule for driving so no one gets stuck in the driver’s seat for 17 hours straight. Map out a master plan before setting foot in the car, and make sure no one’s left in the dark on important decisions. Once you’re on the road, keep an open mind and try to be easygoing. Make sure the music you want to listen to in the car won’t bother someone. Respect other people’s privacy. Keep your space in the car clean. Don’t be stubborn—in large groups of people, it’s very unlikely everyone will be 100 percent pleased with every decision made. Go with the flow, and everyone will love you for it.

6. Pack smart

If you’re going camping at the beach, you probably don’t need to bring three board games with you. You will, however, need an excess of sunscreen and bug spray. Know your destination and pack accordingly. Research the weather and climate before you go and figure out how many supplies you will need for each day you are there.

The Internet can be your best friend when it comes to figuring out what to pack. Rand McNally’s website (www.randmcnally.com) offers many tips when it comes to planning road trips, and it even has several lists of essential items to bring with you in the car. Several helpful hints include taking insurance and medical records, an address book with emergency numbers, fresh batteries, a single-use camera, spare keys and an umbrella.

7. Make your car road-trip ready

Decide what car to take in advance and get it checked out by a mechanic before you leave. Throw every kind of map imaginable in the car. And, to avoid one of the most painful road trip movie clichés, make sure you have enough gas in the tank. No one wants to be running on empty, in the middle of nowhere, 60 miles from the nearest gas station.

Driving hundreds of miles in a short span of time can really put some wear and tear on your car. Any major problems that have been building up in your car can be easily exposed during a road trip. Doing simple maintenance tasks to your car year-round is essential to avoiding major car problems far from home. Nasworthy suggests regularly checking tire pressure and changing the oil. Check out the company’s website (www.aaa.com) for a maintenance check-list before setting out on a road adventure.

8. Entertain yourself

Technology can be a beautiful thing. If anyone in your group has a laptop with a DVD drive, by all means, invest in an extra car charger and bring it along. Mp3 players are fabulous for providing hours of musical entertainment, and you should never underestimate the power of a hand-held electronic game.

If you’d love to catch up on reading but want to avoid carsickness, books on tape are a good option, as well. According to Athens-Clarke County librarian, Vivian Castagnera, the library has enough books on tape to satisfy every reader’s favorite genre. “We even have a notable number of foreign language tapes,” she says. The books on tape are available to check out for two weeks at a time and are easily renewable by phone or online. Just be sure to bring your own headphones—it’s not likely that everyone in the car wants to listen to “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” for the third time like you do.

9. Strike out on your own

If there’s something you want to see or do and no one else you’re with shows any interest, don’t be afraid to go for it by yourself. You’ll get to do what you want without causing any group tension, and a nice break from the group can be healthy for everyone. Besides, you never know what kind of new and interesting people you might meet. You might even have a better time alone than you would with other people.

Steven Landers, a 2005 UGA graduate from Jonesboro, took this advice to the extreme when he visited London by himself during spring break. He was able to do everything he wanted and then some.

“I could indulge on whims,” he says. “I could change plans without having to convince others.”

10. HAVE FUN!

OK, maybe this is the most obvious of the ten tips. But, seriously, if you let yourself get bogged down with stress, you won’t have nearly as much fun as you would otherwise. If you have to stress, do it early, during the planning period. Figuring out all the details before you leave will make the whole trip run more smoothly. Don’t get hung up on the small things on the road. In the grand scheme of things, ceaseless traffic jams or the techno music your friend plays in the car aren’t that bad. Once you’re there, relax and enjoy it! After working so hard to plan an itinerary, make a feasible budget, pack smart and get your car in perfect shape - you deserve it!