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You must do these 7 things on your next road trip with friends

Road tripping with friends is one of the great travel experiences you can have at any age. Whether you decide to travel domestic or international there are still a few things you must do on your next road trip adventure.

 

The preparation you put into planning your road trip can either make or break your entire trip. And there have been many friendships that haven’t made it to the end of a badly planned road trip. So keep reading so you can get insight into what we think are the 7 must do things for your next road trip with friends.

 

1. Choose the Right Vehicle for Your Trip

One of the biggest mistakes people make is not having the right type of car for their road trip. Got a small car and think “Oh, we’ll fit – it’ll be fine”? It’s easy when you think of people but when you add luggage to the situation things can get cramped fast! Or hired a classy convertible but didn’t take into account the weather of the destination you’re visiting? Having the right car for the trip you plan to take is essential. Fortunately, you can find used cars from top brands at EchoPark that suit your needs better.

 

2. Make Sure Everyone Who’s Driving Is Insured

We’ve done it before – caught up in the excitement of the trip and then not realise that actually only one person is legally allowed to drive the car under the terms of the car’s insurance! That one person stuck driving usually has a lot less fun than everyone else that doesn’t have the responsibility of getting everyone around safely. So check in advance and get everyone on the insurance policy.

 

3. Have Your Personal Items Insured Too!

It can be easy to forget when road tripping with friends that you need to protect your stuff as well. Whether you are out sightseeing or need to keep stuff in the car while you go into a restaurant, you need to make sure you have everything covered in case the worse happens…and it can.

 

Photo by Sergey Tarasov on Unsplash

 

4. Remember to document your journey

So often when taking pictures we focus on the destination rather than the journey. Remember that you are on the road with friends – having (we hope) an incredible experience with people you love – so why not document the travel as well as the destinations? Get an old-school polaroid camera and make photographing the trip really fun!

 

5. Expect the unexpected!

All the best laid out plans often can hit a snag when you least expect it. Someone eats something a bit dodgy and needs to stop to use the bathroom a lot. You get a flat tire and need to watch a youtube video on the side of the road as you realise no one actually knows how to change a tire. You hit crazy weather and have to pull over under a bridge until it passes. We once got stuck in the Gobi desert in Mongolia for 20 hours because a rock busted the radiator and we had to flag down drivers until someone had the right part to help us fix it!!!

So many things can happen and that’s why it’s best to have a travel plan…but also know that it might not work out quite as you had expected.

 

6. Do the “Touristy” Stuff

Sometimes people can often choose to miss the stops on a road trip as they are considered too be “touristy”. But these places are touristy for a reason! Don’t miss your opportunity to see these sights no matter how busy or lame they might seem. You might never get the opportunity to see these sights again and it would be a shame to miss it.

 

7. Research where to eat in advance.

One of the biggest things that can ruin a road trip with friends is not knowing where you’re going to eat. Not knowing where the good food stops are along your journey can mean that you end up with not great food, no food at all cause you miss judged the distance between food stops or what time the restaurants close (and no one likes a car full of hangry people), or worst case – getting food poisoning from a really dodgy restaurant.

 

Do your research in advance using Google maps and look up the best places to stop along your route. You can see other people’s reviews, mark them on the map to remember for later, and also leave yourself notes about what to order etc. Or check out blog posts from people who have done a similar trip to you. Trust us it is 100% worth doing this research in advance!

Conclusion: 

So there you have it, 7 things that you must do on your next road trip with friends. Some of these may seem obvious, but, it is amazing how often we hear that people have forgotten to do one of these things in the lead-up to their road trip and it’s ended in disaster. Be prepared, and you will always have the trip of a lifetime!