How to make your USA road trip a successful one

Whether in a car or campervan, hitting the road is one of the best ways to see the United States of America.

Few things evoke a sense of adventure like a road trip. Whether it’s just you, your friends, your family or even with a hitchhiker, it’s certainly one of the most exciting ways to travel.

However, responding to the call of the open road can, at times, be challenging for many inexperienced travelers. So, in this post, I’ll be showing you some tips and tricks on how to do a road trip right – and what better case study to use than the home of the road trip, the United States of Amercia?!

You’ll need a car that’s up to the task

The first thing you should have in mind when making a road trip is the vehicle you’re going to use, as you’ll be depending on that set of wheels for the rest of the trip. Before making any plans and schedules, you should make sure that your car is up to the task, meaning that checking everything, and making sure that there are no issues with it are must-dos before setting off.

You don’t even need to use your own car either. In fact, you can easily rent one that’s fully-equipped and ready to go.

In many ways, renting a car can improve your road trip experience as you get your choice of car, and the wear and tear goes on that vehicle and not your own.

The options are plentiful as well. You can choose a bigger vehicle such as a van or minivan, and go big on your road trip, or maybe you want to go for something a little more adrenaline-inducing with a speedy sports car. I’d also recommend getting a package where you’re fully insured and also receive complimentary roadside assistance.

Making car rental easier

Renting a car can be a little complicated at times but there are ways to make it a simple and easy process, such as using a car rental broker. Car rental brokers are companies that search for the lowest prices amongst the many options available to you and give you the best ones considering your specific needs and timing. Let’s see some of the best brokers according to Trustpilot:

Miles Car Rental Trustpilot score: 4.7 / 5

Miles Car Rental offers an easy-to-navigate website with an intuitive design. Their prices are highly-competitive and their customer service representatives are regarded as some of the best in the business as they are friendly, efficient, professional and capable of solving almost all issues that they face.

Viajemos.com Trustpilot score: 4.7 / 5

This company offers an outstanding service and their site is known for providing some of the most transparent and easyt-to-digest information out there, so you can be confident that you’ll get exactly what you paid for without any nasty surprises or hidden charges. With great prices to boot, Viajemos are a safe bet when it comes to American car rental.

Priceline Trustpilot score:  4.5 / 5

Alongside car rental, Priceline can get you great deals on things such as hotels and cruises, and most customers regard them as efficient and trustworthy. If you’re a fan of technology, you’ll be happy to know that most of their services are centered around their app which boasts great response times.

CarRentals Trustpilot score:   4.2 / 5

CarRentals has a presence in over 150 countries and they also offer regular discounts codes and coupons that can be used to save you those precious pennies. With a varied catalog of vehicles for you to choose from, they give you plenty of useful information about which car is right for you, meaning you can make an informed decision – great for those first-time renters.

Rentalcars Trustpilot score:   3.9 / 5

Rentalcars has an organized filter system that allows you to search for cars by various features. In addition to that, they have a very complete “Frequently Asked Questions” section that gives a good summary of what everyone should know when renting a car with them.

Make sure you get to your destination

They say that getting lost is part of the journey, but it’s not always great fun. Navigation is a vital part of road trips, and chances are you´ll be using your smartphone for navigation. There is nothing wrong with that, but if that’s the case, always have it charged to 100% before resuming journey and make sure you download your maps for offline use. You don’t want to end up lost in the middle of nowhere and without mobile access.

If you feeling adventurous and want to explore little towns or take a shortcut, you should bring a more robust navigation system with you, so you aren’t dependent on your phone. Many rental sites allow you to add a SatNav when you rent a car, which is great for those who don’t have American SIM cards. And you may event want to print out a map beforehand just to be sure.

Make sure you’re prepared for your road trip

Taking a road trip takes a little bit more effort than just getting to your destination, sticking your key in the ignition and driving off into the sunset. You´ll be driving and/or spending quite a lot of time on the road, so make sure you’re ready for it. Spending hours behind the wheel is not necessarily bad or boring if you are well-prepared for your journey, so here are some handy tips:

·       Pack plenty of snacks in case you don’t find any roadside diners, because you’ll always get hungry. The USA is a vast land and it isn’t like driving around Europe. You could be hours from the closest restaurant or gas station, so having food and drink in the car is a smart choice.

·       Bring entertainment for those not driving, whether that’s a playlist with your favorite songs or a Rubik’s Cube.

·       People often underestimate the good that stretching your legs can do when you’re on a car for a long time, so make as many stops as you need, let the driver rest and, if possible, change drivers often, so that no one gets too tired of being behind the wheel.

·       Bring cash. Chances are that you’ll use some remote truck stop or gas station along the way that don’t accept cards, so always make sure you have some walking around money just in case.

Do you have any tips for taking a road trip? Let me know in the comments!