27 Common road trip mistakes to avoid
If you’ve never been on a road trip, you should definitely go ahead and plan one! While driving around a country or a town, you’ll have the freedom to visit whatever you want and choose when you stop and what attractions you want to visit along the way. Being on the road feels amazing! By avoiding these common road trip mistakes, you’ll make your trip an even better one!
When preparing for your road trip, make sure to avoid these 27 common road trip mistakes. Here are all my tips to plan before leaving on your road trip, planning your budget accordingly, what you can avoid while you are driving, and even what you should do in case something doesn’t go according to plan.
Before leaving on your road trip
Not taking your car in for a check-up before departure
Especially if you are leaving on a long road trip, it’s always a good idea to make sure your car is in order. Schedule maintenance before your departure. That way, you’ll have the peace of mind that everything is fine before you leave.
There’s no guarantee that nothing will happen but at least you’ll know that nothing is wrong before you even depart.
If you are renting a car or even a camper van, you won’t have to worry that much about it. The rental car company or the van hire company will have done everything before you even leave with the car.
In my experience, we rented a camper van in Scotland and there was one light that turned on just before we left the parking lot. They took charge of it right away and made sure we left without any troubles. It ended up just being something in the sensor not working properly, nothing wrong with the van, but they are pretty good when comes times like these.
Leaving without getting your home in order
I hate coming back home to a messy house. I prefer to take an extra five minutes before getting in the car and do a quick clean-up.
I don’t do much, just making the beds, picking up little things, taking out the garbage and recycling are some examples. I also make sure the windows are closed, the AC is off, or turn the heat down a little bit.
I also take the time, a couple of days before, to pay bills in advance so I don’t have to think about it while on vacation. You can also plan your payments in advance and they will pay themselves.
Make sure to lock the door when leaving the house.
It’s not much but it will feel amazing when you come back from a great trip, ready to go to bed on your arrival.
Or even when you unpack everything, you’ll just have your baggage to undo and put away instead of cleaning the house too.
Forgetting downloading useful information
Before leaving, make sure to download any apps, entertainment, or road trip apps you will need for your trip. Chances are, you won’t have WIFI on the road, and using your data, depending on your plan might be more costly for you.
You can still use data, or the WIFI at your accommodation for the night to download them but it’s always nice to leave the house prepared and have everything you’ll need at your fingertips.
Download some maps to help you out if your GPS stops working for some reason as well.
Not packing essential accessories for electronics
While packing your bags, don’t forget any chargers for all the electronics you will be bringing with you. If you plan on having them with you in the car, make sure to have your chargers handy as you’ll probably need them at some point on the road.
Pack the chargers you won’t need inside your bags. This way, you won’t be searching for the right charger.
You can even have an electronic cable organizer to keep everything in order, without having all your cables tangled up. It’ll be easier to find the right chargers and you won’t be fussing around trying to untangle everything.
Forgetting about tech accessories to stay online
Think about all the electronic devices you will need on the trip and make sure to bring the necessary with you and all of their chargers.
You’ll probably bring your phone. Maybe an iPad or laptop to watch shows or movies during your downtime or even put in a little work.
If you are going off-grid for a bit on your road trip, you might want to bring a charger pack to charge up your electronics while not having any power.
If you need WIFI coverage and your data plan doesn’t allow you enough or it’s too costly, there is always the option to bring a portable WIFI hotspot with you as well.
Forgetting road trip essentials
When preparing for everything, don’t forget any essentials you might need.
Pack some clothing according to the temperatures you are most likely to have on the road. Don’t forget to include jackets as it might get colder at night. Put some pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters, undies, socks, comfortable walking shoes, flip flops, bathing suits, and winter accessories if needed.
To prepare your toiletries, make sure you have sunscreen, body wipes (there are so many different ways they can be useful!), lip balm, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
Bring important paperwork for the car as well. License and registrations, car insurance, your car’s manual in case you need it, and maps.
Don’t forget these must-carry items as well! Sunglasses, spare money for tolls, a small first aid kit, tissues, blankets, fast-drying towels, bug spray, a daypack, a toilet roll, a flashlight, a reusable water bottle, a travel mug, a reusable shopping bag, a garbage bag and a notebook with a pen.
As for electronics, bring your phone and charger, prepare yourself a great playlist to listen to on the road, have a portable WIFI device if you are planning on needing it, travel games, and a book.
While this is a small overview, make sure to read all about my road trip essentials to have all the details!
Leaving without a road trip emergency kit
Before packing your car, make sure you have at least a couple of items in case you have a roadside emergency such as a spare tire, a car jack, some jumper cables, flares or reflectors, some flashlights, a small toolkit.
If you are going somewhere where there might be some freezing temperatures, don’t forget to add an ice scraper to your kit too.
Make sure you pack it where it will be accessible all the time. It can be in your trunk but make sure it’s not underneath all your luggage. This way, if you need to take something out of it, you won’t have to empty out the trunk to get to it.
Leaving without a cooler of snacks and drinks
One common road trip mistake is forgetting about the snacks and drinks. You don’t need a huge cooler, just a small one to keep your drinks cool and some snacks for the road.
What is a road trip without snacks? You definitely need different ones. Have healthy snacks and a couple of less healthy ones for little surprises.
At some point, you will definitely be hungry so it’s good to have them handy in your car. Prepare yourself a small cooler and make sure to pack it in your car before you go!
Not making some sort of plan
You don’t have to have everything set in stone for your itinerary but at least have a plan. Make yourself a list of what you want to see on your road trip.
Start by writing down the number of days you have on the road. Write down attractions and cities you want to see along the way. When you have a general idea of stops you want to make, you’ll be able to make an itinerary with those cities.
From there, also check the driving time between each city. You don’t want to be driving too much in a day. Make sure to plan some stops to avoid that. Your itinerary will start to take shape. You’ll be able to book accommodations in advance if you need to.
Don’t plan too much in one day. Leave yourself some time to explore things outside of your itinerary too.
Have a general idea of where you want to go and what you want to see. This way, you’ll have a direction to go towards but still enough flexibility to change it or visit recommendations from locals.
Not sure how to plan your road trip? Read How to plan an epic road trip to help you plan it out!
budget planning
Not budgeting for tolls
When you start planning your road trip and budgeting for it, check if the country you are going to has toll roads. Just a quick example, here in Canada, we don’t have toll roads but as soon as we cross over to the United States, they do.
Make sure to include tolls if needed into your budget. It’s probably not going to be a big part of your budget but if you are not planning for it, it can add up quickly.
Carry some spare change as well for toll roads. Some accept card payments but have some cash anyway just in case you would need it to pay for tolls.
Ignoring parking costs
Another common road trip mistake is forgetting to add parking costs to your budget planning. Most times, when parking in the cities, you’ll have to pay for a parking spot.
If you plan on exploring while having the car parked, budget a little higher to cover these costs. Otherwise, you will end up spending more than your planned budget.
Parkings can vary from a couple of dollars to sometimes over 20$ depending on the area and even the time of day.
driving mistakes to avoid
Not being organized and keeping it clean during the trip
Going on a road trip is my favorite way to travel. But being on the road means you’ll be in a small space for hours at a time. You’ll need to keep yourself organized.
Being organized will help you find your stuff when needed but it will also prevent you from feeling even more cramped because everything is a mess.
Every stop you make, make sure to throw away any items you don’t need anymore to keep the car clean.
To help you stay organized, I’ve got a guide on how to keep your car organized on a road trip to help you out.
Leaving valuables visible
Every time you leave your vehicle, make sure you don’t leave any valuables visible for the outside world to see.
Put away any wallets, electronics, anything valuable. By not having anything valuable visible, thieves will be less tempted to go through your stuff.
If they see it from the window, chances are increased for someone to steal them.
Driving without an idea how to change a flat tire
Have at least one person in your party know how to change a tire. This way, if you were to have a flat tire on the road, someone will know how to change it.
If you don’t know how you could check tutorials before leaving so you have a general idea of how to do it.
If you do have a flat tire along the way, make sure you stop somewhere you feel safe to change it. If the area you are in, doesn’t feel safe to you, you can always call roadside assistance to help you out.
You can call roadside assistance if needed at any time. If you know how to change a tire, it will however save you a couple of bucks.
Not stopping often enough to stretch your legs
You don’t want to be driving too much without stopping a couple of times. Sometimes, you won’t have a choice to do so. You might have to take the highway for a while with nothing to see, there might be a long drive without anything on your to-do list. Even if this is the case, make sure to pull over even if there is nothing to see just to stand up, walk a little bit before getting back in the car.
This is probably the most common road trip mistake you can do. It might seem like a good idea to drive for a long time to make time, but by not stopping a couple of times, when you finally do stop, your body will feel stiff all over.
Don’t pack your itinerary with too many visits and driving. This way you won’t be stressing about making time because you stayed longer than expected. It will allow you extra time on your hands to stop and stretch out on your way to your final destination.
Not knowing when to ditch the car
Even though you are on a road trip, sometimes it is worth ditching the car to visit the area. Parking in a city is often more costly. Find a parking spot outside of the city itself and take public transportation and make the most out of your day trip in the city.
Park the car and go for a hike. Add different types of activities you like to your road trip. There are plenty of opportunities you will have along the way to ditch the car and do something different.
Ignoring the road coming up Ahead
When planning out your route, anticipate where you will be going through traffic. Especially closer to bigger cities, expect traffic jams during busy hours.
If you are not planning to visit the city, you can drive a route going around the city to avoid traffic jams. If going through the city is the quickest way, drive through on hours that are less busy. Avoid peak times when most people are driving to and from work.
And if you do go through a traffic jam, at least plan it ahead in your schedule and plan fewer activities on that day so you have enough time in your day to do what you had planned.
Missing out on the scenic routes
You might want to get to your next stop as quickly as possible as to not be driving too much. In some instances it’s great but sometimes, you will be missing out on the scenic route.
Taking the scenic route is a great opportunity to witness beautiful scenery, have multiple great viewpoints to stop by, and even activities you hadn’t even thought about when planning your itinerary!
Take the scenic route when you can, stop when you spot something worth stopping for along the way even if it isn’t planned. It will add so much value to your trip!
Driving too much in one day
It’s important to consider driving times while planning your itinerary. You don’t want to be driving too much in one day.
You can definitely plan a couple of hours of driving in a day but break it up so you don’t spend 8 hours straight driving around and not doing anything else.
Plan a couple of visits along the way. If you don’t have visits, make sure to stop in rest areas just to break it down a little.
Letting your fuel gauge run low
Letting your fuel gauge get too low is another common road trip mistake to avoid. You don’t want to run on fumes for too long. Find a gas station as soon as possible when your gas light turns on.
Sometimes, you won’t be able to find a gas station for many miles ahead. There are areas where there won’t be a gas station for nearly one hundred miles! Make sure to put gas in your car when you know there won’t be a station for a while even if you have plenty.
This way you’ll be sure not to run out before the next gas station. You also don’t want to end up having to push the car or walk to the nearest gas station.
Planning everything so there’s no room to divert from the plan
As I said earlier in making some sort of a plan for your road trip, don’t plan your route too tight with visits, driving, and going out. Leave yourself some downtime so you can enjoy every little moment on your trip but also avoid unnecessary stress.
If your itinerary is too packed, your stress level will go up. You’ll be stressed about not making it to the right city to spend the night, or stress out about not making it to a museum on time before it closes. By having a more flexible itinerary, you’ll avoid this and you’ll be more relaxed at the end of the day.
Having an itinerary with time to spare, will allow you to take the time to enjoy your coffee in the morning before rushing out to start the day. Or you could have an early finish to your day’s itinerary. You could enjoy a nice dinner and a movie relaxing in your accommodation.
Having spare time in your itinerary will also allow you to add to it. You might get pointed to a great attraction or a great view you absolutely need to see along the way. Having a tight itinerary, you most likely won’t be able to add in the detour because you won’t have some spare time. However, if your itinerary is looser, you’ll be able to add it. You never know what great experience is waiting just around the corner.
when things go wrong
Can’t find anywhere to stay
Sometimes, you might not have something booked ahead for the night. And you might get to your final destination and try to find somewhere to stay without any luck. If you can’t find a hotel for the night, try motels, if you still don’t have any luck, you could try a campground if they are still open.
It might not be ideal to sleep in your car for the night but at least you will be staying somewhere safe, with washrooms and showers. You’ll be able to cook a little something and eat at a proper table.
You can also find public places you are allowed to park to sleep. Make sure to check beforehand. Don’t just sleep anywhere like a rest area. Sometimes it is allowed but some rest areas have a no sleeping at night policy. You don’t want to have a fine either.
If these still don’t work, you might have to backtrack your steps and drive back to another city where you will have availability for someplace to stay.
fighting with your road trip buddies
At some point during the road trip, you will probably fight with one of your travel companions for some reason. It is totally normal as you’ll be spending lots of time confined to a small space.
You might have to take a little break from each other. Communication is always the key but sometimes, just a little bit of space will do the trick and you’ll be able to talk it out afterward. Here are a couple of ideas to have your space and then get back to your companions and enjoy the road trip.
Take time to yourself. Put on some music and listen to it on your headphones. Read a book or listen to a podcast you like or listen to an audiobook. Watch an episode of your favorite show.
You can stop for half an hour, take some air. Walk around the area. If there is nowhere to stop, take a break from talking to each other, look outside at the scenery.
I’m not saying avoid talking about it but being in a confined space, sometimes it’s just nice to take a bit of time to yourself, think about your fight and the reasons why you were fighting in the first place. It might help to calm everyone down instead of fighting even harder.
Something breaks
Sometimes, you plan for the best. You make sure you get the car checked up before you go but something could still break down along the way.
Try to not stress too much about it. Call a garage in the area where you broke down to help you out. If you can still drive, drive yourself to the closest garage. They will be able to get it checked out and they will give you all the options to help you get back on your way.
It happened to us a couple of years back. We were on a trip to the United States. We had a problem with a wheel. We got it checked out, they fixed it and while they were working on the car, they even drove us to the beach and picked us up later. We were still able to enjoy our day even though the car was being fixed.
You get lost
Chances are, you will get lost at some point. What is a road trip without a wrong turn somewhere along the way?
Don’t panic. If you need to, stop a couple of minutes to regroup and check your route. Take some time to plan how you’ll get back on track or find a road that will get you back to where you need to be. Try to avoid fighting with your travel buddies about it. Take a deep breath and take the time you need. It isn’t worth fighting about who’s at fault for getting lost. It’s a waste of your time and will just dampen the mood of your road trip.
This unexpected detour might bring you to unexpected places you didn’t know existed!
Not being prepared for weather
Don’t forget to check the weather during the season you will be going on your road trip. Don’t forget to pack for colder weather or even snow if you need to. Bring extra layers so you can dress up when the weather gets colder. Bring insulated shirts. If you don’t need them at least you’ll have the extra layers in case it gets too cold.
Have your car ready as well for that type of weather. Put on some winter tires, have an ice scraper handy as well. If you need to drive on icy or snowy roads, you’ll be better prepared. When ready to leave in the morning it’s good to have the ice scraper to remove ice from your windows.
While planning a winter road trip or a trip where you might encounter snow or ice, also consider if you are comfortable driving in this weather. If so, always make sure to drive carefully when these conditions arise to keep everyone safe.
Running out of snacks
You might run out of snacks in your cooler at some point. It’s not that big of a deal as you can stock up at your next grocery stop or even the next gas station while filling up.
Make sure to stock up on everyone’s favorite snacks. Don’t forget to buy healthy ones and not just junk food!
So here are all my 27 common road trip mistakes to help you avoid them and plan your road trip around them. Even though you prepare for all the eventualities, there might still happen something along the way but at least, you’ll be prepared to face them.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally love and use!
Want more inspiration for your next road trip? Here is everything you need to know to plan it, be eco-friendly, organize everything, and also great itineraries for you!
Family road trip survival guide
How to keep your car organized on a road trip
How to take an eco-friendly road trip
Our 14-day road trip itinerary across Scotland
