Road Trip! Ah, the open road, a trusty vehicle, and endless possibilities ahead – there’s nothing quite like it! Whether you’re chasing the sunset on a coastal highway, traversing rugged mountain passes, or cruising through charming small towns, road trips have an irresistible magic that beckons adventurers and wanderers alike. They’re a symphony of freedom, adventure, and the joy of discovery, where every turn of the wheel brings you closer to new experiences and unforgettable memories. Chris and I decided our Spring vacation of 2023 would be a road trip! We currently live in Iowa and we will be roadtripping allllll the way to Maine, my home state. It is about a 20 hour drive but we are breaking it up over a few stops on the way there and back.
Drive Itinerary
Drive Day 1: Drive from Iowa to Ohio and stay couple of days with friends.
Drive Day 2: Drive from Ohio to Boston and hit up a Red Sox game!
Drive Day 3: Drive from Boston to Maine
On the way home we will:
Drive Day 1: Drive from Maine to Pittsburg and stay the night with friends.
Drive Day 2: Pittsburg to Chicago and stay for a couple of days.
Drive Day 3: Chicago to Iowa
It is the longest road trip we have taken but we are breaking it up with seeing friends and other cities like Boston and Chicago to make it bearable!
We have taken long road trips in the past, especially when we lived in Roanoke, Virginia. On these long trips we always have a few go-to tips to make them not only bearable but FUN!
Here are a few of our tips:
Road Trip Tips
1. A KILLER playlist
We love having a spotify family account so we each have our own playlists and can listen to them at the same time when we are at the gym or working from home. One of my favorite playlists on spotify you can find here. We also love mixing things up and listening to podcasts – a few educational favorites like Jai Long’s Make Your Break Podcast, Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast and a new favorite I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi (we totally binged his new Netflix show and loved it!). I also love NPR’s This American Life and Office Ladies Podcast for more storytelling/entertaining.
2. Snacks!
Maybe this should have been the number 1 tip because it’s pretty important! Bringing your own snacks is cheaper, healthier and more convenient than stopping every time you get a craving for something. For our Maine trip we will be packing up our old faithful L.L.Bean family size lunch box – we’ve been toting an older version of this one for years and have zero regrets! Here is a list of some of our favorite go-to snacks.
- Popcorn
- Nuts
- Fresh Fruit (grapes, berries, cutie oranges)
- Dried Mangos
- Chomp Sticks
- Cheese Sticks
- Peanut M&M’s
3. A really good water bottle.
I hate to jump on the bandwagon here but I do love my Stanley 40oz . I’ve been having kidney stone issues (another story for another day) and drinking a ton of water is a must! Not having to fill up all the time is a plus. I use my big Stanley cup all day everyday – no regrets!
4. An essentials station.
This includes a bag of things you may need but are within reach so you don’t have to dig through a packed trunk.. Hand sanitizer, napkins, cleaning wipes, chapstick, ibuprofen, and anything else you would like to have at arm’s length.
5. Travel pillow and blanket.
Yep, I’m that person that always travels with her own travel pillow and blanket. A travel pillow especially is helpful if you can nap in a car like me. If I don’t have one I for sure will be waking up with a kink in my neck – not fun!
So there you have it – our go to must haves for a road trip that we will be sure to pack on our 2023 road trip to Maine! We are super excited and can’t wait to get going next week. What about you? Any must-have road trip tips? Tell me in the comment section!
