I will always have a soft spot for road trips. There is something about loading up the car, picking a direction and watching the scenery change that a flight cannot match. Some of my best memories have come from long drives where the destination was almost an afterthought.
Plan loosely
I like having a rough plan: where we will start, where we want to end up and maybe one or two places we definitely want to see. Beyond that I leave room for detours. The best stops are often the ones you did not plan, like a small town diner, a scenic overlook or a roadside attraction that is exactly as odd as the sign promised.
Florida has great drives
Living in Florida, there is no shortage of good routes. Driving along the coast on A1A, with the ocean appearing between the dunes, never gets old. The Overseas Highway down to the Keys is one of the most memorable drives in the country, with long stretches of bridge and water on both sides. And heading inland shows a quieter, greener side of the state that many visitors never see.
Get the car ready
A little preparation goes a long way. Before a long drive I check tire pressure and tread, top off fluids, make sure the wipers and lights work and clean out the clutter. It takes half an hour and saves a lot of stress later.
Take breaks
I try to stop every couple of hours to stretch, get something to eat and reset. It makes the drive safer and more enjoyable, and it often leads to those unplanned stops that become the highlight of the trip.
Leave the schedule some slack
Traffic, weather and construction all have opinions about your timeline. I have learned to build in more time than the map suggests, especially for the last leg of the day. Arriving rested and in daylight beats racing to make up an hour. A road trip with no slack stops being fun quickly, and the whole point is to enjoy the drive.
The soundtrack matters
A road trip is the perfect excuse to listen to whole albums, catch up on podcasts or just enjoy some quiet conversation. Some of the best talks I have had happened somewhere on a highway with nowhere else to be.
If you have been meaning to take a trip and keep defaulting to the airport, consider driving next time. It takes longer, but that is sort of the point.
Views expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of my employer. Content is for general information only and is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.