7 Unique Spring Road Trip Travel Tips

by Molly Barnes

Digital Nomad Life  

Yet another spring is on the horizon. However, travel questions are still ever-present in our daily lives. Is it even safe to travel? Should we cancel our vacations? Where can I be sure my family will be safe?

These questions, and many other similar ones, are all worth considering. These are strange times we are living in, so staying on top of the details and data is essential to our safety.

However, that doesn’t mean we have to eliminate all the fun from our lives. Road trips continue to be a safe and fun way to get away from it all. With proper planning, you and your family can hit the road for safe, exciting fun. In fact, here are seven unique spring road trip travel tips for your next vacation.

Plan Out Your Route(s)

Spring can bring uncertainty to our travel plans. Weather can still be unpredictable. And, with COVID-19 restrictions still in place, some destinations will stay closed until later in the tourist season.

For these reasons, make sure you’ve planned your route, and even a couple of backup routes, just in case. In some areas of the country, rock slides have cut off the sole routes in or out of an area. In others, heavy snow can set in even during the spring months. Stay flexible during the spring, and prepare for the unknown by planning various routes and destinations. 

Hunt for Travel Deals

Of course, you won’t be the only one to have these ideas. Despite some areas slowing down because of COVID-19, others are thriving. Some sites are even seeing off-season deals disappear. Though spring is still months away, now is the prime time to start looking for bargains.

Take advantage of off-season locations and weekday deals. When it comes to renting a vehicle, companies like StressFreeCarRental.com make it easy to see the best price available. You play around with putting different dates into their database to find what days will be the cheapest to rent a vehicle. Seattle in February might not be your first destination choice, but cities are offering competitive packages to make up for the drop in business travel. If you’re stopping and looking for things to do in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, make sure to plan ahead and see if you can find any coupons or deals for local attractions.

Keep Hotels Out of the Picture

With that said, hotels can still be hit or miss from a safety standpoint. Many hotels have shown their adherence to COVID-19 safety measures. For some, though, relying on others for sanitizing your room might add extra stress unsuited for a vacation.  

If you’re a lover of the outdoors, then spring offers prime camping experiences amongst the new blooms of nature. Finding safe areas to set up a tent should pose no problem. 

However, if you’re not a fan of camping, then you may want to think twice about hotels. Instead, look into vacation rentals. Through services like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com, you can search through beautiful rentals that best suit your needs. These come without the crowds and health risks of hotels. Also, since you generally have the property to yourself, you can ensure you and your family are safe.  

Use Driving Apps to Earn Extra Cash

One of the most tedious aspects of the road trip is the road. Driving can become monotonous, and if you’re traveling with young children, you’ll have an extra level of challenges.

One way to stay balanced is to turn your driving into cash. Safe driving apps like Safe 2 Save help incentivize safe driving by paying for it. You earn two points for every minute of safe driving (not opening texts or other programs). Those points can then be redeemed at restaurants and other businesses.

Stay Loose With Car Yoga and Stretching

Aside from the boredom of driving for hours, road trips can be a real pain—literally. Sitting in a car for hours at a time is not ideal for the body. So, why not try some car yoga?

This tip is more for the passengers, but there are safe stretches that the driver can handle too. For everything else, pull over and stretch your limbs. Doing so improves circulation and tension. And, by keeping your load-bearing areas stretched and limber, the rest of your trip won’t weigh so heavily on your body the following day. 

Keep the Kids (and Yourself) Entertained With Art Therapy

Of course, no amount of stretching will keep children entertained for an entire trip. And dealing with young kids while driving can be a near-impossible task. Still, shoving a tablet in front of them for hours isn’t always healthy, either.

Enter art therapy. Using specific art prompts and exercises, your children (and yourself) can have fun and express your emotions through art. For example, have your children pilot their dreams by addressing their feelings on paper airplanes. They can “let go” of their thoughts as you drive while creating their own planes. 

Disinfect Whenever You Stop

Though most of us are already vaccinated against COVID-19, none of us want to get sick in the first place. If nothing else, the past couple of years have shown how much more attention we could give to proper sanitization. To keep the chance of any illness down while you travel, practice these smart sanitizing tips:

• Keep hand and surface sanitizer in an easy-to-access place in the vehicle.
• Sanitize everything you touch within the vehicle every time you leave it.
• Keep masks and disposable gloves handy if you have to go inside anywhere.
• Keep any chemical cleaners sealed in bags to avoid spillage.

Everyone will have different levels of acceptable sanitization, but limiting any potential risks is a major goal of any road trip. Today’s normal happens to include pathogen safety, as well. 

This next spring, don’t let your road trip get derailed. Stay safe and secure from the start. Plan your routes and follow the deals. Use safety incentive apps that pay you while you drive. Keep your kids happy with art therapy exercises. Finally, keep your car clean, wash your hands often, and have a great trip.

Image Source: Freepik