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Last summer, when the pandemic was raging, William McDaniels decided to plan a road trip. A long road trip.
McDaniels, a San Francisco-based photographer, created an ambitious three-month itinerary that took him and his wife Evita through the western states to DC and back. The adventure would require multiple marathon rides, such as the monotonous 7 1/2 hour route between Reno, Nevada and Salt Lake City, and the nearly nine hour slogan from Denver to Kansas City, Mo.
“I find long journeys therapeutic,” he says. “I put on something nice to listen to and just leave.”
Expect more road tripers like McDaniels this summer. Interest in long journeys is increasing, according to Similarweb, a web traffic analysis company. It saw nearly 2 million searches for keywords related to road trips in the first quarter of 2021 year over year, up 61%.
“The road trip seems to be a staple of American travel this summer,” says Alisha Kapur, senior travel advisor at Similarweb.
How do you manage a long road trip this summer? It turns out there are ways to cover long distances behind the wheel that won’t leave you feeling drained. There are also a few clever strategies you can use to cope with the inevitable fatigue of a long journey.
McDaniels’ secret to enjoying a long drive is to break it down into smaller segments. He often stops to take photos and buy food. Good entertainment is also essential. He’s taken a Sirius XM radio subscription and keeps it on a station called Chill, which whistles down to downtempo in his car.
Road trips can be a chore, there are no two options. Bring a friend or two. That’s what Katie Rowley is doing this summer. On a trip from California to Alabama, she brings her friend Sax and her pandemic puppy Asher, a mix of Chihuahua and German Shepherd, with her.
“On the way we meet White Sands and Big Bend, but also cities like Austin and Nashville,” says Rowley, an artist representative from Los Angeles. “I’m looking forward to this trip despite the long journeys.”
Alternation when driving is essential. My best advice is to break up your trip into two hour shifts – two on, two off. Rowley is lucky because her dog doesn’t allow her to sit in the car indefinitely. Frequent breaks are a must (whether you are traveling with your best friend or not).
Sometimes you can’t avoid a solo ride. John Niser drove regularly between Indiana and New Hampshire every week – a 900-mile hike. He did the 20 hour drive alone.
“The key to doing this is taking a very disciplined approach, planning stops, timing subway transit areas, refueling, hydrating, and eating very carefully,” explains Niser, director of the hospitality school, Sport and tourism management at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
He says that being in excellent physical condition helps, but there isn’t much you can do if you get tired after 12 hours of driving. Niser doesn’t recommend walking that long or resorting to caffeine or energy drinks.
“Research shows that the danger zone is in the early hours of the morning between 2 and 4 in the morning,” he says. “From a point of view, dawn and dusk are the most dangerous times.”
Katy Kassian likely deserves a medal for the ride she recently took in a PT Cruiser from Sacramento to Palmetto, Georgia with her grandma and her lap dogs Mitzy and Sis. She did almost all of the trips in just three days. “We even managed to stop for gambling in West Wendover, Nevada, and a small fair in Kansas,” said Kassian, a Sacramento consultant. “That was a hard drive.”
Her advice for prospective truckers: bring plenty of food. She packs a generous supply of green grapes, granola bars, and water. “Depending on where you are, you can lie between the cafes!” She says.
How else do you survive a long journey? As someone currently on a six month road trip across the United States – yes, you read that right, six months – I have a few more things to add.
There is something to say for reassurance. Roadside assistance is a must. You can get it through your automaker, a car rental company (if you can find a rental car), or a member organization like AAA. Keep in mind that during the peak periods this summer you may have to wait a while for help. While travel insurance doesn’t cover every aspect of a road trip, it can be useful. For example, my annual Allianz Travel Policy offers a 24/7 hotline. So if one of my kids has a medical emergency, they’ll help me find the nearest doctor.
One final piece of advice from Niser: stop frequently and “exercise at these stops for at least five minutes”.
Okay, I’ll admit it – I’m the guy who does yoga stretches at the truck stop. Meanwhile, my children sit in the car and roll their eyes. But you don’t have to drive.
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