Note: Road Trip Memories is a series on Traveler Ahoy where I look back at the various things I’ve seen and done on past road trips.
A few years ago my friends and I drove from Edmonton to Las Vegas. We broke our drive into 2 days. Day 1 was Edmonton to Salt Lake City. It’s over 1609 km, or 1000 miles from Edmonton to Salt Lake City. We drove that in one day. Left at 3am (to beat rush hour in Calgary) and got to Salt Lake City at 11pm. Speed may have been a factor in some areas (not that I condone speeding or anything like that).
It was an ambitious drive, and we were exhausted when we arrived at our hotel. I don’t think I’d attempt so much driving in one day again. But we could only get so much time off work, and we didn’t want to waste more of it on the road.
If you’re a little crazy, like we were, and thinking driving for almost a full day sounds great here’s how handle 21 hours on the road.
- Drive with other people. Driving alone seven hours can feel like forever. Driving with others you can switch drivers every couple of hours, so no one will get burnt out from driving too much. This helps make the trip safer. Just make sure the car insurance will cover every driver.
- Take frequent breaks. Even if it’s for five minutes while you fill up the gas tank. Get out, stretch, walk around. A break every couple of hours will help break up the time and make you more alert.
- Bring snacks and drinks, because this will keep your energy up. As delicious as chocolate bars and pop are they’ll just give you a sugar crash. Trail-mix, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, veggies and dip (if you have a cooler with some ice) and water or fruit juices are good choices. Plus bringing food will stop you from buying overpriced gas station junk food.
The I-15 in Montana.
- Eat meals. Whether you choose to pack a picnic type meal, or stop at a restaurant it’s a good idea to get out and eat a meal. Trust me, you’ll welcome a 15 minute break after being on the road for 9 hours.
- Bring any medications you’ll need, but know if they’ll cause drowsiness. On our trip I got stuffed up. We stopped at a gas station and I bought benadryl. I didn’t realize it caused drowsiness. After I took some I had to pull over and get one of my friends to drive. Benadryl causes drowsiness, lesson learned.
- Rest if you want to. As long as you’re not driving there’s no harm in taking a nap. Catching 20 minutes of sleep might help you feel more awake during the rest of your drive.
- Music can help make a drive go faster. Get a system for which music will be used. Will everyone just rotate their own songs, or will the songs be mutually agreed upon? My suggestion; go for up-beat songs everyone knows and likes. I can’t be bored when singing along to cheesy 1980s pop songs. Another way to stay awake, listen to comedy albums. It’s hard to be tired when you’re laughing.
- Find things to do. Sure you could pull out your smartphone and start texting, tweeting, watching movies. But what about the driver? The best thing about road trips are the memories you make with your friends. So talk to each other, or play road trip games. Find creative ways to pass the time.
- If you’re getting tired, or need to stop for a break say something. Don’t suffer in silence, or feel bad for wanting a break. Chances are everyone will probably appreciate a break.
- Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s easy to get panicked and focus on how much driving is left, especially early in the trip. Don’t look at it that way. Just take it a few hours at a time. Soon enough your driving day will get shorter and shorter.
- Drive safely. Okay my friends and I did speed a little in some spots, but for the most part we went the speed limit or lower. We hit bad weather in the mountains, strong crosswinds, and there were some places were we drove a bit slower. Sure it may have cost us time, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Know when to throw in the towel. By the end, as I mentioned early, we were exhausted. I don’t think we could have driven another minute. If everyone is getting tired and wants to call it a day, that’s perfectly fine.
So there you have it. My tips for surviving 21 hours on the road. Has anyone else attempted an ambitious road trip like this? What are your tips for surviving a long road trip?
My husband and I went from Michigan to Seattle (about 2,300 miles) and we had the rental car for three days. In Montana we got a flat tire that turned into a 12 hour ordeal….and I don’t drive, so it was all Robert.
Driving that much in such a short period of time was definitely not ideal, haha. But we made it fun! We talked a lot, we listened to comedy (which I always recommend to people, so it was nice to see you recommending it, too!) and we played road trip games and such. We love road trips
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Oh I’ve run into a flat tire on a long road trip too…never good. Glad you managed to still have a fun time. Comedy albums, games and good company definitely helps.
Yikes, that’s certainly one of the longest driving days I’ve heard of! I like your tip about checking medications for the possible side-effect of drowsiness; Benadryl knocks me out cold just twenty minutes after I take it…. a lesson learned when I fell asleep when getting food out of a cooler while camping.
Fell asleep while getting food? Oh no. I’m glad I’m not the only person who’s inadvertently discovered the drowsy effects of Benadryl. I don’t think I’ll ever need to buy a sleeping pill if I have it around.
Great tips! Even though my country is a little island to yours, I have had many “long” road trips retrospectively
One thing I can’t cope with is inadequate food supplies!!
Totally understand the inadequate food supplies. I get a little grumpy when my blood sugar is low.
And the UK might be smaller than Canada, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover. I’ve learned just because a country looks small doesn’t mean you can zip through it in an hour or two.