Five Tips + Tricks for Your Summer Road Trip

This post has been sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 


Taking off in my car for a little adventure is the best way I can spend a vacation. I love cruising down an interstate, stopping off and checking out quaint towns along the way to my final destination. My latest trip started in Michigan with an overnight stay in Indianapolis, spontaneous stops in Kentucky, two nights in Nashville, the scenic drive through Tennesse through national forests and one evening exploring everything horse-related in Lexington.

As much as I try to relax and unwind during a travel adventure—it’s almost impossible, but I find that with the right planning and prep, the control freak in me can rest. Read on for a few road trip tips and tricks from a road trip enthusiast!

Road Trip Tip #1: Grab cash for tolls and small purchases along the way.

Cash is great to pay tolls as you go and not forget about them like I normally do. Now, I make sure to have quarters, dollar bills and fives. I also prefer to pay cash at local shops in small towns I pass through—I carry extra cash for souvenirs, antiques and meals!

Road Trip Tip #2: Stock up on beverages and snacks.

I have a terrible habit of enjoying every fast food chain imaginable on the road and forgetting to drink enough water. This time, I packed a case of smartwater®—I’ve partnered with them since it’s truly my beverage of choice whether I’m in the car for work or a long road trip. I’ve realized stocking up smartwater® was the best idea I’ve had. My mom and I always had a water on hand to stay hydrated. I also pack protein bars, nuts and something else a little salty like chips to curb those cravings on the road.

Instead of shopping for the smartwater® and snacks myself, I took advantage of Sam’s Club In-Club Pick Up. My colleague showed me how it works and it’s so simple. You select the items you’d like online, choose your pick-up time and then waltz into the store to pay and pick up for the items already loaded into a cart for you. This was such a time saver to use the In-Club Pick Up at Sam’s Club, allowing me more time to pack my suitcase and prepare for travel.

Road Trip Tip #3: Check out the weird stuff along the way.

My mom and I passed Dinosaur World, Kentucky Down Under and a host of other odd, historical or interesting things on our drive down to Nashville. We popped by Kentucky Down Under and a rest stop on the way down and made more of an effort for more off-interstate stops on our drive from Nashville to Lexington including national forests. We also stopped at local tack shops and general stores on our drive through Tennessee heading north.

Road Trip Tip #4: Plan an itinerary—with wiggle room.

Each road trip, I map out each day, potential restaurant and shopping options and other sights to see. It’s in a word document that I share with whoever I’m traveling with and we can add activities and ideas per day to get a better understanding of what we should do and when. Of course, things change and it’s great to go with the flow and go a little off-script. I personally struggle with this as I like to keep to the time frame I plan for estimated times of arrival to each destination, but traveling with my mom keeps us a little more spontaneous as she prefers scenic, back roads where we stumble into things we didn’t plan to see. It’s great to have a balance of researched plans and itineraries—and unscheduled, spontaneous stops and adventures.

Road Trip Tip #5: Take the scenic route.

My most cherished travel memories are the times I’ve hopped off the highway to take the back roads. It might add hours to my trip, but it’s a chance to see more locally owned stores, talk to the locals and find out where else to go, eat at small mom and pop shops and see the nature and wilderness. We went hours out of our way from Nashville to Lexington, KY to drive through Big South Fork National Forest and Daniel Boone National Forest. We found horse camping sites, local general stores and tack shops to visit and overlooks to take in the scenic views of the river and landscape of the national forests.