Helpful tips for a successful summer road trip
July 9, 2018
July 9, 2018
Summer is finally in full swing! It’s time for carefree adventures as we take to the open road towards the unknown. Is a road trip part of your upcoming summer plans? Ultramar is here to offer you a few tips to help make your experience a success.
1. Plan ahead, but not too far!
We all know that a road trip requires a certain amount of organization. A preliminary search for information on tourist sites, on blogs and on Instagram using hashtags is recommends to get an idea of the regions you wish to discover.
To better organize your trip, plan hotels and Airbnb but don’t over plan every minute of every day. Knowing even a little about where you’re going in advance, and what your options are, can help your trip run more smoothly. Striking a balance between planning and spontaneity will help you appreciate your trip even more.
2. Make a list of your wildest dreams!
Have you ever dreamt of bungee jumping off a cliff or sleeping under the stars? Write down every bucket list item you’ve ever wanted to do on a road trip and try and integrate them into the destinations you’ve chosen.
Your road trip will be even more memorable!
3. Bring only the essentials
Create an inventory of items that will make your trip more comfortable: a swimsuit, towels, sleeping bag, snacks, flashlight and toilet paper (!) are all good places to start. The idea though is to travel light.
Tip: roll your clothes instead of folding them. You’ll save space and they will be less wrinkled.
4. Create a playlist
You have few hits or favorite tunes in mind for travelling? It’s time to create the perfect playlist that will become the soundtrack of your trip.
Drawing a blank when it comes to your playlist? Applications like Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud offer curated playlists for all tastes. All you have to do is press “play”!
5. Is your car capable of handling the road?
Has your car been making strange noises lately? Before leaving on your road trip, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have your car tuned up, making sure everything is running smoothly.
A tune up may involve costs you hadn’t planned, but breaking down when you’re far from home isn’t a better option.
6. Curb your social networking!
Many people like to share their favorite moments on their social networks. Moreover, we invite you to capture your best moments on Instagram using the hashtag #roadtripultramar to share with our online community.
If social networks are an excellent way to archive your best memories and share them with those closest to you, think about disconnecting as much as you can and appreciate the moment you’re in. Everything, even sharing, works best in moderation.
7. Plan your budget
Are you the type to spend a lot during the first few days of your trip and then spend the rest of it counting your pennies so you don’t starve? This is far from ideal and why we advise you to plan a budget for meals, activites, gas, accommodations and more.
This way there’ll be no nasty surprises along the way.
8. Auto-mobile apps!
When it comes to saving time, technology is man’s best friend! A tip to help simplify your trip: research and download the most pertinent apps that you might need and organise them all into the same tab on your mobile device. Here’s a list of useful apps:
● Parking: PayByPhone Parking
● Navigation and traffic: Waze Navigation & Live Traffic
● Cost sharing: Splitwise
● To help find public washrooms: Flush – Toilet Finder & Map
● For stargazing: SkyView® Lite
In short, there’s no end to road trip assistance, right at your fingertips!
Do you have other inspiring ideas to maximize a road trip that you’d like to share?
We wish you all a great summer road trip!