Plan Your Stops on Long Drives and Stick to It…

If you’ve ever been on a long road trip, you know that where and when you make stops for fuel, food or lodging have a major impact on your schedule. Many people like to use a “play it by ear” mentality when making these decisions, stopping as needed or when they feel like it. Certainly this can add to the spontaneity of the trip but it also leaves you open to situations that you’d like to avoid. You’re trip will be much more efficient and safer overall if you plan these stops out before you leave and then stick to that schedule.

Before you embark on any long drive, especially if it’s one that will take more than a single day, you should set a mileage goal and do whatever you can to stick to it. If you find the need to stray from that goal, it’s always better to make it less far than it is to try and push how far you can make it. Driving for long stretches of time can be very exhausting and dozing off behind the wheel is clearly something that should be avoided at all costs.

Once you’ve set your mileage goal, then you should take some time to plan out your food and fuel stops and adhere to them as well. Food stops have some room for flexibility but your fuel stops should be conservative. Don’t schedule refueling for when the tank is almost empty but rather when you’ve used half a tank. It makes for better gas mileage and gives  you room for error.