Road Trip 101

  
This summer I went on an amazing road trip with my boyfriend down the east coast. We were gone about a month, and had the best time! I want to share some pictures, but also some tips about how to best prepare. Road trips are a great way to see lots of different places for less money. If you ever have an opportunity to take one, I highly suggest you do! It is a great learning experience and crazy adventure. It's even better when you do it with your favorite person by your side.

1.) Pack as little as possible!

I would say we definitely over packed especially in the clothing department(more so me than him of course) but because we had so many houses we stopped at, there were so many places to do laundry. Before we left, I packed a lot of things that we would "possibly" need in an emergency but no emergency happened, and we could have stopped at stores to buy this supplies along the way if needed. The less stuff you have packed in your car, the less overwhelmed you will feel. 

2.) Don't plan every detail, leave room for detours.

We had our trip pretty much completely planned day to day, which was nice except for the fact that things don't always go as planned...The first night we arrived in Virginia planning to camp, but of course there was a huge storm and bad weather preventing us from doing so. Luckily there were hotels close by and everything worked out ok! Some of my favorite places we saw were things that we stumbled apon while on the road or by word of mouth from locals. I personally think it's good to have most of your trip planned out and destination markers, but it's also great to leave room for spontaneous adventure :)

3.) Use Airbnb to stay places!

Airbnb is an awesome site that allows you to stay in people's homes who have extra space/a guest house. It's almost always cheaper than a hotel and you get to meet new people! Just make sure you read the reviews. This is also a good way to get recommendations from the locals that live in the area!

4.) Learn to breathe when things don't go as planned.

We had an unfortunate event where someone broke into our car and stole our valuables which was definitely the downfall of our trip. It was a very stressful situation, but you need to learn to go with the flow as much as possible. You must realize that the situation could have been much worse, and something crazy is bound to happen on a long road trip!

5.) Eat wisely!

We packed a lot of healthy snacks before we left, which saved us a lot of money and from eating unhealthily at fast food restaurants. When you are driving and want to get somewhere as fast as possible, it's best to just snack in the car instead of stopping anyways!