Top 10 Tips for Your Solo Road Trip

Solo road trips are a fantastic way to explore at your own pace, reflect, and disconnect. The experience of traveling solo is incredibly rewarding and empowering. At the same time, there are additional things to keep in mind to ensure your safety when traveling solo. To help you make the most of your journey, here are our top 10 tips for embarking on a solo road trip.

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1. Share Travel Plans with Someone You Trust…but Don’t Share Them Publicly

Share a copy of your planned itinerary with someone you trust, whether a friend or family member. Keep this person up to date when you significantly change plans.

How can your family or friends track your progress without having to constantly check in on you?

• If you have an iPhone, consider setting up a Family Sharing account. Those people who are on your account can then track your progress using find my iPhone even if you haven’t checked in.
• Attach AirTags to your purse, wallet, phone, or simply place one in your car. This helps you track things down if misplaced or stolen, and also can be used by your trusted person to track your progress.
• Use a GPS Tracker on your car. This can be illegal if done without consent. However, if you’d like a friend or family member to be able to track your progress, this is a relatively easy and legal solution. Be careful to check the fine print to see whether the GPS Tracker you plan to purchase requires a subscription or not.

At the same time, don’t broadcast your itinerary or your whereabouts publicly (e.g., on social media). Rather than posting live, consider posting only once you’ve moved on from that location. If you do have to post live, be careful not to give away where you’re staying, where you’re stopping next, and the fact that you are traveling solo.

2. Ensure Your Vehicle is Road-Trip Ready, and Stays That Way

It’s critical to a successful road trip that your car is in good, working condition. Perform a thorough check of your vehicle, or have someone do this for you. Make sure your tires, brakes, and engine are in good condition. Your car should have had a recent oil change, and all fluids should be topped off. If your car isn’t in great shape, consider renting a car for your road trip. We use and recommend Discovercars for our rentals.

Be sure to have the following in your vehicle in case of a breakdown:

• Spare tire
• Emergency kit (including jumper cables, air compressor, safety triangle, and more)
• First aid kit
• Flashlight or waterproof headlamp with extra batteries
• Windshield washer fluid (especially when traveling in winter or on dusty roads)

If you’re traveling in winter, bring additional supplies, such as a blanket, windshield brush and scraper, a snow shovel, sand or cat litter for traction, and extra warm hats, socks, and gloves. Don’t overlook the snow shovel. A friend of ours got stuck in deep snow with no snow shovel, while out of cell range. The only thing they could shovel with was a ski that was in the car, which didn’t work effectively. They were stuck until someone went looking for them and dug them out.

3. Plan out Your Route, but Stay Flexible

Map out your main route and key stops, but allow room for spontaneous detours. Sometimes the best experiences come from unplanned adventures! I was on a road trip in Portugal recently and was spending the day in Viana do Castelo. Ponte de Lima hadn’t been on my route for the day. When I saw the exit sign, I decided to make the quick detour. The historic Roman bridge and charming village was definitely worth the detour.

• Map out your overall route and identify key stops.
• For each stop, come up with your list of must-see sights and nice-to-see ones. You can decide whether to stop at the nice-to-see ones depending on your mood.
• Leave some buffer time for ad hoc stops–things that you see along the way.
• Consider whether or not you need to book hotels or campsites, and when you can stay flexible. If it is high season (e.g., leaf peeping season in Vermont), you will need to book your lodging. In other situations, you may be fine to book last minute. Check reviews and ratings before booking.

4. Plan for Regular Breaks on Your Driving Days

Long hours on the road can be monotonous, leading to boredom and dangerous driving. Schedule breaks every few hours to stretch, eat, or simply rest. This keeps you alert and helps prevent fatigue.

Plan to refill your gas tank during these breaks. When traveling solo, we recommend filling your gas tank when it gets below half of a tank. If you are driving an electric car, plan to arrive at your next charging spot with at least 1/4-1/2 of your full charge left. We ended up in Moab, Utah once with 4 miles left of charge due to some wrong estimations–not an experience I’d want to have while driving solo.

5. Slow Down and Embrace the Experience

For many, a road trip is about getting from point A to point B. Stops are quick, just long enough to use the restroom, get gas, and refill drinks or food. Instead, consider planning for 20-40 minute stops every few hours. Use this time to get out in nature, visit a museum or roadside attraction, or whatever appeals to you.

Before heading out on the road, search for activities in the general area where you’ll need a stop. For example, on a recent solo trip from Chicago to Denver (via the northern route), this is what I searched for near La Crosse, Wisconsin:

• Top things to do in and around La Crosse Wisconsin near I-90.
• Stops recommended on Wanderlog, filtering out stops that were too far off my path.
• Top hikes on Alltrails.
• On Google Maps, I visually looked at what attractions and trails showed up in this area.

When in more remote areas (such as Wyoming, South Dakota), consider stops in college towns, since they generally have a bit more infrastructure. Generally, it makes sense to look for places and activities where you’ll find clean and safe restrooms, a place to refill water bottles, and somewhere to picnic or buy food. Check reviews for your potential stop(s) on tripadvisor, yelp, or similar.

In this case, a bike ride in Sparta, the self-proclaimed Bicycling Capital of America, seemed the perfect choice. Sparta has a great visitor’s center in an old train station, with restrooms, water refill stations, and a heavily used gravel bike trail. A quick 40 minute bike ride later, I was refreshed and back on the road.

6. Use Technology to Plan and Stay Connected

Some of the top apps and technologies we use for our travels include:

Car charger for your phones or other devices	For a road trip, a USB-A and USB-C car charger is ideal. Consider a car charger with multiple outlets.
Portable charger for your phones and other devices	It may also be helpful to have a portable charger that can be used outside the car (for flights, longer hikes, etc.).
Map apps for your phone (such as Google Maps or Apple Maps)	Before hitting the road, map out your route and download the map on your phone. Consider bringing a physical road atlas as backup. Iif traveling in North America, the National Geographic Road Atlas 2024: Adventure Edition is a great choice, including national park details.
National Park Service apps	The NPS app helps you to plan and navigate your way through the US National Parks. The Recreation.gov app lets you reserve timed entry into the parks as well as campgrounds.
Roadside assistance	Consider purchasing roadside assistance, such as AAA in the USA. If you’re traveling in states with large distances between towns, make sure your plan covers tows up to 100 miles. Your membership often covers service in other countries. The same is true for roadside assistance programs in other countries. Check terms of your respective association.
Hotel, vacation rentals, hostel bookings	Our go to apps for lodging are Booking.com, VRBO.com, Expedia.com, Hostelworld. Members are often eligible for larger discounts than non-members. Check also solo traveler reviews before you book.
Tours, tickets, activities	Having tour apps downloaded lets you find available tours for that day, and also lets you purchase tickets for many attractions online (avoiding lines). The main sites we use are Viator.com and GetYourGuide.com.

7. Safeguarding Your Valuables

Despite all of your efforts, it’s possible that someone could attempt to steal your valuables. Some of our top tips to keep your valuables safe on your solo road trip are:

• Make a copy of your ID and credit cards before the start of your trip. Provide a copy to your trusted family member or friend, and scan a copy that you can access from your phone.
• Don’t keep all of your credit cards and cash in one place. A RFD protected travel belt is a great option for keeping those items that you carry with you safe.
• Be careful about where you withdraw money. Wherever possible, try to take money out directly from a bank’s ATM’s. Always look out for signs that the ATM has been tampered with. Common signs include the keypad being loose, keys that stick, or unusual on-screen instructions.
• Similarly, be on the lookout for skimmers on gas pumps. Look again for loose parts, and check to make sure there is an intact security seal near the card reader. If it is not intact, the label should read VOID (per the FTC).
• Trailheads are known for having a high level of car break-ins. If you stop at trailheads for a hike or walk when you are en route on your road trip, lock any valuables in a closed trunk or place them under a seat before you arrive at the trailhead. Items that attract thieves include sunglasses, laptops, phones, charging cords sitting out, jackets, and of course credit cards or cash.

8. Prioritize Your Safety

Many of the tips we’ve mentioned are geared towards your safety as a solo traveler. A few additional points to keep in mind:

• Keep an eye on the local news, radio stations, and road signs for unsafe weather or events.
• Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. Get out of the situation, contacting the police if needed.
• Avoid stopping in isolated areas. Stay aware of your surroundings, especially when stopping in unfamiliar places.
• Keep the emergency number for the country you’re driving through on your phone, so that you can quick dial in case of emergency (in the US, it’s 911, in quite a few European countries, it’s 112, etc.).
• Act confident and avoid looking lost. Stand tall, walk confidently, even if you are walking to the nearest hotel or restaurant to ask for advice.
• Be cautious when interacting with strangers. It’s okay to be friendly, but maintain a level of caution and keep personal details private.
• Avoid driving in rural areas or rough parts of town after dark.
• Always park in well-lit areas, whether at the hotel for the night or at a restaurant or rest stop.
• Keep your doors locked while driving.
• Consider taking a self-defense course prior to your solo trip.

9. Bring Essential Water and Food

Go into your trip with the assumption that you may break down. Hopefully this never happens, but it’s better to be prepared. Bring along supplies for the day, and also an emergency batch of backup supplies.

Drinks and food for the day:

• Fill a few water bottles with water, and if desired, also electrolytes. Refillable water bottles are ideal, since you can fill these at many rest areas, some trailheads, and tourist attractions. If you are going to be in the back country, a Life Straw or similar water bottle is preferable.
• Our favorites electrolytes are Nuun strawberry lemonade and Liquid IV.
• The Columbia PFG Thermal Cooler is a great backpack cooler if you’d like to easily carry your lunch or drinks to a picnic spot.
• Fill your cooler with lunch or snacks for the day. We pack lots of fresh fruit and veggies, nuts, sandwiches, as well as snacks with protein (meat, cheese). Caffeine and sugar may provide quick energy, but can be followed by low energy.

Emergency supplies:

• Bring an extra gallon of water along (or more if in the backcountry) , and keep this for emergencies.
• Keep an emergency kit with non-perishable foods. Great choices of foods are nuts and nut butters, trail mix, canned or dried/smoked fish (tuna, sardines, salmon), meat jerky, canned or dried fruits. Don’t forget to pack the can opener. Bringing along a small camping stove allows you to boil water and heat up canned soups and chili or MRE meals, which are another great option.

10. Tips for Solo Road Trip Entertainment

Here are five ideas for entertainment during your solo road trip to keep the miles interesting without distracting you:

• Audiobooks and Podcasts: Whether it’s a thrilling mystery, a self-help guide, or a history series, listening to a book or podcast can make the time pass quickly and enrich your drive. Be sure to download this in case you’re out of range. The audio book The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghesem, was a great choice for a recent Chicago to Denver road trip.
• Curated Playlists: Create playlists of your favorite songs or explore new music tailored to your journey.
• Language Learning: Use your solo drive as an opportunity to learn a new language. Audio-based language courses allow you to practice pronunciation and listening skills. If you’re more advanced in a language, download an audiobook in that language.
• Scenic Audio Tours: If you are traveling through a national park or other highly traveled area, you might find audio tours that align with the landscapes and landmarks you’re passing. These can make your journey more educational and interactive.
• Mental Games and Puzzles: Engage your mind with puzzles like “20 Questions,” “I Spy,” or the “Alphabet Game.” These activities not only entertain but also help maintain alertness during long stretches on the road.

Solo road trips are an incredible way to see the world at your own pace. Being prepared will help you to have a safe, enjoyable, and memorable journey!

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