Road Trip Self Care

There are endless awesome itineraries for so many destinations, along with checklists for all the things you can possibly need to eat warm meals, stay comfy on cold nights, and budget hotel rooms in between. But what about taking care of YOU while on the road? Let’s go through some great Road Trip Self Care tips for those long AF driving days.

Sunblock

The sun can really beat down on you while driving. Even if it’s winter, you’re still capable of getting sunburn/hurting your skin with prolonged exposure to the sun.

Put sunblock on exposed skin every time you stop to help protect it.

Take Breaks

You need it. Even if you’re pulling over on the side of the road, make sure you’re stopping for at least 10-15 minutes.

Stretch.

Walk around.

Do a few squats.

Get the blood pumping.

Stay Hydrated

Okay – you’re not doing a lot of physical activity just sitting in the car all day, but staying hydrated is still vital. It helps keep headaches at bay and doesn’t cause any unnecessary struggles with your body while driving.

This is also super important if you’re headed to a hiking area. Keep your body up to snuff before you even get to your destination.

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Whether you’re staying in a hotel or sleeping in your car in the Walmart parking lot (because that’s free to do!), get a good night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation is going to make the next day of driving beyond awful, and unsafe.

I personally suffer from severe insomnia, so when I’m driving, I keep some melatonin on me to use to help fall asleep. I also travel with a highly-favored memory foam pillow I know how to make myself comfortable in pretty much any situation with that pillow.

Take A Bath (If You Can)

A simple, super hot bath at the end of the day is kind to your muscles and helps you relax.

(And makes it easier to get a good night’s sleep – see above!)

A hot bath can help ease the tension of the day and make it easier to stretch and wind down before bed.

Belt It Out!

There is a weird kind of idea floating around that you should be learning something while you’re driving; continuing to educate yourself through audiobooks and whatnot so as to not “waste time”.

I think this is okay to do every so often, but your brain only has the capacity to learn so much before it wants to beat itself against the steering wheel. 

Load up that guilty pleasure music of yours. Get all of your favorite stations at the ready, and prepare for the best concert (featuring YOU) of your life. 

It’s plain old good for the soul.

Set Daily Driving Goals

Driving endlessly for a few days in a row can get on your nerves in a variety of ways. Set a daily driving goal for yourself so there is a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction at the end of the day. 

Want to really go for it and drive 700 miles in one day?

Want to make it three states over?

Set the goal.

Take Notes or Keep A Journal

Even if you’re not a journaling person, keep notes about your drive. Especially if you’re driving solo, this can help you unwind a bit from your day. 

I started using an app called ‘Day One Journal’, and it’s pretty fun. It allows me to use pictures I took during the day and just write a little blurb, or spill my heart out. Easily used on your phone, and can help keep a record of your journey.

Bring A Good Book

It doesn’t have to be a book. Bring a magazine, or a word search book – something that doesn’t involve looking at a screen. 

A simple activity of reading a few pages every time you stop, catching up on who’s dating who, or trying to find a few words keeps your brain from getting bored. 

This is also a great way to start and end your day. 

Constantly worrying about driving, constantly looking at maps and your phone can be more exhausting than you realize. 

Give your eyes a break from the screen, and give yourself a few minutes to disconnect from the trip.

Voice Memos

I find that driving long distances manages to surface some of my best ideas. 

How can you possibly address your best ideas while trying to haul ass through the midwest on I-70? 

Voice memos!

My phone is already connected to my car via bluetooth, with voice memos at the ready, I can easily talk out what it is I’m thinking. 

Sometimes I have blog post ideas, [group] trip ideas, brilliant award-winning sentences I never want to forget, etc. Voice memos help maintain a small sense of productivity. And this can be useful for remote workers!

When the day is done, you can review your voice memos and transcribe them out.

Eat Food That Makes You Happy

This isn’t the time to make yourself feel guilty about what you’re eating and how much. The only rule I’ve recently put in place is to reduce the amount of soda I drink (to pretty much zero) and make sure I have some kind of milk and fruit each day. 

Eating your favorite snacks and grabbing your favorite drinks is a mood booster. 

Grab that weird, nostalgic candy you used to eat as a kid and haven’t touched in years and stroll down memory lane while listening to your favorite bands.

Miss The Exit

Slamming on the brakes and hopping over three lanes of traffic trying to make an exit is unbelievably unsafe. 

Missing an exit happens, as does getting a bit lost. If you’re using a GPS, it will redirect you to the next route option to get you back on track. 

If you’re without service and know you NEED that specific just-missed-it exit, when the moment’s right, find a place to pull over and flip a bitch (u-turn).

I’ve seen plenty of accidents and near-misses because someone missed their exit and dropped all rules of the road to kill everyone else so they can make the off-ramp, and it’s just not worth it. 

There can also be an immense amount of stress and overreaction to missing an exit, as if you’ve done something wrong. And you haven’t. 

Because you missed the exit doesn’t mean it cannot be fixed.

Accept Your Loss of Control

You cannot control traffic or weather hiccups that might interrupt your trip. You can’t help half a day’s progress is gone because of a flat tire. (I’ve been there!)

What you can do is plan to the best of your ability by traveling at crucial times, avoiding major cities you’re not planning to visit as best as possible, and keeping an eye on the weather in the area(s) you’re headed to that day. 

Pamper Yourself

Once the journey is over and you’ve reached your destination, congratulate yourself with one heck of a treat.

This can be letting yourself sleep in one morning, sitting down to breakfast instead of getting it to go, getting a massage, etc. 

I’m a sleeper. I let myself collapse onto a bed and wake up naturally the next day. Sometimes that’s an early wake up, sometimes (most times) I’m waking up at two in the afternoon. 

I also hit up a chiropractor! (In the “before” times.)

You may not realize how exhausting and restricting a cross-country drive can be on the body and mind. 

Do something a bit extra and above to help snap yourself back.

What Are Your Favorite Road Trip Self Care Habits?

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