I Just Drove Over 2,100 Miles on a 2-Week Road Trip—Here Are 3 Things I Learned

Planning the driving part of my Pacific Northwest road trip took some careful thought.

TRAVEL TODAY Road Trips I Just Drove Over 2,100 Miles on a 2-Week Road Trip—Here Are 3 Things I Learned I grew up in a family that is decidedly anti-flying, so I am no stranger to the Great American Road Trip. On my very first vacation, when I was 4, my parents drove my sister and I from the suburbs of Indianapolis down to Orlando, Florida—an approximately 15-hour journey that entailed one night at a hotel and many stops at McDonald's (to this day, I associate McDonald's strawberry milkshakes with road trips). And while 15 hours in a minivan (especially with a 4- and 7-year-old) might sound far from fun, I couldn't have been more excited. In the days leading up to our trip, I'd follow my mom around the store, helping her pick out games, snacks, and VHSes to watch on our little portable TV. As an adult, I still get excited at the prospect of a good, long drive. Over the July 4th holiday weekend, my boyfriend and I set out on a two-week road trip across the Pacific Northwest and Bay Area, starting in Seattle and ending in San Francisco. All in all, we drove more than 2,100 miles as we explored three national parks—Olympic, Crater Lake, and Redwood National and State Parks—and went out of our way to drive the Pacific Coast Highway and sip wine in Sonoma. Even though I had been on many road trips before, this was my longest one yet (and obviously involved a lot more planning than having to decide whether I wanted to snack on RITZ Bits cheese or s'mores sandwich crackers). While I had assumed that preparing to camp on the other side of the country would take up the majority of our time, planning the driving part of the road trip took equally careful thought. Here are the top three things I learned: Pick up your rental car somewhere other than the airport. I knew demand for rental cars is higher than ever, but the reality of the situation didn't truly sink in until we were looking at rental cars. Initially, we had planned to pick up the car at Sea-Tac—but considering that it was a holiday weekend, the cost was way more than what we had budgeted for. So, we picked up our rental car in downtown Seattle. We ended up saving over $400 just by moving our pick-up location a few miles—well worth the $50 Lyft ride to get there. Download your maps ahead of time. We often drove through areas where there was spotty cell service (or none at all). Downloading the maps saved us from getting lost so many times. Buy a car charger. Since we camped nine out of the 14 nights of our trip, we relied on this Nektek Type-C Car Charger to charge our phones while we were driving. I also packed my portable charger just in case I needed an emergency top-up in the tent. While these three things were a huge help for us, I'd love to hear how you go about planning road trips. What are your road trip essentials? READ NOW Elizabeth Preske Associate Editor Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products and services; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Tech & Gear 9 Car Phone Chargers to Keep Your Phone Powered Up During the Drive read more Road Trips 12 Audiobooks We're Listening to Right Now read more Safety & Insurance First Aid Kits Are Essential Tools in a Roadside Emergency—Here Are Our Top Recs read more Tech & Gear 10 High-Powered Flashlights in Case Your Car Breaks Down at Night read more Food & Drink Keep Your Coffee Hot and Your Water Cold With These Insulated Tumblers read more Road Trips The Best Car Rental Companies of 2021 read more Tech & Gear These Roof Cargo Boxes Will Help You Get More Car Storage Space on Your Next Road Trip read more Road Trips 9 Travel Apps for a Great American Road Trip read more VACATION LIKE A PRO You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Travel Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005 © 2021 Dotdash.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

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The 5-Minute, Mess-Free Way to Cook Crispy Bacon

For those in-a-rush mornings.

The 5-Minute, Mess-Free Way to Cook Crispy Bacon For those in-a-rush mornings. READ MORE More Tips to Try What to Use If You Run Out of Vanilla Extract 38 Back-to-School Breakfast Recipes You'll Want to Keep in Your Back Pocket The One Part of Your Fridge You Shouldn't Store Your Eggs In 12 Cooking Basics Everyone Should Know The Spruce Eats on YouTube 5 Healthy Dinner Recipes Perfect for Spring & Summer Watch & Learn Try These Recipes Tonight One-Layer Carrot Cake Was Made for Sweet Weeknight Cravings This Coffee Cake Needs Absolutely No Embellishment You've Never Had Cheesecake Quite Like This Before Breads Summer Recipes Comforting Pasta Dishes Seasonal Produce Sensational Sides Breakfast & Brunch Did somebody forward you this email? Sign Up for Cooking School by The Spruce Eats Newsletter! Have feedback? Send us an email at contact@thespruceeats.com, subject line: Newsletter Feedback. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to Cooking School by The Spruce Eats newsletter. Unsubscribe © 2021 Dotdash.com — All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005

This Vine Is Known for Its Bold, Richly-Colored Flowers

Add some good summer color to your landscaping.

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This Vine Is Known for Its Bold, Richly-Colored Flowers Add some good summer color to your landscaping. READ MORE More Gardening Tips 3 Easy and Cost-Effective Ways to Remove a Tree Stump Growing and Care of Calla Lily Flowers Learn How to Grow Heavenly But Temperamental Gardenias How to Grow and Care for Ladybells How to Grow and Care for New Zealand Sedge Fox Sedge Plant Profile Landscaping Gardening Basics DIY Projects Perennial Plants Houseplants Outdoors & Gardening Did somebody forward you this email? Sign Up for The Spruce Gardens Newsletter! Have feedback? Send us an email at contact@thespruce.com, subject line: Newsletter Feedback. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to The Spruce Gardens newsletter. Unsubscribe © 2021 Dotdash.com — All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005