Skip to content

Advantages of (& how to plan) a road trip

So you’re planning a road trip & wondering if it’s your thing ay? A couple of months ago I did a 2 week roadtrip through Sweden and Norway so you’ve come to the right place for tips & tricks. But first, let’s start with the advantages of going on a road trip shall we:

  1. You determine where you go & how much time you spend. You’re not restricted to a certain area, cause after all, you’ve got your car with you! Wanna go see some obscure Stavkirke in Norway? Go for it. Wanna plan an entire day for shopping? Knock yourself out. You really get to choose what you do & that to me is a great advantage.
  2. Get to know your fellow roadtrippers better. Spending a lot of time on the road is a great way to really intensify your bond with whoever you’re going with.
  3. Driving across the landscape and through small towns gives you a unique perspective. You can cruise around in your car & truly experience the little nooks & crannies of the country you’re visiting.

Sweden 35

Now lets get to the planning part. I know this might seem tedious but a good planning really does make all the difference:

  1. Buy a map of your destination. You’re GPS is a shady bitch, don’t trust her. Roads are always changing so it happened numerous times to us that had we followed the GPS instructions to turn left, we would have ended up smack dab in the middle of permafrost. Don’t land in the permafrost, it ain’t as frosty as you think. A map also allows you to be a bit more flexible if some road is busted open for some obscure road works. We would highly recommend following that country road, it leads to amazing scenery & interesting little villages.
  2. Make a rough plan of what you want to visit. Freedom is great, but endless dwelling without really knowing where you going not so much. Find the things you really want to see and try to plan your trip around that.
  3. Airbnb is your bae. If you’re anything like us (meaning poor-ish) you’re looking to stick to your budget. Airbnb is a great way to do that. You also have the benefit of being able to stay in very remote areas & you also meet the most interesting people. Perhaps they have some time off and can come along to show you a hidden treasure of their country, of maybe they take you out for dinner with a few of their friends!
  4. Be realistic about how much time you’re going to spend in your car. Don’t plan more than 6 hours of driving a day. More than that will take a toll & that would seriously diminish your traveling pleasure. It would also be helpful if the people you’re traveling with can also drive, that way you can rotate & cover more distance.
  5. Super practical tip: get your insurance in order before you leave. Your car insurance should normally be fine, but if you’re traveling in Europe it might be interesting to look into the European health insurance card. Aside from that it might be a good idea to write down a few numbers you can call in case of emergency.

Volvo 011

So here goes. I’m sure there are lots of other tips I can’t come up with right now. What would you recommend before going on a road trip?