My first road trip all by myself was in 2015, it was about 9 hours one way. I was going to meet friends and my trip had a couple different phases, but the first phase was one very long drive. I was so excited that I woke up at 5am that day to start my trip, and got to see the sunrise while i was driving which was surprisingly pleasant since it was on my left side, and not directly in front of my face. I was wired on adrenaline, I must have been because the week prior I had not slept hardly at all, between working and hanging out with friends, drinking and dying my hair. I had a friend put my hair in french braids because I know that if I leave it down or in any hairstyle where I can play with it I'll be too distracted while I drive. lol.
ANYWAY
Here are some tips I think are really important for anyone, not just women, who are considering a long road trip on their own:
Check out your insurance.
Make sure you have some. Make sure theres a copy in your car. See if you have roadside assistance and if not, see what it'd cost you to call AAA if you need it. Just good to know before you find yourself on the side of the road having a panic attack.
Do you have a spare tire? Can you change it?
Seriously. Actually do it, if you've never done it before. It seems silly, but if you have a spare tire, and a tire iron, great! But what if you have no jack? Or what if you're missing something else you had no idea you would need? Try it before you hit the road. Roadside assistance can do this for you but you'll lose minimum 3 hours of your day. Depending on your location, possibly much longer.
Do you have jumper cables, and have you ever jump started your car before?
Again, this seems silly, until you need it. All it takes is forgetting to turn off your headlights because it stopped raining while you were driving, and having your car be dead when you come out from dinner. Its such an easy fix, if you have the right tools. Any car can jump you, but if you don't have cables, do you want to just hope that someone else does? I wouldn't. Not by myself, anyway.
Tire pressure.
This is pretty harmless on the daily, but when it comes to road trips, if you start losing tire pressure and you don't notice, it can lead to warping and a blowout, which can give you much bigger problems, even a wreck. A tire pressure gauge is like $6 at an Autozone, grab one when you get those jumper cables and make sure you know how much pressure your tires are supposed to have. Some cars have different needs for the front and the back tires.
Tech.
I think most people are pretty used to the idea that they need to keep their phones charged nowadays, but just keep in mind that road trips can be a much faster wear on your battery depending on how you intend to use your phone. GPS, bluetooth connection, audio books, streaming or playing downloaded music, etc can all use up battery if you're trying to do it 10 hours straight, even if you're not touching your phone. I'd definitely recommend a car charger as well as a power bank, just in case you end up stranded for some reason and your car cant charge your phone. I bought that little power bank a couple years ago, it charges my phone about 70%, which is wayyyy more than i usually ever need it for, and it'll charge up pretty quickly as well. Or you can get a better one that'll charge your phone all the way. also, Aux cord if you need it. I also recommend downloading maps like Google maps of your destination area and/or your route if you're not a physical map type of person, because you never know when your phone signal is going to go haywire. You may also want to download an app like Hotwire for hotels, to find yourself someplace inexpensive to stay when youre tired, you can see the guest recommendations and make sure not to stay in a bad neighborhood but still get a great price. I've been using Hotwire Hot Rates for almost 10 years now and I've never had a bad experience when i use their guest recommendations.
Make sure you know how to keep yourself awake! For me, its singing. I usually bring CDs with me on road trips but now I'm more invested in Spotify so I typically download my playlists to play offline. Singing keeps me stimulated and awake no matter how tired I am from lack of sleep and crazy shenanigans! Other people like audiobooks, podcasts, or skimming local radio stations every hour or two. Just be careful you're not too distracted trying to switch up your entertainment.
And in general, every time you stop, make sure you take care of the big 3: go to the bathroom, fill up with gas, and grab something to eat. Typically this will last you 2.5-3 hours before you have to stop again, unless you have to stop more frequently to go to the bathroom or for gas.
Have fun, enjoy the experience, and if you've got comments to add, go ahead and pop em in the comments :)
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