Road trips might be one of the greatest aspects of the college experience. Of course, you love laying around in your dorm and binge watching Netflix with your best friends every Friday night. But there's something extra special about packing your bags and hitting the open road together. It gives you a chance to mix it up and do something different.
Even the most last minute road trips still require some necessary planning. Here are 8 things you need for any college road trip!
1. A reliable navigator
Before you can hit the road, you have to know where you're going. And more importantly, you have to know how to get there! Whether it's the trustee GPS on your phone or an old school map, you have to make sure you're not going to get lost. Going to new places is only really fun if you're doing it on purpose!
2. Money for gas
The only thing that may be more important than having a reliable navigator is having enough money for gas. If you're trying to keep your road trip cheap, you have to factor in your gas money first. You can always eat a cheaper meal or pack your lunch, but gas is an expensive you can't exactly ignore. So before you pay for anything else, make sure you've got some extra cash to fill the tank.
3. Solid playlist
Now to the other "necessities" that everyone needs during a college road trip. If you don't already have at least one solid playlist ready to go, then you should consider postponing the road trip. Sitting in a car for multiple hours is practically unbearable if you don't have some good tunes to get you through it.
4. Snacks (and a lot of them)
Good tunes are just one half of every road trips dynamic duo.The other half of this power couple is definitely snacks, and a lot of them are certainly required. You have to make sure you cover all your major food groups. And by that, I mean you need your salty, your sweet, your crunchy, your soft, and you can't go anywhere without chocolate. If you have several bags of chips, numerous packages of candy, and enough drinks to wash it all down, then you're ready to go!
5. A camera to document your memories
We all know that if you don't get pictures, then it might as well not have happened at all! Just kidding, that's being a bit over dramatic. But you really do need a good camera and lots of space on your camera roll before you can take a road trip. The best part about these trips will be the endless memories. So take a lot of pictures so you'll always be able to remember them!
6. Pillows and blankets
If you're going on a college road trip, then you're most likely packing as many people as you can into one car and into one small dorm room. And if you're going to have any chance of getting a somewhat solid night of sleep, then you'll need a lot of pillows and blanket. Not to mention, you never know when you might want to make a blanket fort! So grab your trustee stuffed animal, all your fluffy blankets, and a few solid pillows and get comfy!
7. Creative car games
No matter how many snacks and playlist you may bring, you are going to get bored at some point. But one of the easiest ways to test your creativity is to sit in a car for hours with nothing to distract you. This is a chance for you and your best friends to use some imagination and have some fun! You can go old school and play eye spy, or you can come up with some newer options. Just keep it fun and enjoy the ride!
8. A whole lot of patience
Finally, in order to really enjoy your college road trip, you have to have a lot of patience. You're going to get stuck in traffic. It's pretty much inevitable. And you're definitely not going to get any homework done while you're gone. Instead of stressing out about all of these delays and responsibilities, remember to have patience and enjoy the ride. One reason why road trips are so essential to college is because it's one of the few times in your life when you'll have the ability to get up and go. Once you graduate and get a job, you'll rarely have the chance to pack up and leave whenever you feel like it. So take this opportunity while you can and get planning your next crazy college road trip!
