by Arianna Larson

Created on: August 20, 2009   Last Updated: August 21, 2009

Let's go for a drive around the country? Sounds great, right? Well, no so fast!

A small trip with a few friends might be something that would not require lots of preparation; when you are going to be in your destination within a few hours, most likely the worst that can happen is a cramped leg or two. That is different when the trip that you and your friends are preparing for is a trip cross country. Below you will find 5 tips that might help you to accomplish that trip and enjoy every minute of it.

Choose the right company:

While you have very good friends that you love to spend some time with, you must considered that even in the best of the situations tensions can appear, and a cross country trip will present lots of challenges with many stressful situations. Make sure that the people you are recruiting for the trip is people that you already know can handle the long trip; otherwise the trip will seem way longer, while your friendship will end up shortened.

Plan your trip and be prepared for the unexpected:

There are lots of places to see and things to do, but how many of those you can actually accomplished are determined by the time you have and how well you spend it.

By doing a little bit of research of the places you are going, you can see what attractions they offer and make the selection of which ones you can skip and which ones you must to enjoy.

Also remember that even though you have a plan, things can always change and the best is to know, how to adapt to the situation.

Get good maps:

Good maps mean good directions, and this at the same time translate in less time lost and more time to enjoy, the pool at the hotel, the attractions or dinner. Getting lost also can add extra stress to the party and that is a game that no one needs to play.

Bring board games and cards:

While you can enjoy what ever is that the place you are at each particular town or city you visit while in your trip, remember that you will also spend some time in a hotel or motel room and while most of them have cable TV, the trip will be most enjoyable if you bring some games so you and your friends can interact right before the day is over. Besides, who will want to spend time watching TV when you have your friends around to play that new board game that you got especially for the trip. You will find out that you will have much more fun that way.

As an annex to this tip, also thing that you most likely won't be driving the whole way, sharing the wheel, will allow you to rest and to have a much safer trip; use this time to also play a game while in the road, and the driving will be less tedious

Better Safe than Sorry:

When getting ready for a trip, probably one of the most important things is to do is to play safe. Always tell someone, a family member, a friend, at work, etc, that you are getting ready for a trip; let them know how long that trip will take and when do you expect to be back. Have someone back home to wait for your call indicating that you have arrived safe and sound; and if possible have check-in calls scheduled in your itinerary. Not trying to scare anybody, but an accident or something unforeseen could happen at any given moment and if no one knows you and your friends are missing, no one is going to look for you.

So try to think proactively and enjoy all that the US roads can offer.

Learn more about this author, Arianna Larson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.