Are you planning to hit the road and travel across the United States? No doubt you have been reading up on blogs about what to pack and what gear to buy to make life on the road easier. While those listicles can be helpful, many of them have missed the mark totally. I want you to know I did my research—just like you are doing now—before I set out across I-90 from Cleveland to Idaho in the midst of the 2020 pandemic.

My goal was to be as independent and safe as possible by limiting contact with both locals and other travelers, especially at bathroom and food stops, but also at tourist sites and while checking in, whether we were staying at a cabin or camping. Here is my list of essential tips, tech and teachings that help plan for a successful and socially distant road trip across the country that will save time, money and reduce touch points on the journey.

1. Plan your route and lodging in advance

I’m all for spontaneity, but not during a pandemic. Don’t compromise your health and safety by aimlessly wandering the backroads and byways looking for a place to stay. Take the time to do your research and be picky about the place you choose. For example, I looked for lodging with entrances that no one else would be using during our stay. Cabins and a personal tent would be my preference, but motels with exterior doors also qualify. Otherwise, I would pick a small inn or bed and breakfast over a large hotel with elevator access to rooms any day. Call ahead to confirm reservation, ask about the property’s pandemic policies and see if they have contactless check-in. We really appreciated the places that offered it.

Before booking, look for flexible cancellation policies to allow for changes based on the restrictions in the states you’re visiting. In the midst of planning my journey over the summer, New Mexico shut down its borders to visitors, disallowing them from visiting state parks and requiring them to quarantine for the length of their stay or two weeks, whichever came first. That put a kabash on camping and a socially distant visit with my family there. I also had grand plans to travel in Idaho, but the spike in cases there would have meant that I would have to quarantine in my home state of Ohio. So, I canceled plans to go there as well.

The Federal Highway Administration maintains a directory of state transportation department websites, which should have the latest information aboutcoronavirus-related changes. I also regularly monitored restrictions using AAA’s Covid-19 map until the trip commenced.

 

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2. Purchase a U.S. Park Pass

Will you be visiting several U.S. national parks? If so, the annual America the Beautiful pass could save you money. Each pass covers entrance fees for a driver and three adults in a personal vehicle at more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests and grasslands and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

I calculated the cost of the stops we were planning to make along our west-bound route across I-90 and it became clear that a pass would be worth it. Badlands National Park costs $30 per vehicle, Devil’s Tower costs $25 and Yellowstone National Park is $35. Those three parks alone made the $80 pass worth buying and the savings continues for a full year from the month of purchase through the last day of that month. Keep in mind that you can also share pass ownership with family or friends. The pass has a spot on the back that should be signed by the two main pass owners. Photo identification for one of the two names on the card will be required to verify ownership upon park entry.

While the pass can be purchased at many parks, I ordered it online in advance. There is a $5 handling fee. Allow enough time to get it, though; the website says there have been delays in fulfilling the orders. I recommend a minimum of three weeks. Check the list of sites that issues passes here.

3. Get a toll transponder

This summer, we passed through Chicago and were faced with multiple tolls along the way, but all the booths were unattended for the safety of the employees. In the wake of Covid-19, the Illinois Tollway implemented all-electronic tolling. Those without an I-PASS—or a transponder from the interoperable agency E-ZPass—would have to remember to pay via the Illinois Tollway website, calculate the missed tolls and pay online within seven days or risk fines. Although I have E-ZPass from the Ohio Turnpike, I visited the I-PASS site while my husband drove to see how easy it was to pay the tolls. We were supposed to know the names of the tolling booths through which we drove, which is ridiculous if you’re passing through and you don’t note the exact locations in the moment.

If you’ll be spending a lot of time traveling along turnpikes, you may want to consider buying a transponder that will electronically deduct your fares when passing through a toll booth. Most state and regional toll agencies have automatic payment systems and they usually come with considerable savings in your home state. They reduce travel time and fuel consumption by eliminating the need to fully stop when entering or exiting tollways. Also, since a record or each toll transaction is saved to your account, you can easily keep track of your travel expenses for business or tax purposes.

Unfortunately, not all transponders play well with different tolling agencies. Currently there are 13 different networks of toll highways in the U.S. and many are not interoperable. Drivers who frequently travel between those networks often have multiple transponders. It doesn’t make sense to go through the effort to source transponders for each area you’ll be passing through on a single road trip, but depending on where you’ll be going, it’s something to consider. The good news is the U.S. toll industry is working toward national interoperability. It’s not there yet, but it’s close.

4. Schedule car maintenance a week before the trip

It’s a good idea to look over your vehicle before long drives, especially the brakes, tires, oil and fluid levels. Calculate the number of miles you’ll be driving and if an oil change interval is scheduled to occur during the trip, it’s a good idea to change the oil in advance. Service work comes with risk, which is why scheduling it a week out is a better idea. If anything is not right, you can have it fixed before your departure.

5. Clean the car

It’s nice to start out fresh with a clean car before a road trip even if you know it won’t stay that way for long. For our latest trip, I unscrewed the bolts of the back seats—something I’ve never done—and I vacuumed out years of crumbs that date back to my daughter’s toddler years. It felt good. No, not just good; I felt like I had achieved nirvana-like neatness. Starting out the trip with a clean slate helped us keep things tidy as we went along.

6. Download Google Maps for offline navigation

For the life of me, I don’t understand why I can make phone calls and use a navigation app on a remote mountain top in Switzerland, but I can’t get cellular service a mile down the street from me. Before I go anywhere, I download maps for offline navigation. This is a plus for navigating in places with spotty coverage, and for anyone who wants to save on data charges. Using downloaded navigational maps has saved me numerous times when I have been in unfamiliar places without cellular coverage.

I have used apps, such as Guru Maps, in the past, but Google Maps has made offline navigation easier in the last year. Download and open Google Maps and log into your account. Do a search for the place you want to have offline, then look below the map. The blue button highlights “directions” but if you scroll all the way to the right button, it says “Download.” Click that download button and you’ll see a screen that will give you an option to adjust the map. You can zoom in or out or move the map in all directions until you have the exact area you want to include. Then below that, click download. Depending on the area included, the size of the download could be a a couple megabytes or more than 100 mb. You can review your offline maps and their sizes by clicking on your profile photo from the Google Maps home screen, then going to “Offline maps.”

7. Prepare boredom-busting activities for the kids

“I’m bored.” These two words are often uttered by children on a road trip, so make sure there is plenty to keep them busy. One of the tricks I’ve used since my daughter was little has been giving her little gifts whenever she starts to get antsy on airplane rides. This year, I applied the same tactics for the road trip by tucking away items under the front seat. Coloring books, such as one with camping or national park theme, and glitter markers are great for the little ones. Mad Libs, road trip bingo cards and books make the ride more interesting for older kids. To keep everything organized, a back-of-the-seat organizer comes in really handy.

If the kids have a tablet and are accustomed using it at home where there is WI-FI, they’ll be in for a rude awakening when they can’t get their YouTube shows and Netflix movies to play. Instead, download their shows and movies for offline viewing. YouTube Premium, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney all have this feature.

8.Prioritize what you’re packing

My car was completely stuffed with camping gear, suitcases and food for our road trip, but organizing them in a way that made sense was key. We kept the electric cooler and all the soft stuff (ie. Sleeping bags, pillows and blankets) in the back seat with my daughter and her car seat. She could reach the snacks easily and could grab a blanket if she wanted to rest or got too cold. We also had a portable toilet in the back seat with a seat-back organizer filled with things like hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, toilet paper, wipes and rubber gloves (for the times we had to clean out the waste at a dumping station (fun!). In the trunk we had suitcases, chairs, a table and an inflatable kayak toward the back and the tent, camp kitchen, propane stove and groceries toward the front for easy access since we would roll into our destination around dinner time.

If you’re not camping, the first thing you’ll want to reach for will be sanitizing supplies. My supplies are tucked in the seat-back organizer on the driver’s side so I can grab them easily. You’ll want to head inside and wipe down high-touch surfaces throughout the space. External and interior door handles, light switches, TV remote, table tops, kitchen and bathroom appliances, sinks and toilets should all get some attention before you start unloading your luggage.

How are you preparing for a long-distance adventure? Please let us know some of your tips and tricks!

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