One woman's account of her first long-haul solo road trip

All of the money
I didn’t carry a great deal of cash with me but chose, instead, to use a combination of prepaid Visa gift cards and my personal credit cards for spending on the road. I like to use gift cards, even though there may be a small fee at the time of purchase, to prevent “skimming” or other types of fraud on my personal card. If someone were to get my card information, I would need to cancel the card and arrange for a new one to be delivered - not an option while on the road.

I purchased VISA gift cards, in 50-dollar increments, at Target and activated them before I left.  I made a note of the zip code of the store where I purchased the cards because some locations validate the user by asking for this information or the preregistered zip code of the card owner.  There were a few problems when the card was not accepted at the gas pump, or the zip code was not recognized.  When this was an issue, I would prepay inside the station.  This required additional time and steps and I needed to guess the amount of gas I could put in the tank, not ideal.  The other issue with prepaid cards is that the balance may not be updated for several days, with phone and online balance information showing a “zero” balance that was not accurate. By having 50-dollar cards, I was able to rotate through five cards and not encounter the zero-balance problem.  When I got to my destination, I waited several days, and the account balances were updated.  I used my personal card only inside places where I could “tap” for payment.  I also kept my personal cards turned off/blocked while I was traveling.  Again, this required a few additional steps when I wanted to use my card, but I felt it was more secure.  I always took the time to double check that my cards were in my wallet in my purse before I drove away.

Car Prep
Before leaving home, I watched videos that showed how to change a tire on my model of car and carried a small tool kit to supplement those included with the vehicle.  I didn’t have a need to manage any roadside calamities on the trip and did have road coverage for help, but I was glad to be prepared if I found myself in a situation where I would have to handle small issues with the car.  I had no idea that the spare for my SUV is stored under the car and the wheels require a special key. Watching the videos allowed me to familiarize myself with these items as well as where to add windshield fluid. There are several things that my car monitors all the time, such as tire pressure, and it was helpful to know where to find this information on the many screens available.  I included a small shovel, sand, windshield fluid, an emergency kit and flashlights in my must have safety items. It was important to have windshield fluid from Minnesota with me because if I needed to fill my fluid reservoir on the trip, it would require fluid with antifreeze for my return trip home.  Not all wiper fluid in warmer states is rated for freezing temperatures.  

When I loaded the car, I was careful to pack that things I might need during my trip where those items were easily accessible. This included a small cooler, snacks, water, a pillow, a blanket, and an overnight bag with a change of clothing, sandals, and medications. Travel notes I had made and my map book where in the front seat.  Other items, such as my computer bag, were put on the floor behind the driver’s seat with other items on top to hide them from view.  Large, cumbersome items, such as a full laundry basket and luggage, were near the rear doors and tailgate.  When I stopped for gas or breaks, I was careful to always lock the car. This included all doors, even the driver’s door, while filling the tank because predators have been known to open doors, especially the front passenger door to grab and run, taking items such as purses, laptops, and phones, while the driver is occupied getting gas. I also made a continuous effort to be aware of my surroundings during stops.

Maps and GPS
My daughter gave me a Rand McNally large scale road atlas to use for planning and while on the trip. I mapped out the route I would be taking and cross-referenced that  information with the steps in my phone GPS. The atlas allowed me to see the route on a much larger scale than the GPS, usually an entire state at a time with larger cities in each state enlarged and inserted on the map.

The GPS was great for estimating arrival times in a location, for example the time it would take to get from my home to the Minnesota border, and frequently calculated changes in road conditions, such as construction, that would affect the flow of traffic.  Once I had chosen my overall route, I highlighted the roads in the atlas and made a large scale printed running list of my expected route (ex:  I-35 South -> Highway 18 East near Mason City, Iowa).  I made a note of approximately how many miles I would travel on each leg of the highway. This helped keep me on track for my destination if the GPS route changed. I took a few minutes to glance at the atlas and running list each time I stopped for a break. The GPS also kept track of time and the hours and minutes left until my next stop. I could program it to show gas stations, lodging, dining, and road construction or problems. 

All this planning may seem to have been excessive, but I felt secure while driving, knowing that I always had directions to the next stop on my drive. If something didn’t seem right, I could get off the highway and look at the atlas and my notes.

Gas and Food
All along the highways, near upcoming exits, are very useful blue signs that tell what services are available at that exit. For exits with many services, there might be a sign with food, another a short distance away with gas stations, and another with lodging. If there are fewer services, all those might be listed on one sign. While this information was incredibly helpful, it could also be somewhat deceiving. An example would be a sign that showed a gas station and food, but once off the main highway the services were in a small, isolated community several miles away. Usually, if there was a sign for services, when taking the exit there would be another sign telling drivers to go left or right and how far it is to the location. That was not always the case and if it was late evening or night those services might not even be open. I stopped frequently, every two hours, for gas, to check my maps, and to stretch. As I started to see signs for stops, I also looked for the lighted sign at the business to see if it was close to the main highway. For the larger gas stations, especially those with truck stops and food, these signs were high above the tree line and easy to spot while driving. The gas prices at the larger stations near the highway were very competitive and I wasn’t concerned that I needed to be farther from the highway to get a good price for gas. If I was approaching a state line, I did go online and checked the next state to see if gas prices were higher or lower, if so, I would fill-up before I left the lower priced state or wait until I crossed the state line. While it might not seem like a big deal, the price differences between some states were as much as 30 cents a gallon. Many larger stations also had recharging stations for electric cars.

Food near the highway can be limited to fast food. I didn’t plan to get out of my car just to spend more time sitting in a restaurant, so I tried to limit myself to the things I had in my cooler.  Before leaving I made and froze sandwiches and as I got hungry took one out to defrost and eat. I also had breakfast bars, yogurt, unsalted roasted pecans, and fruit. I tried to avoid salty foods, like chips, because I didn’t want swelling in my feet and legs  when I was sitting for long periods of time. The larger gas stations usually had a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, breakfast foods, yogurt, ice cream, sandwiches, chicken, pizza, hot dogs, and a variety of beverages.  Most locations had clean restrooms, and some had showers that could be purchased for about twelve dollars.  Don’t count on a shower while on the road, some stations limit this service to truckers.