The idea of a road trip does not scream luxury. You spend all day in the car, and then you either roll out and sleep in a campsite where you’re lucky to have running water. Or, you drag yourself into a motel room that seems like a tableau of hellish 70s interior design.
But that was then. With improvements in cars and travel technology, luxury road trips have never been easier, even when traveling with kids.
Carefully Consider Where You’re Going
While you don’t need to plan your entire road trip down to the hourly bathroom breaks or where you will stop for dinner, you still need to think about where you’re going and think about this carefully. A regular old road trip does not have such demands, yet for a luxury approach, there is a degree of care that you must remember.
Because you don’t want to rock up at a dingy motel or camp by the side of the road. You want to stop somewhere you can shower after a long day of driving. You want to eat a meal that hasn’t been reheated in the microwave. If you know where you’re going, you can make sure you hit all the best parts of the route, rather than end up in the middle of nowhere.
Make Your Vehicle Cozy
A road trip still means you’ll spend the majority of every day in a vehicle, so you may as well make it as cozy as possible. This will all depend on the type of vehicle you’re driving. If you’re well off, perhaps with a fancy car that can hold all your luggage (rather than backpacks and plastic bags, because this is a luxury road trip, kitted out with everything from cushy, comfortable seats, and even private number plates, then you’re already ahead of the game.
For a two-person road trip, you’ll want something that gives you enough space to sprawl overnight, especially if you can’t find a hotel or your car breaks down. A new dashboard cover can keep your interior looking nicer for longer. It can also prevent your windshield from fogging up and keeps the vehicle cooler on hot days by absorbing heat from the outside.
If you don’t have a car like this, you should rely on renting above all else. Rental cars are typically on the newer side, so they’ll be more spacious inside and stop you from getting cabin fever while soaring down the highway.
Get Yourself Covered
It should come as no surprise that you’ll need insurance wherever you’re going. Not only will this cover you should something go wrong, but it will also give you peace of mind, which will make you a more confident driver.
As good of a driver as you might be, you’ll be navigating unfamiliar roads, and this is often enough to make anyone cautious. If you have coverage, you can drive without too much fear, so you should be okay.
You should also think about learning a little about car maintenance. You don’t want your journey disrupted by a flat tire or dead battery while you’re miles from civilization. Knowing how to fix common car problems will keep things running smoothly.
Splash For Comfortable Sleeping Arrangements
Your luxury road trip can be as close to a luxury vacation as possible. Of course, you won’t have the privilege of a spa or pool you can dip into and cool off in the baking heat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find these amenities wherever you go.
This can all come from research before your journey. Look around for luxury hotels that will give you a break from the driving and give you the chance to relax. If you aren’t on too tight of a schedule, you can even spend a few days there to recharge before hitting your next destination.
If you’re looking for an authentic, but still luxury road trip, investing in spacious tents and an inflatable camping mattress will avoid the typical issues you might find should you need to pitch up somewhere along the way,
Share the Driving Responsibilities
In an ideal world during your luxury road trip, you wouldn’t say no to being chauffeured around. Of course, this isn’t possible unless you’re part of the elite section of society. Still, you can capture some of this luxury by sharing driving responsibilities.
No one wants to be responsible for all of the driving, and safe driving on long journeys is something you must remember. If you and your partner or road trip buddy can share the driving responsibilities, you’ll feel much better wherever you go.
Sharing will reduce fatigue and prevent exhaustion. This immediately makes everything safer, so you can focus on getting to where you need to be, rather than stopping over in Nowhere, USA, to sleep off any tiredness.
Consider How You’ll Get Back
Once the road trip comes to an end, you need to think about how you are getting back. Ideally, you should consider all of this before you even get into the car on the first day. Some people will love the idea of a road trip and want to do it all over again on the way back, but not everyone is wired like this.
So, what are your options? Depending on where your destination is, you can look at flights that will take you home in a few hours, rather than spending days or even weeks on the road. If you have friends or family in the area, you can also take a few days to unwind and enjoy the city before you head back home.
You’ll want to cling to the luxury for as long as possible, so it’s always worth thinking about what will happen once you switch off the car for the final time. Doing so will also help you plan your journey more succinctly, which could open opportunities while you’re traveling to do more stuff.
Living In Luxury
Or should that be driving in luxury? Whatever it might be, a luxury road trip isn’t as much of a myth as you might have expected. While you won’t be able to get from A to B and beyond entirely feeling like road trip royalty, you can capture enough of the luxury lifestyle to make this an experience that you will never want to part with. If it all goes well, there’s no reason you can’t do it all over again with a new destination in mind next year.