top 5 useful roadtrip tips

having completed my first roadtrip ever last month, i feel qualified to give a little advice when it comes to planning a roadtrip of your own. while the planning involved in my trip was relatively simple, depending on where you're going, things can get more complicated.

it goes without saying, having your ultimate goal of the trip, finances and means of transportation in line are crucial. some people like to jump in the car and just go. that's fine, just make sure you know you have a reliable car and cash for gas! i enjoy the romanticized notion of driving off into the distance with no plan, but that is far from what happened on my trip. maybe i'm just type A, but with limited time on our hands, an itinerary to follow was a must. i'll explain.

keep these 5 tips in mind if you're planning a roadtrip of your own!

1. rent a car - maybe this is obvious... but seriously, rent a car. before this dawned on my friends and i, we were trying to decide whose car would undertake the journey. just don't. don't put your car through that. if everyone in your party comes together, the fee for the car can be relatively cheap. i promise, it's worth it. and speaking of cars, pick something a little bigger than what you're used to - maybe a midsize SUV that still gets decent mileage. you'll want the room when you need a nap.

2. don't roadtrip with just anyone - when telling people about my trip beforehand, some people exclaimed, "oh, you guys are going to hate each other by the end of it!", and i won't lie and say that that silent fear didn't cross my mind. i chose to go on my trip with my two best friends. for some, this might not be a great idea. for me, it was perfect. our particular friendship dynamic is so strong because the three of us know when to pick our battles, and we don't get upset over small stuff. pick travel companions who can go with the flow, contribute their part to the journey (financially and emotionally) and want to have a good time. nobody likes a cranky roadtripper. not agreeing on the destination, time spent in certain places or what food to eat can cause issues when you're running on little sleep and sick of driving.

3. plan your route, but make time for spontaneity - before our trip, we made a list of stops we'd like to hit along the way. we made it to all of these stops, but we also took an impromptu detour of 100 miles to visit another attraction we learned about via a billboard. you'll see things that look neat along the way, so make sure to factor in extra time on your trip to allow for this to happen. worst comes to worst, you've got a little extra time on your hands to allow you to sleep in a day or two or take it easy.

4. dress up, dress down, eat out, eat in - to save money and time, we packed a cooler with snacks and easy to assemble meals (sandwiches + peanut butter & jelly, cheese sticks, etc.). this saved us many stops, and we easily replenished the cooler's ice each morning at a gas station. however, make food a part of your journey. enjoy restaurants you might not have in your area, but be sure to factor it into your budget. we wore primarily comfortable, easily changed clothes for most of our driving, but if you're anything like me, you're going to want a few cute outfits for your destination. pack comfortable clothes and a nice outfit or two.

5. don't fear the cheap hotel - it might not be the most comfortable, no. it might not even have a working television. but in my roadtrip experiences, cheap hotels were all means to an end, a mere interlude in our journey that gave us some rest and a shower (which you will desperately want!). don't stress about five star accommodations along the way - save that for your destination, if you must. since we spent late nights driving, we sometimes were only in a hotel for 6 or so hours. keep basic safety in mind and try to do a little googling about the safety of the town you're staying in just so you can rest easy.

a journey westward: my spring roadtrip

long post ahead! ever since i was a teenager, i have wanted so desperately to take a roadtrip out west. i've finally done it. words cannot express how overjoyed i am that i made this journey. this is one of the best things i have ever done, and i would roadtrip again in a heartbeat. i learned so much about my two best friends, our amazing ability to never get irritated with one another, and most of all, i checked a huge item off my bucket list.

originally, we wanted to go to los angeles, but changed our mind for some reason. i honestly couldn't tell you why, but likely because we thought there would be more to do in las vegas.

after this post, i plan on making a road trip tip guide, giving some insight into how to roadtrip efficiently and some things to take into consideration. but for now, here's what charla, sofia and i did for the entire week!

♥ day 1: we awoke bright and early to finish packing our rented car, a ford escape (never again). we were off into the distance by 8:30am, making our way north to travel through mississippi, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. we made incredible time, and stopped in amarillo, texas around midnight. we were incredibly tired after driving 15 hours, so we slept wonderfully. no photos - trust me, we looked rough.

♥ day 2: time for roswell, new mexico! we left for roswell and made it there after lunch. but first, we stopped by cadillac ranch in amarillo. roswell was, by far, one of the weirdest places i've ever been. the entire town was adorned with alien stuff - hotels and restaurants had alien statues out front. even the lightposts downtown were in the shape of alien heads. we checked out the UFO museum and it was just about what i expected - totally weird. afterward, we left for albuquerque, new mexico and got caught in a sandstorm along the way. that night, we tried to go out for mexican... and between two restaurants, we couldn't find any margaritas or queso. major fail.

♥ day 3: this day was so much fun!! we left new mexico for arizona, and along the way, took a detour to the wild spirit wolf sanctuary. we spotted a billboard for it on I-40 and immediately took the trip. SO WORTH IT!! this is nerdy, but i love wolves, and the sanctuary gave us a very informative tour about wolves, wolf dogs, why they aren't suitable as pets and the work they're doing to help these animals. I LOVED IT. and why yes, we ARE wearing wolf shirts at the wolf sanctuary.

afterward, we visited a classic route 66 landmark, the jackrabbit trading post. finally, that evening, we made it to flagstaff, arizona. i had no idea that place was so beautiful! the mountains capped with snow were breathtaking, the surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the downtown area was quaint and inviting. we ate at a restaurant called mama burger for dinner.

♥ day 4: we made the drive from flagstaff to the grand canyon, which only took about two hours. and afterwards, it was time for las vegas, only another 3 hours away! we rolled into vegas right at sunset and immediately went out exploring to the bellagio fountains. 

the rest of our time in vegas was spent shopping, exploring the strip and eating delicious food i had been waiting for for what seemed like forever. the day after arriving, we ventured to the bellagio's warhol art exhibit and the canals of the venetian.

the next day, i finally got to try in-n-out burger!! i consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur. no really, i do. i've had burgers in every state i've visited, and i have always wanted to try in-n-out to see how it stacked up. for the price, it's incredible. best burger i've had in a long, long time. 10/10 burger awesomeness.

our final night in vegas, we had dinner at a restaurant in luxor called tender. i had saved my money and taste buds for this night, and it was well worth it! we got a cheese plate (we're all cheese obsessed) and steaks. not to mention, luxor is a beautiful and unique hotel.

after our last night, we woke up at 5:30am to make the drive back. originally we planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere in texas along the way. nope, didn't happen. i don't know what possessed us, but some insane force drove us to keep going and we made the drive back without stopping. we paused in witchita falls, texas for a nap around 3am, but trudged onward until arriving back in alabama around 1pm. um, can i just say that i'll never do that again? we were all pretty desperate to get home, but man... i felt like a total zombie. 

i took SO many photos but i don't want to totally flood my blog. these are the highlights! i'm so happy i chose to go on this trip. for all of college, i've resigned myself to going to the beach for spring break. i wanted to do something different. i got to see many states i'd never seen, explore the country and bond with my two best friends. i still can't believe we did it! but then again, i totally can. we're all fearless and excellent at going with the flow. hands down, one of the greatest experiences of my life.