I’ve never driven in the U.S. but I’ve driven plenty in Europe. Leave a day early - make it a 3 day trip - and take your time and enjoy the trip. 2 x 10 hours is not fun. 3 x 7 is much nicer.
Seconded, and I suggest audiobooks if possible. I find having a plot to focus on keeps me more alert than music does over long, boring stretches of highway. I get mine from the library because I’m cheap like that.
Oh, I forgot something else. If you need to dive through large cities (for me it’s Chicago. I hate driving through Chicago) try and schedule it so your not driving through during rush hour. It’s really easy to miss an exit or not be able to move over to get into an exit lane in an unfamiliar city during rush hour.
I might be doing a long trip soon so I thought I’d chime in with a question … any one have any food tips? … I’d like to take along food for meals but wont have any heating/cooking capacity (will have cooling though) … my imagination seems a bit dead with ideas beyond bread, sliced meat and fruit! And chocolate of course!!
My wife and I have been doing 1-2 week road trip vacations every spring for three years now. This past May, we blew through 2 provinces and 11 states in 10 days. Quite the whirlwind tour! 
My one suggestion over and above all the stuff I’ve seen in here so far is spend a little time planning your trip, such that you can stop off and check out some of the sights along the way, especially if they’re a little off the beaten path. It’ll make the journey much more fun and will break up the driving and keep you fresh. This year, our basic plan was to drive to Chicago to see the Cubs play. Along the way, we saw Viking runestones in Minnesota; Capt. Kirk’s future hometown of Riverside, Iowa; the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, Kansas; Devil’s Tower in Wyoming; and the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana, just to name a very few things.
Thankfully this will be a one way trip. I’m moving back to NJ. I’ll have a car full of stuff I’m taking with me, so there are things I’ll just have to keep in the car instead of the trunk.
My plan is to get my car serviced as much and as cheaply as I can. My biggest concern is my tires. I’m sure none of them are in great condition, and I’ll have to get them all replaced. I’m going to try and get some used tires first.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’m glad I asked this, because there are a lot of stuff I hadn’t considered mentioned here.
I’m not sure about taking side trips to see various things, only because I think I’ll be so ready to just get there. If I had someone with me, that would be different.
Mama Zappa I’m moving to Penns Grove.
Boy oh boy…bad tires really suck. Be SURE you get some decent tires on that ride before you leave. You really don’t want to have a flat in the middle of nowhere. It’s dangerous, scary, and cold. Trust me…been there, done that.
Make sure the mechanic who checks out your car takes a look at the age of your battery. These things have an uncanny ability to die right after their advertised age is exceeded, and there is a big thrill in getting in your car after stopping for a break and getting just a click when you turn your key.
Another thing - do you belong to something like AAA, or maybe have auto insurance with road service included? This can be a real big help. I’d a lot rather have the nice man come out and change a tire than have to do it myself. Paricularly in the dark.
Email me if you would like a trustworthy mechanic in the Little Rock area to evaluate the car before your trip.
CP
Some of my personal rules for roadtrips
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Eat when you’re hungry, pull over when you’re sleepy, answer the call of nature asap, look for a gas station once you’re below 1/4 tank.
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Don’t drive into the sunset, it’s really hard on the eyes. Sunsets are a good time for a dinner break. (Not a problem for you since you’re going one way)
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Bring along a tire pump.
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Don’t snack on sugary garbage, it will just leave you feeling tired afterwards. Not a great feeling for being behind the wheel.
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Bring music that you can sing along to. Helps pass the time.
If you are staying at motels, the Comfort Inn/Quality Inns/Sleep Inns we stayed at were both inexpensive and had microwaves and refrigerators. (Usually). You can reserve a room that does on their website. Then you can drop into a local supermarket and get something to heat up in the microwave. We went to a rib place in Topeka where I underestimated the portion size, so we had the leftovers the next day in Saint Louis. If you do this, buy plates, paper towels, and some plastic silverware, since the cheap places don’t have place settings. You might also be able to use the microwave in the breakfast room at dinner time.
We used sandwiches we took with us for lunch one day, but mostly we were ready to stop and eat real food the others.
Want to echo the guys (and gals) saying hit the rest stops often (once every hour say some, at least once every two hours). PULL OVER as soon as you feel a little bit droopy. Get out, walk around, drink some coffee/water/green tea, slap yourself in the face a few times, whatever. Or just lock the doors and take a quick nap. A surprisingly large number of auto deaths come from tired drivers.
You said you planned on doing most of your driving during the daytime. I, and many of my friends, prefer night road trips more. Much less traffic on the road, rest/gas station folk are usually a little friendlier since less people are coming by, and the miles seem to fly by more. Made a midnight run up the east coast to New Jersey (Harrisburg area) and Parts North a few times before. But if you are one of those “day-timers” who don’t mind the sun (hissss!) and find you have an easier time staying awake, go with the day.
I like fruit snacks, so they’re sometimes my road trip fuel. Easy to eat, no crumbs, have sugar to fuel you. With food like that -or just about anything you’re likely to eat on a road trip- be careful of sugar crashes and the like. In the mornings when you snag breakfast load up on the fruits/veggies to help you through the day on junk and fried shit.
Music is big. You want chill-out music for a lot of the trip for the no-stress feel, but there will be times when you want ROCKIN IN YOUR FACE LET’S GO OOOOHHH RIIIGHT kind of music to pump you up.
Blankets and pillow and flashlight, as somebody already mentioned. Because you never know…
This isn’t much of a tip, but if you like stand-up comedy, I recommend bringing along a few comedy CDs. For me it kills more time than just music and if you get lonely like me it’s nice to listen to talking. And it’s always nice to laugh
I enjoy driving to work in the dark, but getting lost in the dark in an unknown land is a pain. We lost our reservation somewhere on our Arkansas to NH trip and had to look for the next place on a county road in the dark.
[Bela Lugosi]No thank you. I never drive…in the light.[/Bela Lugosi]
Also, depending on why you’re making the long trip, you might want to consider bringing a wig, a BB pistol, a trench coat, a steel mallet, a folding knife, 3 to 4 feet of rubber tubing, large plastic garbage bags, a half-dozen latex gloves, diapers, and a love letter.
Things I wouldn’t drive a long distance without:
Jug o’ water
Car fluids
Blanket(s)
Flashlight(s)
Leatherman
Paper towels
Hand sanitizer
Plenty of snack food (I’m a big fan of dried fruit & nut mixes)
I had a great summer road trip, and the hand sanitizer & paper towels are extremely handy to have when you spill something, forget napkins at the drive through, find the bathroom is out of soap / towels / water. (ok, I was in national parks, so that actually happened)
Bring a cold weather survival kit:
- Warm winter coat
- Mitts
- Boots
- Water and food
- Candles and matches (one lit candle will warm a car)
- Roadside safety kit
- Flashlight
However, your biggest likely problems are boredom and fatigue. I often drive very long distances for work - I’ve driven 10+ hours in a stretch.
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Stop with reasonably frequency to use the washroom and get a drink. Frequent, short stops help keep you alert.
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Bring lots of music or books on CD you enjoy.
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Avoid driving in the dark. It’s fun with others, but dangerous alone. You are more tired at night, and it’s not as safe.
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Stop if you feel at all sleepy.
Wow there are a lot of stuff here I would have never thought of. Like a candle heating a car? Didn’t know that. Maybe I could forget staying in a hotel, and just do that. I’m joking I’m joking.
carnivoroursplant Little Rock is 2 hours away from me. Thanks for the offer, but that’s a bit far for me to travel with only a week and a half left for that. I have an appointment at a local garage here that a few people have told me is good.
As far as audio books go, I would think that would make you sleepy. No? Seems like sitting there while someone basically reads to me would knock me out.
Depends on the person, and on the audiobook. I think the trick is to get one that engages your mind.
Personally, I’d get either sleepy or batshit insane from boredom if I didn’t have something to focus my mind on—audiobooks, comedy, radio dramas, lectures, podcasts, or whatever.
I almost forgot; have you made arrangements for someone to send food to you in New Jersey? Barbecue, okra, fried green tomatoes, things like that?