The Road Trip Survival Guide: Tips and Tricks for Planning Routes Packing Up and Preparing for Any Unexpected Encounter Along the Way
Rod Taylor
Author Rod Taylor simplifies road trips.
A road trip should be fun. I’ve never quite understood anyone that does not enjoy a road trip. Perhaps this book will change their mind.
The author has divided this book into five parts:
1. Planning: This is one of my favorite parts of a Road Trip; the researching and planning of a trip is fun. Mr. Taylor has his own travel blog loaded with information. He suggests looking at websites, social media, books, and blogs to settle on a destination. He reminds travelers to allow a time buffer so you can stay on schedule and yet have time for the unexpected places that pique your curiosity. Part of planning a road trip is fitting it into your calendar and budget. Try a theme road trip such as “Geology rocks, Lewis and Clark Trail, Waterfalls, or a dinosaur-themed road trip.”
2. Packing: Keep the car organized. A car vacuum to clean up dirt from hiking, eating and unplanned messes. It never hurts to have baby wipes or disinfecting wipes on hand as well as tissues and napkins. You might want to consider air freshener. Don’t forget the first aid kit, a toolbox and a flashlight. The author has included a variety of packing lists and a great suggestion of how to load your vehicle.
3. Road Trip Food: “An empty tummy equals a grouchy traveler. Stopping to buy snacks takes up time, gets expensive and usually means unhealthy snacks. Think fruit, vegetables, meat sticks, trail mix, granola bars and cheese.”
4. Safety: Start with a pre-trip checklist which includes important papers, maps and apps, a roadside emergency kit. Check weather conditions and road conditions.
5. Itineraries: Author Rod Taylor reminds travelers to have “a plan, have a goal, be prepared, communicate (have some check-in points for safety), and have fun!” He also has several itineraries listed. I was particularly interested in the itinerary for Texas.
I love this book! The author obviously has taken a lot of road trips and shares his knowledge. This is a must-read book no matter if you are an inexperienced traveler or a seasoned one.

I appreciated the practicality of these suggestions. Everything suggested was completely doable for families and made sense. The tips for packing the car were invaluable! Love the bonus of the itineraries at the end.

Very cool book with lots of informations about everything you would need for a road trip. I'm used to going around the country by car so I enjoyed reading it. Last trip we drove from Raleigh NC to San Diego CA stopping in Vail CO and coming back going through Texas. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

As a handle seems be getting gotten on covid, this book may just be what someone thinking of vacation needs. I certainly need a couple weeks on the road away from all the bother, and a much needed change of scenery! This book can help you plan the trip to a T. Everything from deciding where to go, what to take, how to research your trip, cost, staying safe, how to involve everyone in the family, even the kids. Loads of good information for someone looking to take a road trip without going crazy.

The Road Trip Survival Guide
Is a perfect book if you are traveling with family and kids. So many ideas and tips. I also got many good tips for traveling alone with my spouse. The snack tips, especially the one about deli meat roll ups was a very good tip. I had never thought of that before.

This road trip travel guide contains tips and tricks to make the most of your road trip. This includes how to organize your car for trips, packing lists for different types of vacations, developing the perfect itinerary, and even recommendations for the best car snacks and a few recipes. There are also several sections on how to make your trip more eco-friendly, which I appreciated and I think it’s something that we should all take more seriously.

I’ve only taken a few road trips in my life, so I was interested to see if I would learn some new tips from this little travel guide. I am pleased to say that I did pick up a couple of ideas I wouldn’t have thought of before. One thing to note though is you better be driving a minivan or a large SUV to be able to pack everything that the author recommends. It’s all about planning, planning, and more planning 😉

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiller Press for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A comprehensive guide for the new family traveller, this includes several checklists for things to pack, safety knowledge, places to visit, things to do, and how to stay sane with kids on the road!