Hospitality extends beyond the home. Be a great hostess also on the road trips you take with friends. Practice road trip hospitality.
These are some simple steps you can take to ensure your travel companions and you are comfortable on your journey. Add them to your road trip planning ideas; you’ll be glad that you did.
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1. Refreshing Nature Breaks
A few-minute break here and there can help you all arrive refreshed at your destination.
Especially if those breaks are in beautiful, serene places.
Enjoy nourishing snacks, and listen to the birds chirping and water babbling down the stream. Nature sounds have a relaxing effect on most people.
2. Nourishing Snacks
Speaking of snacks, I don’t know about you, but I tend to think that I can eat all kinds of junk when on vacation.
Bad idea. I did the opposite on our last trip and focused on eating better. What a difference it made.
Of course, there are many ways to define healthy. What sounds healthy to one is not so to another. It can be hard to figure out things that are nourishing and convenient.
Here are a few things I like to bring along:
- sunbutter balls
- fresh fruit, washed and ready to go
- fruit bars
- fresh vegetables, washed and chopped
- nuts
- trail mix
- sandwiches (made with sourdough bread)
- dark chocolate
- granola bars
- lentil chips
- protein shakes
These chocolate chip almond granola bars from Eating Bird Food are amazing! They are easy to prepare and can be stored in the freezer, so you can prep them a few days early.
The sunbutter energy balls recipe I use is from Feasting on Fruit. They taste delicious and are gluten and nut-free.
I like to eat crunchy things but don’t feel well after eating regular potato chips. So, I was glad to find Lentil Chips by Enjoy Life, and they are free from 14 allergens. How cool is that!
I’m sure there are many other brands as well. This brand is available at our nearby grocery store.
3. Cozy Blankets
It is hard to maintain a temperature in the car that is perfect for everyone even with a dual climate control.
My husband loves the cold air blowing to his face, I on the other hand, don’t like to feel the cold air on my body, especially my face, unless I’m super hot.
Bring a comfy lightweight travel blanket to keep warm the travel companions who get cold easily.
Be a great hostess and show some road trip hospitality.
4. Comfy Neck Pillow
I’m sure we all have experienced some uncomfortable neck positions in the car. A neck or travel pillow can make a napping time more pleasant.
5. Lovely Coffee or Tea Break
Is coffee good for you? It depends on who you listen to. In either case, it smells good. So, fill the car with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
Bring along coffee in travel cups or a thermos bottle for a lovely roadside coffee break. For the latter option, you need to bring cups as well.
I’m a tea drinker, so I’d appreciate a cup of delicious herbal tea. Some of my favorites are
- Warming Vanilla
- Chocolate. I love this tea!!
- Roasted Dandelion Root
- Hibiscus
The first three are especially tasty with cream.
I enjoy hibiscus and other fruity teas also as ice tea… maybe sweetened a little bit.
6. Water
I guess this is pretty obvious, but I add it to the list anyway.
7. Energizing Drinks and Electrolytes
I think Amare Energy+ is fantastic. I carried some with me on our latest road trip to Tennessee and enjoyed one at the Smoky Mountains.
And nope, I don’t sell Amare products; I just happen to like them.
Want to replenish those electrolytes lost during the hikes? Yep, there might be some people who like to stop and take longer breaks. Get some electrolyte drink mix packets or prepare your own.
I’m going to try these recipes.
- Natural Electrolyte Drink from Loveleaf
- Homemade Gatorade from Five Heart Home
8. Fun Games
Make the travel fun with games
I’ve got some pretty free printable road trip games for you. Taking photos from A to Z and conversation starters keep the journey interesting.
An article filled with road trip games and activities for adults is coming in late May!
9. Exciting Playlist
Create a playlist featuring everyone’s favorites or listen to a podcast. You might even want to travel in silence for a while. Do whatever works best for you all.
9. Simple Passenger Seat Exercises
This tip here! This is important!
If I sit too long, I get stiff and even start swelling up. Yep. That’s me. BUT I found a solution: sitting exercises.
The driver needs to focus on driving, but the rest of the crew can engage in exercises you can do right there in the car.
I searched for some ideas and came across a fun passenger seat exercise routine by The Fit R.V.
It is simple but effective. I did these on our nine-hour drive to Tennessee, and I felt great! No swollen feet, no sore buttocks, neck, or back.
These will be my go-to car exercises, even on shorter trips. As a side note, I didn’t always do the whole routine but did a couple of the exercises every now and then.
Print the instructions or follow along with the video. I used a clipboard to ensure ours would not get crumbled up and lost in the car. The clip board also stored all our printable road trip games.
10. Clean Air
Keep the car smelling good and clear of allergens with an air purifier. I have this little air purifier in my car, and it works well. It fits in the cup holder and has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 10 hours.
11. Noise Canceling Head Phones
Noise-canceling headphones or earplugs for those who enjoy silence.
12. Umbrella
If you happen to travel on a rainy day, bring along an umbrella so that you can stay dry during the breaks.
An umbrella can help you keep cool too on a hot sunny day.
Enjoy the road trip with family and friends. Show road trip hospitality with these simple things. Your guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Road Trip Hospitality
Hosting Overnight Guests
Take good care of your overnight guests; they will love it.