A long-distance road trip can be an enjoyable journey with your friends and family, but it is important to get yourselves to your destination safely and comfortably.

If you’re planning on taking a long road trip, then you need to plan a few things in advance. Motorways can become a hallucinatory pathway to a short fuse and tiredness when travellers haven’t prepared for the endurance demands of extended driving.

You need to take steps to prepare for long drives to help you stay alert and energised behind the wheel:

Stock Sleep Time

Planning to avoid exhaustion ahead of time is the best way to actually avoid it on the day. Get at least seven hours sleep for two consecutive nights before your road trip to build up your energy reserves.

Fuel Up

As well as fuelling the car, you need to fuel your body. Carry vitamin-packed, healthy foods to snack on for your journey and skip the fast food stops and junk food provisions.

Stay Hydrated

Always keep a good supply of water with you in the car; staying hydrated is the key element for keeping you energised. The downside to this plan is that drinking more water is inevitably going to lead to more bathroom breaks, but those breaks will help you keep feeling fresh on the drive and avoid feeling tired - so it is well worth it.

Planned Stops

As we stated in step 3, planned breaks are a perfect time to stretch your legs, ease out that clutch ankle and get your blood circulating. You should aim to stretch your legs every 2-3 hours. Try and plan these stops before hand so you don’t end up driving around aimlessly searching for somewhere to stop.

Posture

Adjust your seat before you set off, so your body is in the preferred position and tilted for maximum blood flow. If you feel yourself falling into a kind of driving trance, take a deep breath and scan your body for tensions. For example, if your right hip is feeling sore or stiff, lean over to the other side.

Entertainment

Whilst a movie is out of the question and the radio can become quite repetitive after hours of the same seven songs played on repeat, you can prepare well to keep your mind active for an entire long-distance drive. Audio books and a self-made playlist can keep your brain active without creating dangerous distractions,

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