9 ways to make two-person road trips more bearable (and even fun!)

There’s nothing in the world like a road trip. It’s the ultimate living expression of “life’s about the journey, not the destination,” because you get to experience everything along your route – expected and unexpected – at your own pace. But while movies paint these trips as romantic, cross-country ventures in old cars on empty roads with the windows down, most of us know that reality looks a little different. Our first big road trip together saw us driving from Seattle to Banff and back again (because why test it out with a shorter drive, right?), and we definitely made a few mistakes. But we learned very clearly that the best way to make two-person road trips more bearable is to prepare and plan ahead so that you miss out on any unnecessary or avoidable arguments. Remove that friction, and you’re setting your road trip with bae up for success.

Institute a passenger tax.

This has probably been our biggest win in the road trip area. Typically, the driver does most of the work on a road trip. But with the passenger tax, you’re looking at a much more even split. Want to take pictures? The passenger does it, either from the car or by getting out and running around. Does the driver want to make a note of something or looking something up for later? Passenger does it. We both enjoy this arrangement because it keeps us active when we’re passengers and keeps us a little less stressed as drivers. Plus, it’s kind of fun as the driver to see a pretty view, pull over, and holler, “PASSENGER TAX!!” at Luke 😉

Don’t oversell your stamina.

Seriously, don’t be a hero. Whether you can go 3 hours or 6 hours without a break, you’re still going to get tense, tired, and hungry. So talk often and honestly about when breaks should happen. I’m a little lucky in the sense that I pretty much have to pee every two minutes (ha ha), so we HAVE to take breaks for obvious reasons. But just remember – the more tired you get and the lower your blood sugar gets, the more of a liability you may become to your passenger(s). Take care of yourself and take care of the people you’re transporting, even if it takes a few extra minutes.

Always pre-plan and have SNACKS. Also beverages.

Speaking of low blood sugar, hanger (that is, hungry anger) is a very real challenge for many people to deal with, including us. And while there’s huge benefit to being able to identify “huh, I just snapped at my person and I’m very hungry, these must be related”, there’s even more benefit to just having some damn snacks in the car. This prevents the snappage, as well as having to spend time frustratedly finding directions to the nearest food stop while one or both of you is having blood sugar struggles. We also usually throw a 12 pack of Polar flavored seltzer in the floor of the back seat so we don’t have to consistently stop and pay gas station prices for sodas we probably don’t want anyway.

Thank and support your driver.

When Luke drives, he DRIVES. He hates taking breaks and hates switching off. So, I try to make sure his long hauls are as comfortable as possible. If we stop for snacks but want to keep driving, I open drinks and packets for him. And, if the food is big enough, might even pop a few bites in his mouth so he doesn’t have to fumble around while navigating traffic or winding roads. If his neck starts hurting, I’ll keep an eye on the phone with one hand and massage his neck with the other. And regardless of which one of us has taken the wheel, we both check in frequently to see how the other feels and who needs a break. And we always thank each other, especially when traffic has been crappy or the haul has been particularly long. After all, you may both split the work, but that doesn’t mean it suddenly becomes super easy.

Link both phones to the car’s Bluetooth system, if applicable.

Seriously, this little sanity check will help make sure switching drivers, music, and directions happens as smoothly as possible.

In the same vein, make sure everyone’s phones have chargers/compatible cables.

Don’t do what I did on a road trip with one of my girlfriends years ago. I forgot my charging cable and her cell carrier had zero service in the area we were traveling to, so Google Maps (the battery vampire…) ended up draining my phone on the drive up. It was fun at first, fumbling around and talking to locals to get directions. But by the time we needed to come back, we literally had a tourist map from a podunk restaurant seen under the glow of streetlights to get us home. We may have yelled at each other a bit. The good news is, we ended up safe… stressed, but safe. So just make sure you have the damn cables, okay?

Change up your music every few hours.

While driving through Alberta, Canada, we stumbled upon female metal group Thundermother on a Spotify radio station, and switched over to their album on repeat. Poor choice, given that it ended up staying on for literally hours, and we both ended up 100% burnt out on their forceful vocals and power chords. Even now, a year later, we still laugh and shudder a little if one of their songs comes on. Moral of the story: don’t ruin your favorite music with repetition! Keep things interesting (and, you know, sane).

Don’t assume Google Maps is 100% right on the time estimate.

This is a biggie. We drove from Richmond, VA to Harrisburg, PA a few months ago to pick up a piece of furniture. Google said 4 hours, one way. Google also lied a little. Once you add in construction, increasing traffic as the day wears on, and Amish buggies all over the place, we spent closer to 5.5 hours on the road there. Set the expectation early that your drive likely won’t always take the happy path. Give yourself plenty of extra time, especially if you need to be somewhere on a deadline.

Decide who handles which expenses before you put the car in drive.

Let’s not have any avoidable arguments, okay? The last thing anyone wants to do is start bickering over who needs to get their credit card out. To that end, we usually say that whoever owns or rents the car is the one who pays for gas, and the other person will handle additional expenses (food, souvenir stops, etc), within reason.

What are your tips for more painless road trips with your honey? Let us know below, and we’ll add them in!!

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