While going on road trips can be fun, they can also be stressful and challenging. But if you’re wanting to hit the road and experience the country in a way you can’t achieve by any other form, road tripping is a great option.

Depending on your age and what stage of life you’re in, your preparation for a road trip will vary. So if you’re getting older and want to spend part of your retirement doing road trips, here are three tips for road tripping as a senior citizen. 

Start Your Packing With A Checklist

Forgetting to pack something you need for your road trip can cause problems large and small for you along your travels. If you forget to pack one of your personal items, like a toothbrush, it’s easy to get this item from almost any store along the way. But if you forget something like your medication or an emergency supply, realizing you don’t have what you need can have a much bigger impact.

To keep this from happening to you, it’s wise to start creating a packing list well before you plan to leave on your road trip. The more time you have to create your packing list, the more likely you’ll be to remember everything that you need to be and ensure that you can secure those items before you hit the road. 

Plan To Take Regular Breaks

Being in the car for extended periods of time isn’t great for anyone, regardless of how old you may be. But when your joints are prone to getting stiff, like what happens as you get older, you’re going to want to make sure that you give yourself the chance to change position and stretch regularly.

As a good rule of thumb, you should try to take breaks from being on the road every two hours or so. If you can, try to find something fun to do or see every two hours of your trip so that you’ll plan enough time to take a solid break at these two-hour intervals. 

Make Sure You’re Driving Safely

For many retirees, it won’t be too many years before they aren’t able to drive themselves on a road trip anymore and may even need help with their daily living activities. But even if you don’t find yourself living in an assisted living community or having to hang up your car keys yet, you should still make sure that you’re actually safe to drive for your road trip. 

If you’re experiencing trouble with your vision or have a hard time concentrating on things for an extended period of time, you might want to sit out from being a driver on your road trip and let someone else take the wheel instead.

If you’re a retiree who’s wanting to take a road trip soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you plan and prepare for this adventure.