How to Survive a Roadtrip with your Bestie: tips, ideas & mistakes
You’ve probably heard the Emma Chase quote “because the greatest part of a roadtrip isn’t the destination but all the wild stuff that happens along the way” and she is right, especially when you hit the road with your best friends.
However, travelling with friends can be risky. At the end, you will either be worst enemies or have a stronger bond than family.
Roadtrips are on another level, but don’t stress, I’m here to take the driver’s seat to help you survive your next road trip without you killing your bestie.
This isn’t so much a recipe for success but a few tips and tricks to make the ride a little less bumpy. So buckle up (and buckle in your bestie up too) because I have some hard truths, embarrassing stories and all the mistakes I have made along the way to share.
DISCLAIMER: If you are reading this now please note that I am in the midst of giving this og blog post a major glow up to be even more relevant and helpful for you. Sorry if it is looking a little shabby in the meantime. I promise it will be worth the wait!
What to know before you roadtrip with your Bestie
Book the right vehicle
Choosing the right vehicle can make or break your road trip. Make sure it’s comfortable for long drives, has enough luggage space, and fits the type of adventure you’re planning whether it’s a cozy car for winding mountain roads or a van for a more flexible, multi-stop trip. Bonus points if it has great sound, air conditioning, and cupholders for endless snacks.
Choosing the right vehicle can make or break your bestie trip. So before you jump in and book whatever looks the coolest or maybe just the cheapest you really need to ask each other:
- What is your rental budget? If this varies will costs still need to be split evenly or would one of you be willing to pay more to ensure you get the best option
- Drive to Hotels vs Full Vanlife – Hiring a van can be costly and when you want to add additional hotel costs on top of that it can balloon your budget. Get honest with the experience and expectations or your trip.
- Automatic vs Manual – If you are wanting to split the driving you need to make sure it is a car you can all drive.
- Are there any size restrictions? Sure a mini can be cheaper but depending on the type of conditions you are driving in, lugage you plan to bring with you and even the size of the friends you want with you, you may need to look for a specific car size to accommodate.
The Best Place to BOOK rental cars
The best place to book rental cars will often change depending on the destination of your roadtrip with different companies and their avaibilities greatly varying across the world. Not to mention, their prices!
I could spend a whole other blog post breaking down the different offers of each destination but too keep it as simple as possible for you here are my go-to car rentals booking platforms I compare before every roadtrip:
KLOOK Car Rentals
Define your roles
Now you may already have clear roles within your friendship from passenger princess and deisgnated driver to Type A and Type B. In that case, fantastic because those will help you shape a trip that works to the strength and weakness you already know how to navigate.
| Role | What They Do | Who (fill it in) |
|---|---|---|
| Designated Driver | Takes the wheel and navigates the roads | |
| Passenger Princess | No backseat driving, just comfortably sitting away from the wheel to enjoy the ride and support the captain. | |
| DJ | Controls the entertainment and keeps vibes high. | |
| Navigator / Map Guru | Plans the route, checks directions, and handles GPS | |
| Snack Captain | Stocks and hands out snacks for the journey | |
| Photographer / Memory Maker | Curates and distributes the trip image gallery to maximise photo dump potential. | |
| Tour Guide | Taking charge of experiences, scneic stops and adventures along the way | |
| Travel Agent | Keeping track of the itinerary with relevant booking details and back up plans. |
Plan your route together
No matter if one of you is the planner of your group (guilty!), everyone should still have input to save the trip and your friendships. No one wants to feel like they didn’t get value out of the trip or even worse, like their opinoin doesn’t matter to their friends.
Take the time to actually sit down together before your trip to set your goals, both together and individually to plan a trip that works all around.
While this will require some compromise in some places, its important to be open to all suggestions. At the end of the day, you may find the experiences you didn’t have on your radar end up being your favourites.
Set Boundaries and Expectations
To make sure you still have a bestfriend by the end of your trip, one of the MOST important things you need to do is to set boundaries and expectations of your trip.
Is this roadtrip going to be a wild party bus or focused on sites and scenery? Are you constantly on the move or taking it slow? Are we going classic backpacking/vanlife vibes or wanting to be a little boujee for a luxury holiday?
It comes down to agreeing on quiet times, alone time, and how decisions will be made on the road.
Talking through expectations before you leave helps prevent small disagreements from turning into big ones.
Track your budget
I can not stress enough how essential it is to track you budget right from the start. Keeping track of who had paid for what not just what the cost is overall.
Whether you decide that one of you book everything on the one card or you alternate who is paying at each stop. You need a clear agreement and system to track you expenses.
I personally use a shared notion template each trip but an even better way to maximise its tracking power is to set up a splitwise (or similar payment system) that links every expense and gives you direct amount to pay back each other in the app.
Tips for Surviving a Road Trip with your Bestie
Now that the trip is planned, lets get thsoe actual wheels in motion and hit the road!
1. Split the RoadTrip Tasks
Sure splitting the driving can be one of the safest ways to roadtrip; taking pressure off the primary driver, giving each other time to safely rest and even just for the varied experience to avoid any potential breakdowns (and I am not talking about the vehicle)
However it is not the only way to make sure you both/all get to enjoy the life on the road. Examples inlcude:
- Alternate petrol duty – who is filling up the tank?
- Cooking vs Cleaning
- Take control of the map
The list is endless and not always something you can plan for with anything from sickness to strengths playing a role. While it is good to have clear outlines of your roadtrip roles definied, keep it flexible along the way.
2. The Entertainment Files – playlists, games and conversations
Long drives can drag if you don’t have a plan for entertainment. Keep things interesting on the road with an entertainment plan. Including but not stricly set or limited to:
🎵 Curate Playlists
Download your ultimate bestie roadtrip playlist ready to go at any moment on the road. Ideally a few variations to match the mood of the moment.
🎲 Game On
Don’t sleep on classic road trip games like “20 Questions,” “I Spy,” or license plate challenges. They have lasted decades for a reason.
Although we are lucky to live in a world with more creativity and opportunity than ever before with things like downloadable roadtrip trivia podcasts.
And this goes for the moments you aren’t driving. It doesn’t hurt to carry a couple of card games, mobile apps or even a console like a switch (this is our go-to).
💬 Meaningful Conversations
Let’s be real, there is no betetr time for a good pay session than on the road with your bestie.
3. “Break Up” With Your Bestie (Temporarily)
I’m not saying that you should be driving in separate cars or not doing anything together at all for your entire trip. What I am trying to say is it is okay and you should actually be encouraged to do your own thing every now and then.
Spending every waking moment together on a road trip can be a lot, even with your favourite person. Give each other permission to do your own thing, especially when your travel goals don’t always align.
Whether that’s splitting up for an afternoon, taking solo walks, or one person resting while the other explores, a little space goes a long way in keeping the friendship (and the trip) happy and balanced.
4. Take it Slow – enjoy the scenic route
Toilet breaks, photo opportunities, spending a night somewhere or even basing yourself somewhere for a week. Stop wherever and whenever you can because a good roadtrip shouldn’t be rushed. Not every moment needs to be optimised or scheduled.
It can be tempting to shove as much into you trip as possible but often when you do you end up missing out on more experiences than you would otherwise. It is so important to take your time and enjoy every moment rather than worrying about the next.
The best thing about it is that you don’t have to be cramped up all the time with your friends.
Having that breath of fresh air and some space to stretch allows you to stay cool, calm and collected making sure you don’t give yourself enough to time to build up unnecessary anger and aggression towards to bestie.
5. Mix and Mingle
You don’t need to replace your bestie (and maybe skip picking up hitchhikers), but being open to meeting locals, fellow road trippers, or travellers along the way can easily become one of the highlights of your trip.
Whether it’s a conversation at a roadside café, a shared sunset at a campground, or swapping tips with other travellers, these small moments add depth and perspective — and often remind you that the journey is just as much about the people you meet as the places you go.
The more the merrier right!?
6. Call each other out – to keep each other safe
For the love of donuts I am not saying to pick a fight with your friends any chance you get, instead, sometimes the best thing you can do is gently check in with each other.
From offering to take over driving when someone’s tired, suggesting a break before burnout hits, or speaking up if a place or situation doesn’t feel right. Biggest of all, the lets go get a snack before we get hangry (extra guilty of this one)
Calling it out early isn’t about criticism, it’s about looking out for each other and creating a trip where everyone feels safe, heard, and supported.
7. Be a Bestie – Compromise and communication is key
Similarly to doing things alone, this is all about making sure you each get to do as much such that you BOTH want to do. Sometimes those things don’t always match up but it can be surprisingly fun to give it a go anyway.
Plus having someone to share (and take cool insta pics for you) these activities and experiences is so much better than doing it alone!
For example, my bestie had her heart set on bungy jumping the moment we booked our NZ roadtrip but I didn’t have any intention of putting all of my trust into a cord and throwing myself off a platform after her anytime soon but that did not mean I wasn’t going to be there for her. Funnily enough, it was still a highlight of my trip watching her almost wet herself on the jump haha
Ultimately being a bestie is about showing up. Everyone wants to have a village to suport them but you need to remember to importance of being a villager too.
Packing Essentials for a Road Trip with Your Bestie
This is NOT your regular packing list with the basics like a raincoat or neck pillow. We are jumping straight to the big juicy essentials you should not travel without.
- TRAVEL INSURANCE
- PASSPORT & VISAS
- BACKUP PAYMENT OPTIONS
- PHONE + POWER BANK
- SPLITWISE / TRAVEL WALLET
- FIRST AID KIT
The Best Places to Roadtrip with Your Bestie
As a self proclaimed expert in bestie roadtrips, I am letting you in on more than my survival secrets…
Be warned your bucketlist is about to get even better because I am unkeeping my favourite roadtrips around the world perfect to drag your friends along to!
South Island, New Zealand
Mt Fuji, Japan
Izu Peninsula, Japan
Chiapas, Mexico
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Ronda, Spain
Final Notes before you hit the road
No matter how much a road trip will test and push the limits of your friendship, I assure you it will be one of the best things you will ever do.
People lie when they say it isn’t about the destination because let’s be honest, it defintely still is BUT your experience in that destination is made a million times better by the company you get to experience it with.
As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. I am only a DM or email away ◡̈
