While much of the AllEars YouTube team lives in Orlando, a few of us work remotely and live in other states!
I personally live in Georgia, about 40 minutes from Atlanta, which means my trip to Disney World is usually about 7 hours. It’s not too bad, that’s for sure (I’m very grateful I don’t have to fly like Fry, I avoid it as much as I can!), but I have to say that I’ve learned a few things from taking multiple road trips to Orlando to go to Disney World (both for work and pleasure) and these are a few things I will NEVER do again.
Not doing EVERYTHING before I leave
This means before leaving home. I need to make sure I do the following to avoid unnecessary stops or turns.:
- Use the bathroom
- Eat SOMETHING (preferably something filling and hearty)
- Triple check my packaging
BUT it also means that Before leaving my area of the city, if my tank is not 100% full (which is like, never), I need to fill up with gas BEFORE I hit the road. While this technically still counts as a stop, I don’t count it because I’m only 5 minutes from home and haven’t started most of the trip yet (I’ll explain why that’s important to me in a second).
How to Make Sure EVERYONE Uses the Bathroom When You Stop
Now, this isn’t from my personal experience as an adult, but rather from when I was a kid. I’m sure those of you who took road trips as kids or did them WITH your kids know this struggle, but when you stop, It is vital to make sure that EVERYONE goes to the bathroom no matter what.
I know, I know, I was one of those kids who would say, “But I don’t have to!” and then 20 minutes later I would ask to be let back in. But at that moment, I didn’t have to, and that’s exactly why I’m saying that. You should have everyone leave when you stop to avoid this exact situation.
Making multiple stops
This is really only possible because I travel alone 95% of the time, so I have everything I need to do down to the last detail. However, sometimes I think I can go off track and then I add half an hour to my trip and regret it all.
Remember when I said I fill up with gas just before I start my trip? That’s because my gas mileage usually allows me to get halfway through my trip. So I only have to stop for gas once. BUT when I do stop, I make sure to get everything done: get something to eat, get gas, and use the bathroom all in one trip. That way, I only stop once and don’t have to stop more often and add more time to my trip.
Forget about bringing snacks
Snacks are essential on every trip to Disney World, but especially when driving! The only time I forgot to bring snacks was a trip I will certainly never forget.
Because just like at Disney World, every time I got hungry, I wanted/needed to stop and grab something to eat. I tried to be smart and eat larger meals each time (which was only twice, but still one more time than I wanted), but not only was I adding time to my trip, it was also costing more money than I wanted to spend! So trust me: always carry snacks.
Not one hour of leeway was allowed
Atlanta traffic is no joke, folks. I’m kind of used to it because I grew up here, but that doesn’t make it any more bearable. On my last trip I learned that I need to leave an hour of margin EVERY TIME.
Coming back from Disney World, I thought I had left myself enough time to get home in time to start work at 5. Imagine my surprise when I looked down and saw that there was a 45 MINUTE SLOWDOWN and 5 hours ahead of me. I thought it would slow down as I drove, but I wasn’t worried until I was about an hour away from the slowdown that hadn’t slowed down yet. I changed the route to a slightly longer one to avoid it, but, in short, My 6.5-7 hour trip turned into an 8.5-9 hour trip.…and I was a little late to work (but the team is very kind and understanding).
Waiting until the last minute to pack your bags
I’m usually VERY prepared… until I’m not. My penultimate trip, I made the mistake of packing late at night. Since I had an event that night and couldn’t pack immediately after work, that meant I had to pack at midnight and This is how I proceeded to forget my ID and my second outfit shirt at home.
Yeah, it’s not funny. Please don’t make the same mistake I did. Even if that means you have to pack your luggage 2 or 3 days before departure.It’s better than waiting until you’re sleep deprived and want to go to bed, thus forgetting important things at home.
Want to know what your trip to Disney World without ID was like? Read about it here!
Here at AllEars we are always here to help you plan your next trip, and I am PERSONALLY here to tell you all about my personal failures to make sure you don’t run into the same problems I created, so stay tuned to AllEars!
This is why we REFUSE to buy ponchos at Disney World!
What’s the most important lesson you learned while driving to Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
