Summer is almost here! That means it’s time to pack up the car and head down to The Jersey Shore.
Sounds like a fun, relaxing time to spend with friends and family. But there’s just one thing standing in your way–traffic.
There’s no need to get worked up over a little beach traffic. We’ve put together a list of suggestions to make your ride a more pleasant one.
Five Tips For a Stress-Free Trip From Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore
- Get the Timing Right: Planning to leave at 10 AM on Saturday? Guess who else is? Everyone. Waking up at 4 in the morning may be a pain, but leaving early in the morning will help you miss a ton of congestion. If you’re the daring type, you can sneak down under the cover of nightfall. After 10 PM, there is very little traffic heading to the beach.
- Fill Up Beforehand: If you have children, bathroom stops may be inevitable, but you can still cut down on pit-stops. Make sure your gas tank and bellies are full before you depart, and pack snacks for you and the little ones. Reducing the number of stops you make could save hours in the long-run.
- Use Your Smart Phone to Your Advantage: Don’t forget about apps like Google Maps and Waze. These can give you a heads-up when you’re approaching traffic. This is the kind of information you can use to plan an alternate route. Just don’t take your eyes off the road! Designate one of your passengers as the navigator and have them advise you during your travels.
- Don’t Sweat It: Traffic is a fact of life. There are tricks to avoid it, but there’s only so much you can do. The sooner you accept that you may hit traffic, the sooner after your arrival you can begin to really de-stress and enjoy your vacation.
- Make the Most of Your Drive: You could follow all our tips and still hit major traffic (see previous tip). Make the car ride enjoyable for everyone by creating a fun audio playlist with books on tape, music, or stand-up comedy. Come up with fun games to play in the car, and make sure the kids have activity books and crayons.
Enjoy your time at the shore!