The Best Ways to Avoid Traffic Jams on Your Trip

It’s the summer season for road trips, and whether you prefer to travel by car or you can’t afford expensive plane tickets, no one wants to be stuck in traffic. While there are no surefire ways to completely avoid congested roads and highways, with a little planning, you can at least minimize the time you spend at a dead end. Here are a few strategies to consider.

How to avoid traffic jams on summer trips

When you’re driving to work, getting stuck in traffic is unpleasant, but when you’re supposedly “on vacation” it’s even worse. Here are a few ways to reduce the chance of this happening:

Plan your itinerary before you leave

Instead of waiting to enter your destination address into Waze or Google Maps until you’re in your car and ready to go, plan your route before you set off. Sometimes app suggestions aren’t the best, and you’d better figure that out while you’re still at home to find an alternative. Of course, you’ll want to review your itinerary when you leave to check for any accidents or traffic jams, but this shouldn’t be the first time you’ve done this.

Have at least one backup route

When choosing a route for a trip, mark at least one or two others as alternates. This way, you won’t be confused if you encounter construction or road closures.

Driving after hours

It’s not ideal, but if your goal is to avoid traffic at all costs, consider leaving very early – like 3 or 4 a.m. – or driving all night. Not everyone can handle a schedule like this, and you’ll probably spend the time you save without getting stuck in traffic recovering from sleep loss, but serious traffic haters are willing to make this trade-off.

Arrival and departure on non-working days

If you are traveling to a popular holiday destination, incoming traffic is likely to be the worst on Thursday and Friday, and outgoing traffic is likely to be poor on Sunday and possibly Monday. Don’t travel on these peak days if you have that flexibility.