My big ones are about tiredness and sleep. I drive for work (regularly between 6-10 hour drives) and there are times where I’ve had to pull off the highway and lean back for a little nap. I know it’s already been said a couple times though.

If you’re getting tired at all, you should find a place to stop sooner than later. Like others have said, you can do some stretches or walk around, maybe even some jumping jacks or something to get the blood pumping.

I don’t usually go for energy drinks or coffee, but sodas and other drinks are fine for me. And snacks do help keep you awake with the mindless energy of chewing something.

Someone said long form audio to listen to, such as audiobooks or long podcasts. Music can work, but I find it can get monotonous after a while and it’ll kinda make you sleepy.

Drink in sips. Bring plenty of snacks. Fill up the vehicle when you get to half a tank. 8 hours is a breeze. Take plenty of pictures. Stop at the “worlds biggest whatever” or local diner, have a moment instead of powering through which is no fun.

I used to work on the road and I’m no stranger to 8-16 hour drives so here are a couple suggestions.

Get some sort of long playing media. Have you checked if you can play files through the USB? Some cars of that era would play MP3s off of a USB drive. If your phone won’t play through the Bluetooth, does it have a CD player? 8 hours is about the length of a lot of audiobooks, you could get a hard copy of one of those or even just music CDs. Either way, it’s nice to have a backup to the FM radio for that long of a drive in case you end up on a stretch where there aren’t any good stations.

Speaking of backups, this is going to out me as an old dude but, I’d suggest a paper map of the area you’ll be traveling. You’re liable to hit some dead zones on that long of a drive and you mentioned some worry about keeping your phone charged. If you can get a paper map and highlight the route you want to take, you’ll have a good fall back. Bonus points if you get a copy of the same map to someone that you can call for help. When I was in college my dad and I had copies of the same Atlas (thanks for the free maps State Farm) and I would often call him for advice if I hit serious construction on a long drive.

Try to stay aware of your general alertness. If you’re feeling sluggish, don’t hesitate to stop at the next gas station or rest stop and get a coffee or pop or something. Personally, I’d steer clear of energy drinks because the crash when they wear off sucks if you’re driving. Even just getting out of the car and walking around often helped me. Alternatively, if it’s late and you’re really dragging, stopping at a rest stop for a quick power nap is not the worst idea. It sure beats waking up in the ditch (been there, would not recommend). If you have some music that really pumps you up, have a copy of that with you too. I used to carry a CD with the metal mix that we used to play to get pumped up before football games in highschool.

I’m not sure how many people still know this but most major highways have small green signs with numbers on them along the side of the road. These are mile markers. The exit numbers generally cover from the nearest mile marker. I mention this because they’re worth keeping an eye on. If you’re traveling by map, it’s a good way to gauge the distance to an exit you’re looking for and more importantly, if you need to call for help, knowing the road and mile marker will get help to you faster.

My advice is always visit every one of the rest stops if your in America, not for like hours. But get up and walk around for 10-20 minutes stretch a bit. Read the things if there is any. Look at the scenery. The rest stops are have a distance between them selfs I find to be pretty good too.

Probably my biggest piece of advice is to use cruise control (if you have it) and go a tiny bit slower than the general flow of traffic, like 1-2 mph. Don’t be a pylon, but stick with the flow of traffic and lean toward letting others pass you. Generally avoid driving aggressively because following closely or making frequent passes is stressful and tiring, which adds up quickly on long drives. Take your time, relax, and enjoy it.

• Check all the fluids in your car, and change em / top em up if it’s been a while.
• Pack an emergency car kit. I’m sure there are loads of recommendations online, but I usually have:
  • Flashlight
  • Battery bank + charging cable for phone
  • Spare tire and wrenches (if you’ve got a charged phone, you could instead call for a tow if needed)
  • Blanket (it can get surprisingly cold at night, even in the summer)
  • Spare oil / coolant (water works as well for coolant in a pinch)
• For misc stuff I like to bring on trips:
  • A pack of water. If there’s long stretches with no towns, water is always nice
  • Sunglasses
  • If you’re going to play stuff off your phone, I’d recommend downloading music and a variety of podcasts to go. Don’t just download 10 episodes from the same channel; mix it up. And mix up the genre too. I usually will have a mix of world news, tech news, stories, and self improvement stuff
  • Snacks & other drinks

Embrace the analogue radio.

Do take rest stops - you won’t realise you’re tired until it’s too late.

I recently drove eight hours on a trip. It’s brutal, but you’ll be fine.

• download offline maps on your phone
• get lots of music, podcasts, and things to keep entertained
• stop every few hours to stretch your legs, use the bathroom, and maybe get something to eat
• be aware of your route. Think about where you can stop. Be ready for construction and other unexpected delays.
• check your tire pressure before you leave (especially the spare!)
• make sure you have basic stuff like a jack and jumper cables
• make sure you have your license, insurance, and registration
• if you can afford it, dashcams are nice to have

Plan some rest stops in advance, about every two hours. A few minutes of looking at the scenery and fresh air can help a lot with alertness. Even better if it’s quiet enough for a power nap.

Fatigue is real and it sneaks up on you. Don’t be afraid to pull off the road and close your eyes for 20 minutes. You don’t even have to sleep, just resting for a few minutes is super helpful.

Similarly, use your car’s automatic features when possible if they reduce fatigue. In your case, that probably means using cruise control. I’ve found that if I don’t have to actively manage my speed, I get less tired.

Assuming you’re in a tight hand drive country: Keep right except to pass!

Sounds like you’ve thought about this a bit so you’ll be fine. Everything you may need can be bought in route if necessary. Perhaps download offline maps for your navigation app in case you don’t have cell service.

Maybe pack some healthy food? This is going to sound silly, but I like to buy small heads of green and purple cabbage and just eat the leaves raw while driving. It can keep you from buying junk at a gas station.

You could do some worst case prep, like have a couple gallons of water in the car and other things to keep yourself alive and comfortable in case the car breaks down somewhere inconvienent. If you have time you can buy a roadside assistance plan from AAA or similar so you can get towed to a mechanic, but you very likely won’t need it.

I’ve been driving for over 20 years and I’ve never had a car break down in route. Just make sure the tire pressure is fine, the tires aren’t shit, and there are adequate levels of engine oil and engine coolant. That’s all you can really do.

Sunglasses. Don’t forget sunglasses

• Bring lots of audio entertainment pre-loaded on your phone (don’t rely on internet) or burnt to a CD. Podcast, audiobook, w/e. Boredom is the mind killer.
• Bring snacks that don’t leave your hands dirty.
• Bring a sandwich, it’s much cheaper than buying one.
• Bring a refrigerated and a frozen water bottle. The latter will still be cold for the second half of the trip.
• When you stop to pee/get gas, make sure you walk around for a few minutes. Your legs get tired just sitting.
• Both Google and Apple maps supports pre-downloading maps. This is very helpful if you need to set a route and you don’t have service where you happen to be.

Try to get a really early start so you aren’t spending the last few hours driving in darkness. If you haven’t listened to the “Shit town” podcast, it got me through a long drive once. This was on a 2012 car with no smartphone features besides basic bluetooth, but there was a pairing procedure that got audio to at least play (it was really wonky to setup, I had to look it up).

Edit: Big Caveat to my advice on the starting early, be careful if your trip ends inside a huge metro area on a weekday, as bad timing can land you straight into some horrendous rush-hour traffic.

Don’t think too hard about how much further you have left to go; road hypnosis is your friend. I’ll often finish up several hours of a long drive without even really noticing it, so long as I’m not constantly checking the ETA. If you’re not driving in the middle of the day, getting tired can be an issue - I like to make sure I get a lot of sleep before a long drive, and sometimes even change my sleep schedule for a couple days beforehand if I’m going to be driving while I’d usually be asleep. If I’m really worried, I might buy an energy drink or two, but I usually only do that for 10+ hour drives.