5 Tips to Stay Close to God While Traveling

How to stay close to God on the road

~ Carmen

Church lifts me up. Going to church each Sunday gives me the energy boost that helps me get through the following week. Belonging to a small group keeps me accountable to walking the righteous path. The Bible is full of verses about the importance of fellowship with fellow believers.

1 Thessalonians 5:11- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

But what about those who travel for work or when you are on vacation? During our recent road trip, Joe and I missed Easter services, so I poised the question to the Average Joe Camping Facebook group (thanks, guys!). Many members of the Facebook group camp full-time, spending weeks or even months in one campground or another. Their suggestions, along with my own practices led me to these tips.

5 Tips to Stay Close to God While Traveling

1. Make prayer part of your travel routine.

Colossians 4:2- “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

If you went periods of time not talking to your spouse, you would start to drift apart. Prayer is your daily conversation with God. At home I keep a prayer journal. The more I write in my journal, the stronger I feel spiritually. Why I didn’t take the journal with me on our road trip is beyond me (definitely next time)! Prayer was always part of our vacations growing up. Before leaving our house on a trip, my dad would always have us stand in a circle, and he would pray for God’s protection on the highway, that we would stay healthy, and then he would end the prayer by thanking God for blessing us with the much needed vacation. Making prayer part of your travel routine ensures that you stay in contact with our Lord. Schedule prayer before every meal, before departing each city, or keep a prayer journal. If prayer is part of your schedule, then the odds increase that it will be done daily.

2. Keep a devotional in your car or suitcase.

2 Timothy 3:16-17- “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Church fellowship is important for accountability, comfort, and spiritual growth. A good devotional book can serve the same purpose. On our last trip, I brought this devotional book:

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I highly recommend it! I kept it in the side pocket of the passenger door. In the mornings, when Joe would start driving to our next destination, I would grab the devotional and start reading the next lesson. We didn’t finish it, so I left it in the car to use on our next trip (this weekend)!

3. Listen to Christian music.

Psalm 105:2- “Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

Christian Road Trip Songs

Music uplifts the soul. Nothing beats a great road trip song. Joe and I have Amazon Prime. With Amazon Prime, you have assess to a variety of Christian playlists. The same can be said for Pandora. On our last road trip, we found an Amazon playlist called “Christian Road Trip”! Here is our personal playlist of some of our favorite Christian songs for the road:

“Good Morning” Mandisa
“Move” MercyMe
“Fine Fine Life” for King & Country
“Sing in the Rain” Mariah Peters
“Any Old Road” Balsam Range
“Hold Us Together” Matt Maher
“Your Love is Like a River” Third Day
“Beautiful” Plumb
“You Lead” Jamie Grace
“My Lighthouse” Rend Collective
“Field of Grace” Big Daddy Weave
“Build Your Kingdom Here” Rend Collective
“Beautiful Day” Jamie Grace

4. Visit churches in person or online.

Psalm 122:1- “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

If you enjoy camping like Joe and me, then a church service may be as close as the campground pavilion. Many campsites hold Sunday morning services. You can also visit local churches in the area. Most churches would love to have you stop by. If you aren’t able to stop into a local church, see if your home church broadcasts online. Please check out my home church, Central Church! All of our Sunday services can be viewed live.

5. Never forget God is always with you.

Fellowship with other Christians is paramount to staying spiritually strong, but most important of all is the knowledge that God will never leave us. He created the world and dwells within all that surrounds us. When we walk in the woods, He is there. When we drive down the seemingly deserted highway, He is there. When we take a wrong turn or deal with fussy, tired children, He is in there and always in control. All we have to do is call on His precious name, and He will draw us in with His love and strength.

We’d love to hear what you do while on the road for business or vacation and can’t attend your home church. Please comment below with any related experiences. You can track our daily travels by following us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, Instagram, and Google +). Sign up for our weekly newsletter and never miss a post (no spam, ever)!