10 Tips on How to Plan a Road Trip

Ready for a road trip?

There’s nothing like a great road trip as the ideal vacation. Whether it is a family vacation or a road trip with your old college buddies, this is one of the most popular vacation choices.

But many have stories of road trips gone awry – because a poorly planned road trip is almost worse than no road trip at all (notice we said “almost”). Follow our 10 tips on how to plan a road trip, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a fun, safe and memorable road trip that everyone will enjoy.

Tips on How to Plan a Road Trip

1. Map it out. Now this sounds very basic, but many road trip stories begin with, “So we got into the car and started driving…” You might be surprised to discover just how many road trippers actually don’t map out their road trip plans. Today your GPS and even your cell phone can be quite helpful in leading the way, but sitting down and figuring out which highway you’ll take, and approximately how many miles you’ll cover each day will let you have a much better road trip.

2. Pack wisely. We’re about to let you in on one of the biggest road trip mistakes that so many make. Because they travel by car, they get kind of relaxed about what they think they can bring and figure they can bring just about “anything” on their road trip. Well you do have a limited amount of room, and in some cars it can get kind of squishy with everyone’s stuff jammed in there! Plan your wardrobe, a few good travel books and other necessities – bring only one hair dryer for the group so you can save the room and the hassle – you’ll be glad you packed wisely.

3. Bring healthy snacks and drinks. One challenge many find on the road is that at the stops on the highway, you’ll find plenty of delicious fast food, but very few healthy options. This can be especially frustrating if you prefer organic or vegetarian foods, you’ll want to plan ahead as much as you can. But even packing some easy to eat foods like granola bars and bananas and bottles of water will mean fewer stops – and the ability to keep roadtrippin’ on!

4. Give yourself a rest. It’s easy to think you can sit behind the wheel of your car for hours, or even sit in the car for hours – and get to your destination quicker. But you really do need to give yourself some much needed breaks for fresh air and to stretch your legs. It is good for your circulation and overall health.

5. Plan fun for the kids. If this is a family road trip, any parent is going to be concerned that their kids will be restless and bored during a long car ride. And who wouldn’t be? Many adults feel that way during a long road trip, so it is easy to see why kids would feel that way too. Plan some fun for the kids, read stories aloud, play the license plate game and do fun activities bit by bit so there are different fun things at different times so there is something to look forward to.

6. Don’t miss the “don’t miss” spots along the way. Part of the fun of any road trip is seeing tourist attractions. You don’t want to be so focused on “making time” during your road trip that you miss that giant ball of twine along the way. As you map out your road trip, do some research about where fun tourist attractions are and plan your stops. Our best tip: try to plan meal breaks during your stops too, so you can enjoy a great meal, get some rest from driving and being the car and see a fun tourist attraction.

7. Give the driver a real break. It’s a fact: going on a road trip is fun, but it also can be real hard work sometimes. Especially for the driver. Don’t let someone do all of the driving, that’s really not fair. Every driver should have a break from their duties. Stop at a rest stop or for a meal break, and switch drivers.

8. Bring your camera or camcorder. Let’s face it: it’s not a real road trip without great photos or a fun video to watch later! Be sure one or everyone have their cameras and/or camcorders. You’ll want to watch them when you get home. Take lots of candid shots along with shots of the tourist attractions.

9. Don’t forget the plastic – but also bring the Benjamins. A road trip is just easier when you bring your credit card with you. But there are times you’ll want to have cash on you. Try to carry at least $100 or even $200 in smaller bills for eating out, gas and other necessities along the way, depending on how long your road trip is and where you are going, what you are doing.

10. Learn from this road trip – what to do next time. No matter how well we plan (and whose suitcase has the hairdryer…. ), adventures and mishaps seem to happen on a road trip. It’s all part of the fun of going on a road trip. Take the opportunity to learn from your road trip what you want to do next time.

There’s nothing like a fun road trip with family or friends. It can be the best way to see the Grand Canyon, go to the beach, travel cross country and go many places. But best of all you get to spend time with your family and friends, traveling on vacation. Our helpful tips make road trip traveling easier!