Planning a Great Road Trip!
I love road trips! I often say that I only need half of a good reason to go on a road trip. I enjoy the adventure of the travel, exploring new areas, sights along the way, and memories made with my fellow travelers. For me, the road trip begins when I leave the house. It is more than just traveling to the destination; it’s about the travel itself. I can turn a regular drive home after work into a memorable road trip just by taking an unusual route home. There are cool sights along the roads all around us. You just need to slow down and look for them. Here are my best tips to turning your next drive into a memorable road trip.
Plan your route - The first step to any great road trip is proper planning. It starts with answering a few questions. What kind of adventure are you looking for? Do you want to make stops along the way or are you looking to view the scenery without stopping? Are you traveling a short distance or long distance? How much time have you allotted for travel? What are the stopping needs of your traveling companions? By answering these questions, you can get a feel for how to plan the route. I use a variety of ways to plan travel routes. When planning shorter impromptu routes within 5 hours of home I often use the mapper on my cell phone and click the "avoid highways" button to avoid Interstates and big urban areas. It's the scenic route on the fly. Yes, it takes longer than traveling the Interstates, but it gives you so much more to look at along the way. I do more research for longer vacation routes. I use a variety of Google searches, AI inquiries (Grok or ChatGPT), and topographical maps to find cool places to stop or drive through. I take into consideration the time of the year, weather patterns, and the interests of my traveling companions in finding the best routes to travel. A final way to create a fun route is to put away the cell phone and break out the paper map and compass. Have your copilot find where you are leaving from and the destination and make note of the general direction. Then, have your copilot pick the roads using the compass and map to maintain the general direction of travel. This is especially fun with the kids and is guaranteed to make some special memories for everyone.
Pick the Right Vehicle - Avoid the temptation of taking the "economical" vehicle to save some money on gas. Take a comfortable and reliable vehicle that you enjoy driving with room for everyone. When you and your companions are comfortable, the drive will be much more enjoyable.
Pick Fun People to Travel With - Road trips are better with fun people. Let them know that the drive is part of the adventure. Surprise them with the unexpected and keep the drive interesting. If you’re traveling with kids, remember that you set the tone for the trip. They will feed off of your energy, good or bad. If unexpected things happen along the way, remember to stay calm, assess the situation and make a plan. Communicate the plan with your crew and work together to solve the problem. See my article "My Car Left Me Stranded! What to Do During Road Trip Breakdowns" from July 2024 for more information about what to do during a breakdown.
Look for unexpected stops along the way – Keep an eye out for fun places to stop along the way and/or make note of potential interesting stops during your route planning. During your research, identify more fun places to check out than you plan on stopping at. Keep them in mind as you travel. It’s good to be flexible about stops. Maybe everyone is having a great time just driving and you want to get a few more miles down before stopping. Maybe you spot a cool store, park, or flea market along the way. The idea is to remain open to spontaneous adventures, even if some of them are preplanned.
Give yourself some extra time – We live our lives on a schedule every day. Road trips are a great way to break up the routine and put some excitement back into life. Many of us get too focused on arriving at the destination at a set time. Give yourself some extra time so you can enjoy traveling to the destination. There will always be unexpected things that will come up while you’re traveling. Everything from road construction, accidents, and wildlife to vehicle breakdowns. Allowing for extra time helps keep the travel calm and fun.
Look over or have your vehicle looked over before you leave – Many roadside breakdowns can be prevented by good vehicle maintenance and repair. Don’t wait until the night before you leave to look it over. Check things over a week before you leave so there is time to fix and maintain what needs to be done before the trip. If the vehicle is not driven regularly, drive it around the week before you head out to get some miles on it and identify any potential problem areas.
Plan for the unexpected – Great road trips always involve a bit of the unknown. Whether it’s traveling though unknown areas, unexpected stops, changing weather conditions, road hazards, or vehicle challenges. There’s always something that comes up. Take some time to think about what unexpected situations you may encounter along the way and do your best to be ready to deal with them. Keep some extra clothing, snacks, water, maps, and tools with you when you travel. Make sure your cell phone is charged and keep a charger in the vehicle. Preparing for the unexpected ahead of time will ease the tension of dealing with the situation should something happen.
There is something special about a great road trip and I’m always looking forward to the next one. For me, the enjoyment started when I was young, going on hunting trips with my father. My dad worked construction for most of his career and the only vacation time he took was during hunting and fishing seasons. Many times, we would clean out his work truck the evening before and head out early the next day well before the sunrise. Most of the time I had no idea where we were going, just that I was going to have a great time no matter what happened. That really is a key part of a great road trip. The mind set of having a great time no matter what happens. My vacations start the moment I leave home and continue until the moment I return home. The road trip is an intricate part of the adventure and is so much more rewarding to me than air travel. Any challenges that occur along the way just add to the campfire stories that I’ll tell about it in the future. The USA is full of scenic roads winding through beautiful natural landscapes and quirky man-made roadside wonders just waiting to be explored. Pick a spot, plan a fun route, load up the kids, and create that next cherished memory. You won’t regret it!
Aaron Bjorklund
