Planning a Road Trip

 We love taking road trips. There is so much to see and do right here in our own backyard! Even with the cost of gas, with a little careful planning, you can put together a trip that will be memorable for everyone! 

Below are ten steps to planning your next vacation road trip. I've included a downloadable spreadsheet and packing checklist. Simply right click on them to create your own copy. 

1. Plan your Destination

The first thing to do is to figure out where you want to go. Start by having a discussion with your family about things they want to do. Hiking? Fishing? Shopping? Get a good idea of everyone's expectations, then get out your computer or travel books and start reading. 

I'm working on our vacation for the fall right now. We want to go somewhere new, some place we haven't seen yet. We love the outdoors, so I'm reviewing the start parks and scenic highways. 

2. Plan the Route

One of our favorite trips was a tour of the Oregon lighthouses. So I made a list of the locations and started checking what other sites, events, and activities there were along the way. And I started collecting (printing, ordering, buying) brochures and books to keep in a folder. 

With a list of destinations in hand, I started mapping. How far is it between stops? How far do we want to go each day? 

3. Make a Budget

It may sound counterintuitive to do this first, but it's best to have the numbers in front of you when you plan. If your food budget is small, look at motels with kitchens. Hotels can be expensive. Do you have enough in the budget for each night? If not, consider camping. I did a little research on renting an RV, but the additional gas it will use and the daily rates made it more expensive than an inexpensive hotel. You might find it different where you are, so it's worth a look. 

I created a spreadsheet to help me work on the budget. It allows me to adjust for how many people, changing miles, etc. Download your own copy by clicking on the link - (Note - it will direct you to the Lazy Gastronome - that's my other site. I couldn't get the download to work on this platform)

Road Trip Budget Calculator

4. Plan a Tentative Itinerary

What places might we want to stop at? We never have a "to do" list. We always make a list of possible things to do so there is an option we can choose depending on our moods. Sometimes we do everything on the list - sometimes we do nothing! Hence the "tentative".

5. Book Hotels

We used to just head out - no reservations, no real agenda - we wanted to do what we wanted when we wanted. Didn't work. We found ourselves having to stay in places we weren't really happy with. Planning here is really important. You'll be able to locate a place to stay that meets your needs and your budget. 

6. Plan some Meals

How often do you want to eat out? What kinds of meals do you want. We decided how often we wanted to eat in restaurants, how often we wanted just quick deli food and how often we wanted to prepare our own food. Keep in mind, you will need to plan how you are going to prepare your own meals. Do you need a camp stove? A small grill? 

7. Book Tours and Purchase Event Tickets

Are you going to do any tours? How about events that require tickets? Park passes? Now is the time to book/purchase those, not when you get there. 

8. Plan What to Pack

Planning what to pack is not just your personal clothing and toiletries, it includes dishes, cooking tools, towels and/or bedding. I like to take an electric tea kettle and my manual pod coffee maker. It's always good to have a corkscrew, can opener and a cutting board with a sharp knife. Some travel eating utensils and cups/drinking glasses. You never know when you might need to use them!

I have a generic packing checklist. Just click below if you'd like to download a copy. 

Road Trip Packing List

9. Get your Vehicle Ready

If it's a long trip, take your car to the mechanic and have them do a safety check. Many places will do it for a small fee or even free. It's better than getting stranded (as we did with a dead battery). Make sure your tires are in good condition. 

And after all the workings are in good shape, give it a wash and interior vacuuming. Add a trash can or bag for corralling all the trash while your out. Then just empty it at your daily destination. 

10. Bring some Entertainment

There isn't always going to be something to do. Bring some music and a way to play it. Have a book and your tablet. We even bring a craft project with us. 

As a dollmaker, I brought a doll with us on the light house trip. She had a body and a face - no hair, no clothes, no details. As we traveled along the coast, i bought or found things to add to her and worked on her in the evening as we settled in for the night. By the end of the trip, she was finished!

To commemorate the trip I kept a journal. I wrote details, dates, things I wanted to remember. After we returned I used those notes to create a scrapbook of the trip. You can do this in on paper or digitally.

 I'm currently working on making videos using clips of the trip. I'm hoping to do that for our vacation this year. I'll let you know how that goes!!

So take lots of pictures - 

Save some memorabilia - 

And create something that reminds you of a great trip. 

Happy Trails!!

Amazon Prime Days are July 12 & 13, 2022 - Check it out! And here are a few ideas for your road trip!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

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