For us, a road trip is a synonym for a perfect vacation. And not just because we enjoy driving, but because we enjoy the freedom to go wherever we want to and when we want to. A road trip can be an unforgettable experience, but it can also be stressful. Especially if you don´t plan it. As much as we love spontaneous road trips, the perfect road trip takes a little bit of planning ahead.
Follow our tips to plan a road trip in 7 easy steps.
Would you like to learn more about effective ways to plan your next trip? Try to check our Reverse Travel Planning Strategy.
How to plan a road trip?
1) Decide on a destination
It is completely up to you to choose a destination where you want to go. If you plan your first road trip, it might be a good idea to choose a destination that is not too far away. Start your first road trip in your country or maybe just drive to the city a couple of hours away. If you are planning a road trip to a foreign country, don´t forget to research all the requirements and permits.
Are you planning a road trip around Australia? Check our best tips:
2) Find all the places you wish to visit
When you gather all the places you would like to visit, start adding them on the map. You can use an actual paper map or an app or Google maps. For finding the perfect route I would suggest an online map because it is easier to use. Just find all the places that you like and add them on a map.
3) Decide on a route
First, we add all the interesting places on a map, now we try to figure out how to connect all those places. It basically means finding the best possible route. At the end of this step, you should end up with a map that connects all your places of interest.
4) Is your plan reasonable?
Now it is time for a little bit of math 🙂 How long is your road trip? How many days do you have to complete the road trip?
Let´s say that your road trip is 2 000 km long and you plan to do it in 5 days. That is 500 km per day on average. Is it reasonable? Well, it depends. Do you want to spend about 5 to 6 hours in the car driving every day? Are you planning to drive on highways or unpaved roads? If the resulting mileage is too much for you, you need to adjust your plan by cutting kilometres or adding days.
Keep in mind, that no matter how well you planned your road trip, some unexpected situations can occur. Road constructions, accidents, detours are just some situations that can slow you down. Instead of stressing about it, have some spare time just in case you need to deal with it. Always make sure you have enough time to complete your road trip. Travelling on a tight time schedule takes away all the fun.
It is also a good idea to keep loose plans. You never know what you find while driving. Maybe you find some additional fun attractions, that you didn´t know about before. So include some “spare time” into your itinerary.
5) Where are you going to sleep?
Are you planning to sleep in a car? Or a tent? Or are you planning to find accommodation along the trip? It really depends on your travel style. If you travel on a budget, sleeping in a tent or car can really lower your costs. If you plan to find accommodation along the way, you need to plan a little bit of ahead. Try to find an accommodation as soon as possible, just to make sure you find a room.
Check our tips How to choose the best road trip car!
6) Create a budget
If you travel on a budget, it is very important to set up a reasonable budget. Try not to plan your budget too tight, otherwise you will be stressing about money all the time. Always plan with some spare funds, just in case some unexpected situations occur. Don´t forget to include food, accommodation and fun stuff, alongside the gas and other costs.
7) Create an itinerary
In the end, create an itinerary. It doesn´t have to be too detailed. We like to create an itinerary because of two reasons:
We always leave an itinerary to someone we trust, family or friends. Just in case something happens, someone knows where we were supposed to be.
It serves as an overall overview of your trip. We use it as a guideline while driving, so we can stay on track.
Do you like road trips? What was the best road trip you have ever done? Leave a comment down below and if you like our 7 steps how to plan a road trip be sure you subscribe to our newsletter. Or share it with your friends on social media.
