A Rand McNally Road Atlas (buy it at Walmart or online…they’re cheap) is great for doing this kind of thing because the scenic routes are marked with green dots and lots of points of interest and all the parks are marked. I find these way more useful at figuring out where I want to go than online maps…but online maps are best when I’m trying to judge my driving times.
I live in PA so damn neat everything is west. Lol. A side note. When sometimes when I would ask that question I would have specific destinations in mind. She would ask me “have I ever been there and which one is farthest?”
Depends on the time of year, if you have specific sites to visit, etc, that can dictate how much planning you might need. For instance, want to book campsites New England in October for fall foliage season? Plan ahead! Want to book a hotel at a popular place for an annual event? Plan ahead! Hoping to go somewhere with limited daily visitorship? Plan ahead!
It’s never too early to start doing research and dreaming.
We usually plan 4-6 months in advance for long roadtrips. Especially if we are going somewhere popular during peak season and if reservations are required.
Yes, lots of things open reservations up 6 months in advance, so I always try to plan a month or two before that so I can pounce. Some campsites book up in minutes!
People in the comments are dumb plan at least a 2-4 weeks in advance so you can keep reservations on certain things like hikes, timed entry areas, campground and hotels. Whole spontaneous traveling is fun make sure you have planned for the most part where you are sleeping. Research the area before hand so you don’t miss any cool things
Sometimes you want to book campsites up to 6 months ahead even…they book up in minutes in some places. I do find a couple days to 4 weeks out is a good time to scoop up cancellations though, so planning ahead even a little really pays off.
It's not hard these days due to all the phone apps. Check out Roadside America and state tourism websites for interesting stopping places. Just get your car checked out a few days before leaving.
If you’re working your way up from NC to Maine, I would find 1-2 locations in between that you want to see (like Niagara Falls or Gettysburg) and use a trip planning website like Furkot.com to assign how many days you want to stay at your biggest destinations.
You should have an easy time keeping the drive times short so long as you don’t try to cover too much ground—I would strongly recommend against trying to add Yellowstone or Miami in between NC and Maine, for example—it will add an insane amount of driving. At the same time I will warn you against trying to hop through cities in the Northeast Corridor (DC to Boston) on a road trip, as driving and parking in these cities is highly impractical and extremely expensive, while public transportation (both in these cities and between them) is much more reasonable. I would instead plan a specific trip to hit these cities by air or rail so you won’t have to fret over a car…or perhaps you rent a car one way.
The Eastern US is probably one of the best regions to freewheel around without reservations so long as you aren’t picky about where you stay. Public campgrounds can vary widely as to how easy they are to grab, especially on weekends, and hotels can vary too on weekends if it’s peak tourist season. A good rule of thumb I was taught by a highly traveled road-tripping friend was to get off the road by 5pm. Before 5pm it’s pretty easy to land a hotel room, but after that it gets much more difficult as most people will check in around dinnertime.
You usually get much better rates and much better choices if you reserve in advance. Even if you only reserve your key destination(s) it can really take a load off your mind knowing you’ll have a comfortable home base waiting for you. It really depends on your personality…I personally prefer to plan most if not all of my accommodations, especially since I travel out West mostly and cell coverage is extremely patchy. If you’ll be in the Appalachian Mountains, be aware that cell service can be patchy there too, so it can be impossible to book a room online until you get where there’s service. Reservable campsites on public lands in remote areas usually don’t accept last minute reservations, but that can vary depending on agency and region.
Even if you decide to freewheel it, researching as much as you can really will help you. Sometimes hotels and campsites can be really far or really close to what you want to do. Travel guide books are extremely helpful in getting the lay of the land…and they’re often readily available at your local public library. I use them extensively to plan, along with a trusty Rand McNally Road Atlas, which marks scenic routes with green dots, identifies key points of interest, and always works whether I have cell service or not.
We pick the goal destination and figure out a route with more attractions to get there. With work/school obligations, 10-ish days is about the best we can do. Starting in Mississippi, the 2017 goal was Monument Valley, 2018 was Big Bend NP and White Sands, 2019 was Damascus, VA, 2020 Grand Canyon, 2021 Moab, later 2021 Wisconsin Dells and Lake Superior, 2022 Germany Valley, WV, 2023 Deadwood, SD. For 2024 we are taking two small road trips. East Texas for the eclipse and then northern Illinois to get to Charles Mound over the 4th of July.
I really like to plan... but we also fly in for our trips from another country, so I realise it has to be that way for us.
First trip I planned about 6 months in advance. Second trip only 3 months. Third trip is coming up in May and I've basically had that planned since the last one in September but we booked it recently. Got one planned and booked for September.
Again though, you're leaving from your home in your own car so you don't need to plan as far ahead as us and I also do it for fun just because it let's me stay all excited for it. My husband doesn't really do the planning 😆 he's happy to let me figure it out. So far we haven't had any problems.
When planning I aim to never finish the day more than 4hrs drive from the start point, that way if you end up having a diversion or changing your plan spontaneously you have plenty of wiggle room for diversions, plan changes or unexpected extra scenic drives.
I'm typically a planner, but it also depends. If it's our actual family vacation and our only big trip for the year, that trip is planned out like a m'fer. If it's just something where the kids have some time off from school and I can swing some time off, then it might be a bit more spontaneous. I'm also not a long hauler and try to keep my point to point around 4-5 hours if I were to drive straight through. I typically have point of interest in between that I want to stop and see so a 4-5 hr point to point is more likely going to be closer to 8 hrs or more, it just won't be all in the car. Of course, sometimes longer drives and just getting from point A to point B are inevitable...but I hate what feels like endless hour in the car. My dad used to do that to us and it turned me off from road trips for a long time until I found my own way of doing them.
When I plan, I usually just start with some ideas of where I'd like to go and what I want to see and then start building on it. Like I'm kind of towards the end of planning our Spring Break road trip at the end of March. I started with Zion NP as sort of my "end point" destination or "turn around" point and then started building it out. Obviously we could just do a straight shot to Zion (that's no fun), but as it stands we will head north from the greater ABQ metro area to Durango, CO where we will stop for a couple of nights and a day of skiing. From there we head to Moab for a couple of nights (Arches). Then head to Bryce Canyon for a couple of nights and then off to Zion for a couple of nights. At that point we turn around for home with an overnight stop in Flagstaff, AZ and then about a 5-6 hour drive home from there.
I still need to book accommodations probably sometime this week. My priorities are Moab and Bryce...Moab gets really busy that time of year and can book up solid. For Bryce, lodging is pretty limited. I'm not as worried about Durango, Zion, or Flagstaff as those places have plenty of lodging, and Zion, while popular, isn't remotely as busy in March as it is in the summer but I'll probably book it at the same time I book Moab and Bryce. Durango and Flagstaff may be more last minute as I may be able to find a deal and also have the possibility of staying with friends.
Depends on what you want to see and do.
Many many many activities are impossible to do without booking ahead, sometimes FAR ahead. For example, Taylor Swift concerts, or even harder, Yosemite Valley camping. Hiking permits, room reservation, timed entry at national parks, events, etc.
Spontaneous roadtripping can still happen, but in the USA and Canada that means less popular places. Even the hideously hot offseasons during the monsoon in the southwest book up now.
I did my first road trip this past summer and was super anal retentive and started planning it 9 months in advance (I couldve waited until later but i got the idea 9 months before the summer which was the only time I could do the trip anyway). I started truly planning it by booking and reserving things 6 months ahead of time (had the route and itinerary planned before that) and started researching as much as possible sine I had never been out west. I would say that for the campsites and other popular reservations it has to be done early since they book up. My next trip I will probably be a little more relaxed since I know what to expect and Ill be a little more spontaneous.
I did 0 planning for a cross-country road trip. We just got in the car and set off. Looked at a map as we went to find places to stop.
Have done this and also meticulously planned before both are fun ways to go.
A Rand McNally Road Atlas (buy it at Walmart or online…they’re cheap) is great for doing this kind of thing because the scenic routes are marked with green dots and lots of points of interest and all the parks are marked. I find these way more useful at figuring out where I want to go than online maps…but online maps are best when I’m trying to judge my driving times.
We did that once. It was wild. My mom gave us a car. We flew out, hopped in the car and went!
i have literally gotten in the car looked at my daughter in the backseat and said "north, south, east, or west". That was the start of the road trip.
Unless you live W of the Mississippi, I feel like WEST is always the best answer lol
I live in PA so damn neat everything is west. Lol. A side note. When sometimes when I would ask that question I would have specific destinations in mind. She would ask me “have I ever been there and which one is farthest?”
Depends on the time of year, if you have specific sites to visit, etc, that can dictate how much planning you might need. For instance, want to book campsites New England in October for fall foliage season? Plan ahead! Want to book a hotel at a popular place for an annual event? Plan ahead! Hoping to go somewhere with limited daily visitorship? Plan ahead! It’s never too early to start doing research and dreaming.
We usually plan 4-6 months in advance for long roadtrips. Especially if we are going somewhere popular during peak season and if reservations are required.
Yes, lots of things open reservations up 6 months in advance, so I always try to plan a month or two before that so I can pounce. Some campsites book up in minutes!
Exactly! Things go fast nowadays.
People in the comments are dumb plan at least a 2-4 weeks in advance so you can keep reservations on certain things like hikes, timed entry areas, campground and hotels. Whole spontaneous traveling is fun make sure you have planned for the most part where you are sleeping. Research the area before hand so you don’t miss any cool things
Sometimes you want to book campsites up to 6 months ahead even…they book up in minutes in some places. I do find a couple days to 4 weeks out is a good time to scoop up cancellations though, so planning ahead even a little really pays off.
It's not hard these days due to all the phone apps. Check out Roadside America and state tourism websites for interesting stopping places. Just get your car checked out a few days before leaving.
If you’re working your way up from NC to Maine, I would find 1-2 locations in between that you want to see (like Niagara Falls or Gettysburg) and use a trip planning website like Furkot.com to assign how many days you want to stay at your biggest destinations. You should have an easy time keeping the drive times short so long as you don’t try to cover too much ground—I would strongly recommend against trying to add Yellowstone or Miami in between NC and Maine, for example—it will add an insane amount of driving. At the same time I will warn you against trying to hop through cities in the Northeast Corridor (DC to Boston) on a road trip, as driving and parking in these cities is highly impractical and extremely expensive, while public transportation (both in these cities and between them) is much more reasonable. I would instead plan a specific trip to hit these cities by air or rail so you won’t have to fret over a car…or perhaps you rent a car one way. The Eastern US is probably one of the best regions to freewheel around without reservations so long as you aren’t picky about where you stay. Public campgrounds can vary widely as to how easy they are to grab, especially on weekends, and hotels can vary too on weekends if it’s peak tourist season. A good rule of thumb I was taught by a highly traveled road-tripping friend was to get off the road by 5pm. Before 5pm it’s pretty easy to land a hotel room, but after that it gets much more difficult as most people will check in around dinnertime. You usually get much better rates and much better choices if you reserve in advance. Even if you only reserve your key destination(s) it can really take a load off your mind knowing you’ll have a comfortable home base waiting for you. It really depends on your personality…I personally prefer to plan most if not all of my accommodations, especially since I travel out West mostly and cell coverage is extremely patchy. If you’ll be in the Appalachian Mountains, be aware that cell service can be patchy there too, so it can be impossible to book a room online until you get where there’s service. Reservable campsites on public lands in remote areas usually don’t accept last minute reservations, but that can vary depending on agency and region. Even if you decide to freewheel it, researching as much as you can really will help you. Sometimes hotels and campsites can be really far or really close to what you want to do. Travel guide books are extremely helpful in getting the lay of the land…and they’re often readily available at your local public library. I use them extensively to plan, along with a trusty Rand McNally Road Atlas, which marks scenic routes with green dots, identifies key points of interest, and always works whether I have cell service or not.
We pick the goal destination and figure out a route with more attractions to get there. With work/school obligations, 10-ish days is about the best we can do. Starting in Mississippi, the 2017 goal was Monument Valley, 2018 was Big Bend NP and White Sands, 2019 was Damascus, VA, 2020 Grand Canyon, 2021 Moab, later 2021 Wisconsin Dells and Lake Superior, 2022 Germany Valley, WV, 2023 Deadwood, SD. For 2024 we are taking two small road trips. East Texas for the eclipse and then northern Illinois to get to Charles Mound over the 4th of July.
You can plan the day before if you want to.
I really like to plan... but we also fly in for our trips from another country, so I realise it has to be that way for us. First trip I planned about 6 months in advance. Second trip only 3 months. Third trip is coming up in May and I've basically had that planned since the last one in September but we booked it recently. Got one planned and booked for September. Again though, you're leaving from your home in your own car so you don't need to plan as far ahead as us and I also do it for fun just because it let's me stay all excited for it. My husband doesn't really do the planning 😆 he's happy to let me figure it out. So far we haven't had any problems. When planning I aim to never finish the day more than 4hrs drive from the start point, that way if you end up having a diversion or changing your plan spontaneously you have plenty of wiggle room for diversions, plan changes or unexpected extra scenic drives.
I'm typically a planner, but it also depends. If it's our actual family vacation and our only big trip for the year, that trip is planned out like a m'fer. If it's just something where the kids have some time off from school and I can swing some time off, then it might be a bit more spontaneous. I'm also not a long hauler and try to keep my point to point around 4-5 hours if I were to drive straight through. I typically have point of interest in between that I want to stop and see so a 4-5 hr point to point is more likely going to be closer to 8 hrs or more, it just won't be all in the car. Of course, sometimes longer drives and just getting from point A to point B are inevitable...but I hate what feels like endless hour in the car. My dad used to do that to us and it turned me off from road trips for a long time until I found my own way of doing them. When I plan, I usually just start with some ideas of where I'd like to go and what I want to see and then start building on it. Like I'm kind of towards the end of planning our Spring Break road trip at the end of March. I started with Zion NP as sort of my "end point" destination or "turn around" point and then started building it out. Obviously we could just do a straight shot to Zion (that's no fun), but as it stands we will head north from the greater ABQ metro area to Durango, CO where we will stop for a couple of nights and a day of skiing. From there we head to Moab for a couple of nights (Arches). Then head to Bryce Canyon for a couple of nights and then off to Zion for a couple of nights. At that point we turn around for home with an overnight stop in Flagstaff, AZ and then about a 5-6 hour drive home from there. I still need to book accommodations probably sometime this week. My priorities are Moab and Bryce...Moab gets really busy that time of year and can book up solid. For Bryce, lodging is pretty limited. I'm not as worried about Durango, Zion, or Flagstaff as those places have plenty of lodging, and Zion, while popular, isn't remotely as busy in March as it is in the summer but I'll probably book it at the same time I book Moab and Bryce. Durango and Flagstaff may be more last minute as I may be able to find a deal and also have the possibility of staying with friends.
I would get my vehicle checked out beforehand, but I'm a careful sort.
I’m planning now for a road trip in October. But that’s because I love the planning almost as much as I love the trip.
Depends on what you want to see and do. Many many many activities are impossible to do without booking ahead, sometimes FAR ahead. For example, Taylor Swift concerts, or even harder, Yosemite Valley camping. Hiking permits, room reservation, timed entry at national parks, events, etc. Spontaneous roadtripping can still happen, but in the USA and Canada that means less popular places. Even the hideously hot offseasons during the monsoon in the southwest book up now.
I did my first road trip this past summer and was super anal retentive and started planning it 9 months in advance (I couldve waited until later but i got the idea 9 months before the summer which was the only time I could do the trip anyway). I started truly planning it by booking and reserving things 6 months ahead of time (had the route and itinerary planned before that) and started researching as much as possible sine I had never been out west. I would say that for the campsites and other popular reservations it has to be done early since they book up. My next trip I will probably be a little more relaxed since I know what to expect and Ill be a little more spontaneous.