Road trips with the RV is our number one choice on how we travel, however it is not our only option. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on finalizing the plans for our next big road trip with the RV. I get asked often where to even start with planning trips like we do, so I wanted to share with you how to start planning your next road trip!

I have spent countless hours researching and planning our routes and itineraries, but that is something I love to do! Now, I want to share our experiences and tips with you! I have several factors that go into place when it comes to planning our trips, and I am going to go over some of those things to help you with planning your next road trip!

I believe that it is important and necessary to have most of our campsites booked ahead of time, because the campgrounds in popular locations will completely book up. We choose our route, and book the most popular spots 6 months or more in advance (ideally). Then, I work on all of the details as we get closer to the trip, and make changes as needed.

Where do we even start?

First off, I want to make sure to recommend that you start making plans to adventure NOW! Not when you retire, not when the kids are grown, and not when you have more money or time, etc. We are never promised that those chances will come, so why not work with what we are given right now!? We decided several years ago that we wanted to start seeing the national parks while we are healthy enough to hike plenty of miles and harder trails.

Plus, we want our kids to see all of these amazing places and explore them with us! We have made the best memories, and our kids have learned so much over the years of exploring. They have gained great knowledge and appreciation for nature, wildlife and history, right along with us! We have hiked certain trails that were very hard and pushed our kids to more than they even knew they could handle. And guess what? They still mention those hikes as their favorite memories, and tell me, “we will take our kids there someday!” Again, there is no better time than NOW to start planning your next road trip!

 

How do you decide where you are going to go next?

A few things to consider first:

1. How much time do I have?
2. What time of year is it?
3. What is my first priority destination?

After you have answered those questions, you can hopefully pick your priority destination to start planning your next road trip. Almost EVERYWHERE is on our bucket list, and I have a hard time being patient! So I completely understand how you might feel a little overwhelmed with having to choose. Maybe list a few choices for your destinations. On our first long road trip we only had about 10 days, and we weren’t sure how many miles we would be able to cover each day. We chose Colorado as a good summer time destination, and we knew that we could cover what we wanted to in our time frame.

Is it a reasonable time of year?

Next, let’s make sure that it is a reasonable time of year to be visiting the region that you want to go. I am guilty of planning a stop in Joshua Tree National Park in AUGUST, when the average temperature is 99 degrees. My thought was, “we are going to be SO close, we will just do what we can”.  I am still not completely against this type of thinking – if you know me at all, you know that I will usually try to pull something like this off. However, when I really started to consider my family, and how (un)enjoyable that stop might be, I decided that the smartest thing would probably be to change that route. I picked a different park with a little bit cooler temperatures and water. I think my family appreciates me more for that decision, and we will see Joshua Tree in the cooler months.

You will also want to consider if the iconic roads will be open. For example, if your priority is to drive Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, you want to make sure that you go in the summer months after the road opens up.

Are you okay with passing by places you have never been?

Finally, a harder decision and question for me is, do we want to drive past parks that we haven’t been to?

I want to see everything along the way, and I wish that we could, but for now we still have a time frame. I admit, we have done both. We have passed by parks, or stopped just to vaguely see it as we are passing through. I do recommend to consider starting with regions and parks that are closer to you. See what you can and fully explore the parks that you can in that loop and within your time frame. Then on your next trip, it will be easier to drive past those parks with a wave and a peace sign, and then onto new territory! This will also give you a head start to planning your next road trip after this one!

How will you go road tripping?

Alright, now that you have narrowed down WHERE you are going, lets talk about how you will get there!

Road trip with an RV

Our personal first choice is a road trip with the RV. We like the convenience of having the camper on our longer trips. We don’t eat out often, so I can pack plenty of food, we have our own beds and bathrooms, and we can take the dogs with us!

Drive or fly and rent a hotel or cabin

Sometimes, towing a 43 foot RV is not always the best option for the trip that we have in mind. If we want to go longer distance on a short time frame, our best option may not be taking the RV. We have flown to cities close to our destination and rented a car and hotels. We have rented a cabin in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and that is always fun and relaxing!

Car camping

We have also car camped a few times, which I surprisingly love! Car camping is so fun when you are going to a location that will have cooler temperatures, and we love the simplicity of it! The flexibility to drive as far as we can each day, hike and then move on to a new location was a game changer for us. Also, gas is typically cheaper than diesel fuel, and the Yukon gets a lot better fuel mileage than the truck towing the camper. If you are feeling super adventurous, or want to save money, let’s keep this as an option when you start planning your next road trip!

How to start planning your route.

Now that you know which area is your main focus, and how you will get there, lets focus on your trip itinerary.

• What else will you want to do in the area?
• Do you want to spend your whole trip in one location to soak everything in, or do you want to keep going and make a loop?

What is your travel goal?

This is where you want to decide what your travel goal or bucket list is for now. Are you wanting to hike in all 63 National Parks like us, or visit each state? Maybe camp in each state like us, or just passing through a new state is enough for you. Whatever you choose, it’s perfectly fine! Everyone has a different goal, and that is awesome! What matters is that you are getting out there and making adventures!

What will you see along the way?

If we are choosing to stay in one location such as our cabin near the Great Smoky Mountains, I will decide if we will drive the entire way through, or stop for layovers along the way. If we will be arriving at our destination within a days drive, we will only plan on making necessary stops, which includes Buc-ees. Yes, I do check to see if there is a Buc-ees on our route! The boys always each get an ICEE, and I can’t leave without beaver nuggets 🙂

Another resource that I use on planning our road trips, is Roadside America. Here you will find quirky, fun or informative attractions to add to your travel days. You never know what you will find just right off the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where will you stay for a night?

Now for our further drives, we need a layover for a night. I will try to find another new to us spot that is on our route, or not far out of the way. This could be a state park, a national park, a town that you have heard neat things about, an Atlantic Coast beach, etc. To me, this sort of shortens the drive, because it makes us excited to get to our first stop.

Start planning your route

If you want to take a road trip and visit multiple locations, you will need to know how many nights to stay in each spot. This is where you will need to plan a loose itinerary, and do more research on your location.

How to start planning your itinerary

• How much are you wanting to see in the area?
• Will you be hiking and checking off all of the to -do’s, or will this be a more leisurely trip?

This all completely depends on you and your family. I do like to get opinions from others, and I do this on a few national park Facebook pages. If you aren’t in one already, do a quick search on Facebook and look for one that is popular. You will find a lot of suggestions there.

I will also visit the NPS website or app, where you find all of the facts that you need, including popular hikes, and a map of the national park that you will be visiting. Here you can get an idea of how many days you will need according to how many park sites that you are interested in seeing, and how much hiking you will want to do. You will also need to factor in driving distance. With the larger parks, it will sometimes take several hours to get from one point to another. I have found that a lot of opinions vary from park to park. Some people will say, “just an hour is all you need, stop to take a picture”, while others can spend full days there and still find something that they want to come back for.

Perspective is everything, and that is why you need to decide YOUR style of adventure! These are just a few examples of resources that you can use to start planning your next road trip!

Start mapping!

To complete your road trip route, make a list of places that you are wanting to cover, and then start mapping! Figure out how far apart each location is, and how long you want to drive each day. Grab a notebook and a pencil, and make sure to take notes. I like to use Google maps and I also use RV Parky. For now, this will give you enough information to get started on planning your route and should get you excited!

Stay open to being flexible

One thing to keep in mind, is that you always need to be open to changes and being flexible. Sometimes you will need to cut a destination short in order to have enough days in your number one location. I don’t like doing this more than anyone, but I try to remember that if I get to see a new national park, it is better than not seeing it at all! Also, things happen. We have been halfway through our trip and discover that the highway to our next destination is closed and the only detour will add several hours. So, we changed routes to a different national park, and it ended up being our favorite stop! There are a lot of things that could effect your trip. Weather, wild fires, and other things happen, so just remember to be flexible and open to last minute changes!

Leave your comments!

I hope that you now have some helpful tips and an idea of how to start planning your next road trip, and I also want to know how do YOU plan a road trip? Do you plan everything yourself, or would you rather someone else do it for you and tell you when and where to be next? Please tell me in the comments below! I would seriously love to hear from you.  Also, share some of your answers to the questions above. Where is your next destination, or your top choices? I always love to hear other travelers stories and goals!