Road trip planning is a frequently neglected but vital part of any road trip, especially if you are going somewhere that you have never been to before. Why do people avoid planning these trips? Two main reasons, first they think that it’s just too complicated, so why bother. Otherwise, they think that these days, with GPS, who needs it?
Well, as far as being too complicated, the truth is that road trip planning is becoming easier and easier with the resources that are available online. In a couple of hours you can do most of the research that you need to so that you can be certain that all the major issues that might come up are covered. And, if you’re on the other side of things, thinking that because you have your GPS you have nothing to worry about, think again! There’s more to a road trip than just figuring out how to get there.
Before we get to the technical details, like how to calculate a budget there are a few things to think about before you take your trip. Ask yourself the following questions to help you be certain that you are in the right frame of mind as your road trip planning develops:
- Am I going to be taking this trip by myself, or with a/some friends?
- If I’m going with a friend/friends, will we be splitting the driving, or will one of us be doing all/most of it?
- If I’m going with friends, do we have the same general expectations for how long we want to stay in the car at a time, how often we want to stop, what sort of places we want to stay in?
- If I’m travelling alone, how long can I comfortably drive without stopping and what is my plan if I find myself road fatigued and am not near a safe stopping point?
- Do I prefer to drive at night when there are fewer cars on the road and travel is generally faster, O