The Great American Roadtrip- How to Plan and What to Expect

The Great American Roadtrip- How to Plan and What to Expect

Want to travel more but hate to fly?  Do the cost of those plane tickets always stop you saying yes to your next trip? Today we dive into one of our favorite ways to travel, where the journey is just as fun as the destination - the classic road trip.

#1 Why Road Trips? 

This was our #1 way of traveling when we were low on funds. We started with weekend trips and graduated to longer, more intense trips. We were able to explore a lot of New England with very little money. Now we use roadtrips not so much as a budget trip, but more of a way to enjoy the journey of a trip, just as much as the destination.

#2 How We Planned our Great American Roadtrip

We had 5 weeks to do the roadtrip. I know that sounds like a lot of time off, but it goes fast when planning to drive all the way across the country. We were able to visit 12 states, just as many campsites and see some of the best sites in the US. 

Concept #3 Our #1 Roadtrip Tips and What's Next for Us

We mentioned some of these but here’s a roundup of our best tips: 

1. Figure out how far you’re willing to drive, go on google maps and start looking at how far those hours will get you. 
2. Leave time to stop on the way in case you find something cool 
3. Figure out your travel style- do you want to go straight flexible or do something closer to our trip (a hotel booked for every night).
4. Figure out a home base and hop around from there. It’ll save you some sanity about having to pack and repack all the time, which is most of the roadtrip. 
5. Know your travel limits. This takes a toll. Make sure to add in purposeful breaks! 
6. Pack in a “capsule” style- meaning a few staple pieces that can be used in many ways. That will cut down on how much you need to pack and unpack each night. If you’re camping- make sure to have a good cooler, a cast iron pan and (our favorite) a jet boil for your morning coffee! 

What’s next- We hope to rent a Campervan internationally. To me, the Campervan adds a layer of ease to traditional roadtripping that I think will take the adventures to the next level. I’ll add a blog down at the bottom for my favorite Campervan couple and they even do it with a baby! When I do my Scotland Campervan trip, I’m definitely using their guide. And no, we’re definitely not sponsored, they don’t even know we exist! Here’s their article: https://www.twowanderingsoles.com/blog/scotland-camping