How to Plan a Road Trip Step-by-Step

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Last Updated on October 29, 2023 by sydabroad

If you are interested in how to plan a road trip step by step, this guide is for you.

Whether you are road-tripping for a few days or a couple of months, this guide will be helpful for planning your trip. I’ll cover what to do before a road trip, the best planning resources, a road trip packing list, and more. 

During the pandemic, travel was certainly limited. So, me and some friends (and I’m sure many others) decided to road trip and explore our home country. We decided to plan on a one-week Route 66 (ish) road trip! Check out my full itinerary here. 

Anyways, whether you are planning a USA road trip or not – this guide will help you figure out your trip. So let’s get into this guide all about how to plan a road trip. 

Looking for more USA  guides? 

• My Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary 
• The Ultimate USA Bucket List Destinations
• The Best Healthy Snacks to Bring on a Road Trip

Read more to discover how to plan a road trip. 

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Plan a Road Trip 

1. Choose your Vehicle and Get it Inspected 

The first step in how to plan a road trip is to choose the vehicle you’ll be taking and the people you will be spending your time with. Are you taking a van or a car? Keep in mind your vehicle’s gas mileage when choosing which one to take. 

Also, make sure to take your vehicle in to get inspected. This will hopefully prevent any unexpected problems while on the road. 

To Do: 

• Choose your vehicle 
• Get your vehicle inspected 
• Call your friends 

2. Determine the length of your trip 

Take a look at your calendar and upcoming plans to decide how long this road trip will be. Although month-long road trips are amazing – that’s not very feasible for many people. Just planning a weekend road trip is a great amount of time to explore some amazing places. 

To Do: 

• Finalize your trip length and the dates 

3. Pick up a map and choose destinations 

Now that you’ve chosen your road trip dates, you can choose where exactly you’d like to go. This is the fun part! Look at a map and highlight the places you have always wanted to visit. Think about places such as national parks in your home state, nearby cities you’ve always wanted to visit, or other popular landmarks. 

Make sure to list any campgrounds or unique hotels that have been on your bucket list. These would make a great overnight stop. For instance, when planning my Route 66 road trip we had really wanted to stay at the cute Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, so we made sure this was an overnight stop during our trip. 

To Do: 

• Pick up a map
• Highlight places you’ve always wanted to visit

4. Research, Research, Research!

Alright, and now for the fun part. It’s time to do your research. If you don’t have many unique places that come to mind when thinking about destinations to visit, that’s totally fine because that’s why we have the internet. 

Use resources such as blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, and other social media to look for hidden gems in your area or surrounding states. You can research the best spots to visit in a city, fun campsites or hotels, and the best national parks. 

Tip: Use Get Your Guide to book organized tours in different cities.

One of the best road trip planning resources is the Roadtrippers app. You can enter your destinations and the app will give you suggestions on things to do, where to stay, and places to eat. Roadtrippers even let you know how many miles you will be driving and the cost of gas. 

Also, make sure to take note of the entrance fees for any parks and what the weather will be like. This is also a good time to plan fuel stops – the Roadtrippers app can help you with this.  

The Best Road Trip Planning Resources: 

• Pinterest 
• Instagram 
• TikTok 
• Roadtrippers app
• Blogs
• Books are also a great source of inspiration! 

To Do: 

• Research all the places you’d like to visit 
• Download the Roadtrippers app 
• Plan fuel stops 

5. Book Accommodation 

Next on the how to plan a road trip agenda is to book accommodation. Now that you have your locations down, figure out where you’ll be spending the night. If you are staying in a van, search for campsites where you can park for the night. 

Alternatively, if you are staying in hotels, use Booking.com to find good hotels in the cities you will be staying in.

Tip: If you find blogs with similar road trip itineraries to yours, look to see where they stayed and if they would recommend it. 

To Do: 

• Book your accommodation 

6. Book National Park Reservations 

If you are planning to visit a National Park you’ll want to go ahead and make a park reservation or purchase your ticket ahead of time. Although for many national parks, you should be okay to purchase tickets on the day of, you don’t want to risk it since you are limited on time. 

You can purchase tickets on the National Park’s website.

To Do: 

• Make any national park reservations

7. How to Plan a Road Trip: Costs 

If you are trying to stick to a budget, it’s time to calculate your total cost. Add up the costs of hotels, fuel, activities, and an estimate of meal prices. 

To Do: 

• Make a rough estimate of your budget

8. Prepare!

The final step in this guide about how to plan a road trip is to prepare! Take in your vehicle if you haven’t already and pack your road trip snacks (a very important step). You’ll also want to download a variety of playlists and podcasts. Click here for my favorite healthy road trip snacks.

To Do: 

• Check Vehicle 
• Download podcasts and music
• Pack snacks 
• Pack! 

Road Trip Packing Essentials

Below you’ll find a list of all the must-have packing essentials for a road trip. Shop by clicking the links below.

• Comfy clothes 
• Hiking shoes or sneakers 
• Sunscreen 
• Sunglasses
• Hair ties
• Cash and cards
• Water bottle 
• Belt bag
• Camera
• Blanket and pillow 
• Car charger
• Deck of cards
• Travel mug
• Tummy drops for carsickness  
• Wine opener 
• Vehicle documents 
• Paper towels 
• Portable charger 
• Offline maps 
• Roadside emergency kit 
• First aid kit 

How to Plan a Road Trip – Tips 

• It’s okay if your plans change. If you end up wanting to stay longer in a destination, that’s the beauty of having your own vehicle! 
• Download offline Google Maps – you’ll most likely hit some dead zones so make sure you have offline maps so you are still able to navigate. 
• Be aware of time zones if you are changing during your trip. Keep this in mind for hotel check-in times, guided tours, or any other reservations. 

Planning a road trip can be quite stressful but it’s certainly worth it! A road trip is a great way to see the beautiful world we live in. Even if it’s just for a day or two, you’ll have an amazing time! If you have any questions about planning a road trip, comment below, DM me on Instagram, or email me at sydabroad@gmail.com. 

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