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• Scenic Drives
• Road Trip Planner

Road Trip Planning Made Easy

Create custom day trips, weekend getaways, and cross country adventures worldwide

Powerful features for planning your epic road trips (and the shorter adventures in between)

Unlimited stops.

Add unlimited stops and sub-stops. Combine your own stops with our pre-planned routes and recommended places of interest.

Smart Scheduling

By the minute, hour, or overnight, set preferences for each stop. Export your trip to your own Calendar.

Set Vehicle Type

Car, RV, camper trailer, truck, motorcycle, pulling a boat? Get a realistic estimate of driving time. Adjust travel speed by percentages for each unique situation.

Divide Trips Into Days

Divide your trips into manageable driving days based on your custom settings by time or distance. And of course you can customize each day differently.

Route Preferences

Configure route preferences such as avoiding highways or tolls for each day or any segment of your trip.

Use Any Device

Plan trips from your desktop computer, iPad, Android tablet, and mobile phone with the same easy-to-use interface. No app to download or software to install.

Automated To Do List guides you through the road trip planning process.

Manage Your Budget

Track expenditures before you go and along the way. See a summary of expenses for entrance fees, activities, restaurants, and lodging, etc.

Gas Calculator

See the estimated fuel cost for your vehicle type.

EV Charging

Find EV charging stations along your route. Get reminders to recharge. Use Charging Ranges to display icons on the map where your vehicle will require recharging.

Export Options

We support Google Earth (KML), Garmin Communicator, BaseCamp and MapSource (GPX), Co-Pilot Live (TRP), Microsoft Streets and Trips, TomTom itineraries (ITN), TomTom Places of Interest (OV2), Comma Separated Files (CSV), and Tab Separated Files (TSV).

Directions on paper come in handy. Print your road trip with turn-by-turn maps and full directions, divided into your day-by-day itinerary.

Is This Really Free?

Yes! It is free to use our Scenic Drive Itineraries and Road Trip Planner. Please consider purchasing your National Park or National Forest passes on myscenicdrives.com.

Why Do I Need An Account?

A free account is only required for the Road Trip Planner, enabling you to create, edit, and save your trips. Your account is secure. We never share your information.

Do I Need to Download An App or Install Software?

No app or software is needed. myscenicdrives.com works in any browser. Simply go to myscenicdrives.com

More Resources

Documentation, myscenicdrives.com, how it works.

A travel planner for everyone

Organize flights & hotels and map your trips in a free travel app designed for vacation planning & road trips, powered by ai and google maps..

Your itinerary and your map in one view

No more switching between different apps, tabs, and tools to keep track of your travel plans.

What travelers are raving about

Features to replace all your other tools, add places from guides with 1 click, collaborate with friends in real time, import flight and hotel reservations, expense tracking and splitting, checklists for anything, get personalized suggestions, plan like a pro.

Unlock premium features like offline access, unlimited attachments, flight deals, export to Google maps, and much more

Offline access

Unlimited attachments, optimize your route.

4.9 on App Store, 4.7 on Google Play

Discover your next favorite destination

Get inspired from guides around the world — with expert tips and recommendations from the Wanderlog community. See all Wanderlog travel guides.

Have tips of your own? Write a guide to share with other travelers like you!

Ready to plan your trip in half the time?

For every kind of trip and every destination, the best road trip planner, the best vacation planner, the best group itinerary planner.

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Miss the turns on your terms.

Use real dates, find interesting places, book hotels with ease.

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Dates, distances and directions

Always wanted to travel across US but were not sure if you have enough time for that? Did you ever try to figure out how long it takes to drive from Yosemite to Yellowstone or from Lisbon to Rome?

Start clicking on the map. Choose your destination and have Furkot calculate how much time you need to get there. Set daily limits on the travel time so none of your sightseeing has to be done under moonlight — unless, of course, that's what you want.

Don't worry about putting stops in order. Furkot attempts to plan a route for your trip in the most efficient way. If you don't want efficient, you can drag your stops around or even reverse your itinerary .

Tell us how long you want to drive every day, and we will show you where to stop for the night Furkot suggests overnight stops along the route based on your schedule and preferences.

Furkot can help you with all your travel plans: a day trip, a weekend getaway, or a continent-crossing road trip. And driving is not the only option . You can also schedule motorcycle rides, biking excursions and walking tours with Furkot.

Read more …

It's not just about driving

It's also about all the things you do on the way. Leave your car parked for a couple of hours and hike one of the trails from the vast Everytrail collection.

Need some hints? Make sure to check interesting places described on Wikipedia . They are one click away from ending up on your road trip stop list.

If your car resembles ours you can't drive on water, but Furkot will route you to the closest dry land point for those spots that do require a boat ride. You can drive and dive with Furkot.

Are you after fresh powder? Or maybe shredding corduroy is your thing? Trees or bowls? Skis or snowboard? Regardless of the answer, you can use Furkot to find ski resorts — courtesy of Liftopia .

You can even plan meal stops and add gas stations to your itinerary. Not to mention biking paths, museums, monuments, climbing routes , national parks, scenic views — add as many as you want. Furkot will keep you on track. You just need to show up.

Campgrounds? Motels? Hotels? Staying with friends?

Whatever your lodging preference is — hotel, campground, apartment — Furkot will show you scores of accommodations on the map and will help you find the perfect place for every night of your trip.

Furkot makes it easy to decide which hotels offer the best combination of cost, amenities and convenient location. Whenever available, Furkot displays exactly what you are going to pay (including taxes and service fees). You are in charge of what they charge.

When you are ready to book, Furkot will take you directly to your favorite booking site and pre-fill the check-in and check-out dates so that you don't have to worry about reserving that hard found lodging on the wrong night.

Booking all hotels for your trip can be a daunting experience: multiple cities, multiple booking sites and many dates and details to mistype? Let Furkot help with that. We will take you through the whole process page by page and hotel by hotel. All you need to do is to keep pressing Next until you are Done .

This website receives commission when a visitor makes a reservation or a purchase after clicking on the link to: Amazon, Best Western, Booking.com, Choice Hotels International, Expedia, Good Sam Club, Hotels.com, InterContinental Hotels Group, liftopia, Lonely Planet, Marriott International, onX Offroad, Orbitz, Passport America, Rentalcars.com,

This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com .

This website uses the list of ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada from pure-gas.org licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported with the explicit permission of the rights holder.

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Hit the road with TripIt

From car rental pickup to driving directions, TripIt can make sense of all your travel plans and create a single itinerary for every road trip.

You handle the booking, we'll take it from there

Plans are accessible on all devices

Adds travel plans from your Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo inbox

Plans are always available, even offline

Find the latest guidelines, restrictions, and requirements for your destinations

Upload PDFs, photos, and other documents to keep your travel plans all in one place

Get where you need to be, effortlessly and safely

Plots out your entire trip on a map

Pulls up driving directions between two points

Locates the closest restaurants, cafes, parking and more to where you’re staying

Shows safety scores for the areas you’re visiting with COVID-19 data included

Quickly get your upcoming travel plans without taking your eyes off the road

More from our blog

Download the TripIt app

The world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app has plenty of free features to make road trips easier. Whether you want your plans in your hand or you need your hands free, TripIt is available anywhere you need it.

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"Trippy is the best road trip planner"

Get advice from real travelers who have done the same trip:, recent questions.

• 10 minutes ago someone asked : about Summerville       " Summerville "
• 20 minutes ago someone asked : about Canberra and Toowoomba       " Drive Toowoomba to Canberra via Inverell "
• 40 minutes ago someone asked : about Chattanooga and Dayton       " things to see between Chattanooga and Dayton "
• 50 minutes ago someone asked : about Winston Salem       " anniston al to winston salem nc "
• 50 minutes ago someone asked : about Phoenix and Corvallis       " From Phoenix to Corvallis "
• 1 hour ago someone asked : about Nashville and Atlanta       " Nashville to Atlanta drive "
• 1 hour ago someone asked : about Valdosta and Gainesville       " what is halfway between valdosta and Gainesville florida "
• 1 hour ago someone asked : about Oklahoma City and Elk City       " okc to elk city "
• 2 hours ago someone asked : about Greensboro and Austin       " Drive from Greensboro to Austin TX "
• 2 hours ago someone asked : about Tagaytay       " tagaytay "
• 2 hours ago someone asked : about Cleburne and Whitney (Texas)       " drive from Cleburne to Whitney "
• 3 hours ago someone asked : about Castle Rock (Washington)       " Castle Rock WA "
• 3 hours ago someone asked : about Houston       " Houston "
• 3 hours ago someone asked : about Jasper (Canada)       " Jasper canada "
• 23 hours ago someone asked : about Austin and The Woodlands       " One night stop "
• Sunday someone asked : about Moncton and Quebec City       " Best place to stay overnight "

Plan epic road trips

Plan multi-stop routes.

Easily plan your trip itinerary on an interactive map and see distances and driving times

Find places along the route

Find attractions, restaurants or accomodation along your driving route

Find inspiration

Explore our growing collections of ready-made road trip routes.

Share your itinerary

Invite family and friends to plan your route together. Or share your trip itinerary as a neat document

Discover Inspiring Routes

Explore our curated selection of epic road trips for every taste. Get inspired and use our guides as templates for your own planning.

Plan Your Road Trip

Build the perfect trip itinerary and pin as many locations on the map as you like. You’ll see distances connecting the waypoints and know the driving times between multiple stops. Search points of interest like attractions, trails, or national parks. Choose if you’re traveling by car or RV to optimize your route accordingly.

Plan your next adventure

Plan your next

AI road trip generator

Plan your journey with our state-of-the-art trip planner! Map your route , your waypoints and stop over times. Work out your travel times , calculate your arrival time and even see if you’re going to arrive before sunset with enough time to set up camp or get in some exploring before dark.

With our trip planner, your journey will be seamlessly organised, allowing you to maximize your precious time on the road and create unforgettable memories at every step.

Not one for planning ? Or perhaps you want a record for another time? Track where you have been and record how much money you have spent and on what. However you travel, use Traveld to calculate your carbon footprint and offset it. When it comes to making plans with friends, especially for a road trip or holiday, having the best road trip planner or group travel planner can make all the difference.

it’s your time

Travel more. Travel better. 

Making memories is what travelling is all about. Collect notes, add photos and videos to your maps building an interactive journal of your travels. Add travel companions to travel together . 

When making plans with friends and organising a memorable trip, utilising the best AI road trip planner and group travel planner is essential.  Hook up your social accounts and  share to your social media accounts. You can bring in memories and share your travel dashboard with family and friends, letting people know your progress as you go.

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Welcome to Traveld+ – where your travel experience reaches new heights. Say goodbye to interruptions and hello to unlimited adventure. Here’s just a taste of what awaits you: Unleash Your Wanderlust: With Traveld+, the world is your oyster. Seamlessly plan and execute unlimited trips without the distractions of ads. Capture Every Moment: Upload photos directly from your device to immortalize your adventures. Share the beauty of your journeys without delay. Elevate Your Journey: Your journey begins at home with our intuitive dashboard, offering a bird’s-eye view of your app usage, trip details, and more.

Get Traveld+ during signup or upgrade or in the app.

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The Best Road Trip Apps That Help You Find Cheap Gas, Avoid Traffic, and More

Download these before you hit the highway.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty Images

Technology has revolutionized the way we travel in countless ways. Paper maps and GPS navigation systems have been replaced by Google and Apple Maps, old-school CDs by music streaming services, and guidebooks by apps that can notify road-trippers of roadside attractions in real time. One thing is certain: the smartphone has made road trips infinitely easier and, arguably, cheaper.

Whether you need a digital road trip planner to map out your next journey or something to help you avoid traffic jams, here are 11 of the best road trip apps to download ahead of your next adventure.

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is one of the most practical and popular road trip planning apps out there. Maybe you want to see national parks or the quirkiest roadside attractions. Perhaps you want to stop for the night at an iconic or underrated hotel. You can plan your stops right in the app, adding up to three waypoints for free or 150 with a Roadtrippers Premium account. There are also Basic and Pro memberships that allot you 20 and 50 waypoints per trip, respectively. The higher-tier memberships allow you to collaborate with friends and family and use navigation. The app features lodging, sights, outdoorsy destinations, restaurants, activities, shopping, fuel, and more all around the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The app is free, but you have to upgrade to a membership plan to enjoy all the bells and whistles. The Basic plan costs $40 a year, the Pro plan $50 a year, and the Premium $60 a year. It's available on iOS and Android .

Google Maps

Every road-tripper needs a trusty navigation app in their arsenal, and Google Maps is consistently one of the most — if not the most — downloaded in the U.S. every year. Its dominance can be attributed to how comprehensive its data is, which allows it to generate the very best directions based on distance, road conditions, and traffic patterns.

Google Maps gives you route options and provides accurate estimates of how long it takes to get from A to B. Plus, you can plot several waypoints along your route — be it a mid-morning coffee stop or a hotel for overnighting (you can see reviews right in the app).

Google Maps is free and available on iOS and Android .

Waze is another one of the top navigation apps. With real-time updates that help you avoid traffic jams, construction, and more, it will have you navigating new cities and unfamiliar streets like a seasoned local. It's perhaps a little more proactive than Google Maps in changing up a route when problems arise, and that means Waze users should prepare for their drive to be a little unpredictable.

No one wants to spend hours sitting in traffic instead of exploring, so the fact that Waze collects data from other drivers to streamline the driving experience is a huge help. The app is free and available on iOS and Android .

Paying for fuel can eat up a good chunk of your road trip budget, but GasBuddy can save you a few bucks. The app crowdsources up-to-date fuel prices for more than 150,000 gas stations around the U.S. and Canada. The app also tells you how recent the submission is so you know whether it's outdated.

GasBuddy is not just helpful for finding cheap gas but also for finding gas stations in general (and parking), which can be difficult in foreign territory. The app is free and can be downloaded on iOS and Android . While using it, be a good road-tripper and submit gas prices you see as you travel.

Roadside America

Barry Winiker/Getty Images

The offbeat and kitschy roadside attractions you can find throughout the U.S. are often some of the most delightful parts of a road trip. The Roadside America app helps you find the most unique attractions worth stopping for, like the large sculpture of a cartoon mouse holding a cheese platter in Plain, Wisconsin — where else? — or the decidedly odd larger-than-life-sized three-way electrical plug that rests on a lawn in Philadelphia. The app features museums, murals, tours, quirky restaurants, and photo ops.

Roadside America costs $3 to download, which gets you access to one region in the app. You can purchase more regions for $2 or get access to all of the U.S. and Canada for an extra $7. The app is available only on iOS .

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Knowing where to stop for road trip snacks, a drive-through latte, or a public restroom can be challenging with all the exit signs whizzing by at 70 mph, but iExit Interstate Exit Guide takes the guesswork out of it. The app will list which exits are coming up on your route, what's there, and what they offer — including food, lodging, fuel, and even hospitals. It pulls fuel prices from OPIS (the Oil Price Information Service) and displays Yelp reviews for businesses.

The app is free to download. Find it on both iOS and Android .

HotelTonight

Even if you've planned out all your stops ahead of time, you might find that you need to pull over for a night unexpectedly. Driving is tiring, and unplanned naps can be life-saving. HotelTonight can help you find accommodations in a pinch. The app offers day-of deals on unsold rooms, and the user-friendly interface means you can book a discounted room in minutes. There are well over 1,000 properties to choose from in cities all over the world, from Mexico City to Jakarta (in case you happen to take your road-tripping global).

It's free to download and available on iOS and Android .

If staying in a tucked-away A-frame cabin, a yurt, or a private guest house in someone's garden is more your travel style than bouncing between hotels, then Airbnb is the ticket. On the Airbnb app, you can search properties (millions in the U.S. alone) on a map and read reviews before you book, which you can do in advance or at the last minute.

The app features not just vacation homes but also activities, so if you're keen to experience a city like a local you can do so via a pottery class or a guided walking tour, for example.

The Airbnb app is free. You can download it on iOS or Android .

Patchareeporn Sakoolchai/Getty Images

Travelers who dream of camping out under the stars should download The Dyrt , a free app that helps you find tent, RV, and cabin sites across the U.S. One of the top camping apps on iOS and Android , it has more than a million registered users who submit reviews, pictures, and tips. On The Dyrt, you get real intel on campsites and a built-in community that makes camping on a road trip especially fun and safe. You can even book some of the campsites right on app.

The app is free, but there's a premium version for $36 a year that allows you to plan trips and search campsites while offline — convenient for remote regions.

What is a road trip without a perfect playlist? Whether you're keen to create a soundtrack of nostalgic singalongs, modern pop songs, or music inspired by your destination, you'll find even the most obscure tunes on Spotify , a catalog of more than 100 million tracks. When you tire of Taylor Swift, you can turn to podcasts or an audiobook to keep you company. Road trips are a great opportunity to delve into a docuseries like "Serial," an all-time favorite.

Spotify is free to download and listen to, but the ad breaks are annoying and streaming can chew through your phone data. A better option is to purchase a premium membership for $11 a month. It's ad-free and you can download music to listen to offline. The Spotify app is available on iOS and Android .

Electric vehicles are increasingly commonplace and great for more environmentally friendly road-tripping. The problem is often finding charging stations, as most EVs can go 100 to 300 miles before they need to be plugged in. PlugShare lists 700,000 charging stations across North America, Europe, and beyond. Users share their reviews of the stations, helping to guide EV drivers to the best, fastest, and most reliable charging spots.

PlugShare is free and available to download on iOS and Android .

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10 of Our Favorite Road Trip Planner Apps in 2024

Save time, money, and energy with these apps so you can focus on the fun instead

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We love road trips! Planning them can be fun but, let's be honest, also stressful. The right road trip planner apps can take some of that stress away by helping you plan, organize, and manage travel before and during your trip.

We've researched and tested these apps to help give you peace of mind so that you can spend more time enjoying your trip.

The Ultimate Map App for Planning Your Route: Roadtrippers

Access to free and convenient travel guides.

Start-to-finish routes.

App might drain your device's battery quickly.

Built for travelers, Roadtrippers helps you create your route while allowing you to discover great places as you plan it out. Add a new place to your itinerary to work it into your trip.

The app features an easy-to-use interface. In addition to covering the U.S., it also covers Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Download For:

Automate Your Trip Planning and Organization: Google Travel

Automatic trip organization via Gmail integration. 

Offline access.

Limitations with customizing some day trips.

You can count on Google to make your trip planning a breeze. Pre-constructed day plans are available for hundreds of the world's most popular destinations, which you can customize to your liking.

It's one of the most versatile travel planner apps out there, giving you one convenient place to see your hotel, rental car, and restaurant bookings.

Find and Book a Last-Minute Place to Stay: Hotels.com

A fast, easy-to-use booking feature.

Possible to get one night free after 10 bookings.

No option to easily cancel if you change your mind.

Whether your road trip itinerary changed, or you haven't decided on a place to stay yet, Hotels.com can help you find a place and book it when you're on the go, even when it's super last-minute.

You can sort and filter hotels, see the amenities they have to offer, compare prices, and catch a glimpse of how many rooms are available.

This is the app you'll want to have handy if you want to see in-depth hotel details at a glance and need to find a place to crash ASAP without breaking the bank.

Find Local Restaurants, Read Reviews, and Make Reservations: OpenTable

Lots of great filter options and suggestions.

Gorgeous, high-quality images of menu items.

Informative reviews from other users.

Reported problems with built-in reward system.

Searching for specific restaurants can be difficult.

Deciding on a place to eat in a new area is quick and hassle-free with OpenTable. See what's nearby, filter restaurants by cuisine, see photos of what's on the menu, make reservations, and get personalized recommendations based on your preferences.

OpenTable is known to be one of the top location-based food apps available, so you know you can trust its information when you're dying for something to eat.

Navigate Like a Local: Waze

Hands-free navigation with voice commands.

Alerts-only mode for road hazards and police.

Share up-to-date ETA with friends.

Spotify and Apple Music widgets get in the way.

Cluttered maps can be confusing.

Higher battery usage than Google Maps.

Waze  is a community-driven travel app that shows you the shortest possible route to your destination. Like Google Maps, Waze makes real-time adjustments for traffic jams and other obstacles—but Waze is often more accurate since it caters specifically to drivers.

The app syncs with your Google Calendar and can tell you when you should leave for appointments based on traffic. There's also a cool option to record your own voice and use it for directions .

Know Exactly When and Where to Make a Pit Stop: iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Detailed summaries of what's at next exit.

Information on gas prices at nearby gas stations.

Search for the next 100 exits from your location.

Can only be used on major U.S. exit-based highways.

No offline access, so you'll use your data.

Making a pit stop for food, gas, or a bathroom break is easy when you have the iExit app. Using your device's GPS, the app offers helpful suggestions for when and where to stop based on your location along the highway.

Whether you're looking for well-known franchises like Starbucks and Walmart to convenient amenities like free Wi-Fi and truck or trailer parking, this app has you covered.

Find the Cheapest Fuel Nearby: GasBuddy

An in-app gas payment feature.

Opportunity to save 10 cents per gallon on your first fill-up.

Save five cents per gallon on every fill-up after.

The app can take up a lot of data and battery life.

GasBuddy is an app specifically designed to find nearby gas stations and save money on gas. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area and filter gas stations by amenities like car washes, restaurants, and bathrooms.

It's the app you want to have if you're serious about finding the cheapest gas around. Information comes from users like you, so you have the most up-to-date prices.

Download For :

Never Forget an Item: PackPoint Premium Packing List

Access to a built-in library of items to pack

Add or remove items as needed. 

An elegant, intuitive app interface.

Can't input multiple destinations for a single trip.

Not a free app.

PackPoint helps you make sure you have everything you need based on where you're going and what you're doing. In addition, the app takes into consideration the length of your trip and the expected weather conditions.

Perhaps best of all, this app turns a mundane chore into something that's actually quite fun.

Find Out Where to Park and How Much It Will Cost: Inrix ParkMe

Includes street parking and meter rates,

Also shows parking lots.

Real-time updates on available parking spots.

Rates and hours may be inaccurate in some areas.

ParkMe claims to be the world's largest and most accurate parking database. It allows you to purchase your parking spot through the app and compare prices across parking providers to help you save more money.

If you're road tripping around major cities in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, this app can be a huge help. You can even compare parking options and prices so that you always get the best deal.

Automate Your Itinerary: TripIt

Automatically creates itineraries from your inbox.

Widget displays trip details on your home screen.

Annoying amount of alerts by default.

If you're planning a trip, you'll likely have a lot of confirmation emails for hotels, appointments, restaurants, and attractions. TripIt syncs with your inbox and uses that information to compile an itinerary so that you don't have to scramble for it.

The free version is fine for road trips, but if you ever fly, the premium version gives you the option to upgrade seats and track reward miles.

In addition to your phone, laptop, and tablet, other travel tech essentials include chargers, headphones, travel adapters, cameras, luggage trackers, and off-grid communications

Yes. You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the “Places” and “My Maps” features. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists and get directions.

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Planning a Road Trip: The Complete Guide

• Getting Your Car Ready
• Preparing for the Weather
• 8 Helpful Apps for a Road Trip
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Taking a Road Trip With Kids
• Planning a Solo Road Trip
• How to Plan a Camping Road Trip
• Planning a Stargazing Road Trip
• 10 Helpful Budget Tips
• Calculating the Cost of Gas
• Budget for a 3-Day Road Trip
• Best Road Trip Route By Interest
• Mississippi River Road Trip
• Atlantic Coast Road Trip
• Southern US Road Trip
• Northern US Road Trip
• Pacific Coast Road Trip
• US Route 12
• Northeastern US Routes
• Rocky Mountain Destinations
• Warm-Weather Road Trip
• The Longest Highway in the US
• Car Rental Companies
• Best Audio Books
• Must-Have Emergency Supplies
• Family Road Trip Toys and Games
• Car Bike Racks

For many travelers, nothing beats a good old-fashioned road trip—you’re treated to scenic views along your journey, you have the flexibility to stop wherever and whenever you please, you can set your own schedule, it’s usually less expensive than flying, and you can pack as many bags (and liquids!) as your heart desires. It’s no wonder 73 percent of Americans would rather road trip to their destination than fly, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Ford.

As with any mode of transportation, there’s no shortage of tricks and tips to help make your road trip experience more enjoyable, efficient, safe and cost-friendly. Whether you’re prepping for your first time or you’re a bona fide veteran, your next road trip is sure to benefit from our complete planning guide.

Planning Your Trip

You can learn a lot about a traveler based on his or her road trip style. Some road trippers are content throwing a last-minute backpack in the trunk and letting their mood dictate the route and final destination. Others pre-plan every last detail for weeks, mapping out each rest stop and which sights to visit along the way. Most fall somewhere in the middle, combining a rough plan with a little carefree flexibility. And that’s the beauty of road tripping: it literally puts you in the driver’s seat, allowing you to control almost any variable except traffic, road construction, weather, and speed limits.

The destination and time of year you’re going should be taken into account when deciding how much or little to plan ahead. “During holidays and peak summer travel seasons, travelers should plan out their trip in advance, including booking their hotels and scheduling their activities,” says Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “If travelers are going to remote areas, they may even want to schedule their stops for gas and food.”

Additionally, if you’re heading to a city that’s hosting a special event (such as a festival, conference, or concert), it’s a wise move to pre-book your hotel room, rental or campsite—otherwise, you could end up sleeping in your vehicle upon arrival. For some road trippers, this is a right of passage; for others, a mistake they won’t soon repeat.

“Some attractions and parks have capacity limits, so plan those in advance if there is a must-do activity on your trip,” suggests Casselano. The same advice holds true for activities and national parks that require pre-purchased tickets or have a permit lottery system. 

Renting vs. Driving Your Own Vehicle

A couple weeks before your road trip, you’ll need to evaluate whether your vehicle is the most appropriate option for not only the road trip you’re planning, but the destination itself—and then determine if you need to rent a different vehicle before you hit the road. For instance, if you’re going camping or skiing, does it have enough cargo space for all your gear? If you’re heading to a mountainous region, will you need four-wheel drive or a higher ground clearance? If your car is leased, will this trip put you over your allotted mileage and result in extra charges from your dealership down the road? Is your vehicle older, unreliable, or in need of repairs? Are you headed to the beach, where a convertible would be more fun? There’s a lot to assess, so take your time and consider all vehicle specs accordingly.

And if you do decide to drive your own vehicle, make sure it’s up-to-date on maintenance in order to minimize the risk of a breakdown or accident. “Our cars have become so complex, it can be difficult to change out wiper blades or a headlamp yourself, let alone determine if your car is mechanically sound," says Fix.

Have a trusted mechanic check the tires and pressure, brakes, battery, engine, wiper blades, and top off engine oil and fluids as needed. Also, be sure to book your appointment far enough in advance of your road trip to allow adequate time for any repairs.

What to Bring

With luggage only limited by the amount of cargo space your vehicle has, it can be tempting to pack everything but the kitchen sink when embarking on a road trip. Resist the urge and instead focus on practicality.

For starters, AAA recommends keeping an emergency kit in your vehicle. Consider the below list of things to include (depending on location and season), and be sure to replenish any depleted items as needed:

• Cell phone and car charger
• First-aid kit
• Drinking water and snacks for everyone in the car, including pets
• Flashlight with extra fresh batteries
• Rags, paper towels, or pre-moistened wipes
• Basic set of tools, along with duct tape and car emergency warning devices (such as road flares or reflectors)
• Ice scraper/snow brush/shovel
• Jumper cables/jump pack
• Traction aid, such as sand, salt, or non-clumping cat litter
• Tarp, raincoat, and gloves
• Paper map or printed directions (in case GPS or Wi-Fi aren’t working)
• A car sun shade

“If you’re heading from a warm climate to a cold climate, make sure to bring a snow brush, ice scraper, and hand warmers,” suggests Lauren Fix , an ASE-certified technician, race car driver and award-winning author of three automotive books. “And if you’re going into the mountains, you will need snow chains. If you’re heading from cold climate into warm, make sure to have washer fluid, paper towels, and glass cleaner to clean the bugs off your windshield.”

Next, you’ll need to pack clothes, toiletries, medications, prescription glasses or contacts, electronic devices and their corresponding chargers (camera, laptop, tablet, fitness watch, wireless earbuds , etc.), and any other necessities. Depending on the weather and your itinerary, don’t forget coats, rain jackets, hiking boots, an umbrella, and sunglasses. Plus, you’ll need to pack the required equipment for any planned or impromptu activities, such as swimsuits, beach and pool gear, and tennis rackets or golf clubs.

“If you are traveling with small children, bring extra food, supplies, and changes of clothes, and plan stops more frequently and around their feeding and nap schedule,” advises Casselano. It’s also a good idea to pack board games, a deck of cards, books, toys, a tablet filled with movies, their favorite pillow or blanket, and stuffed animals to keep little ones busy during the drive.

Budget-Friendly Tips

While traveling by car tends to be inherently cost-conscious, there are at least 10 ways to save money on a road trip that you may be overlooking. The following habits will help make your wallet even happier.

Be flexible. “Road trips are most popular during the summer and during the winter holidays when school is out of session,” says Casselano. “These are also the times of the year when travel is more expensive.” When possible, choose to travel during shoulder season or during the week for better deals on hotels and attractions.

Bring your own snacks. Snacks and road tripping go hand-in-hand, but purchasing food and drinks at each rest stop adds up fast. Instead, plan ahead for your cravings, and load up on your favorites at a big box retailer before you hit the road. You can also pack a cooler to keep everything fresh.

Download helpful apps. Don’t be shy about leaning on technology to act as your co-pilot. Use them to find the lowest gas prices (GasBuddy, which also made our list of the eight best travel apps for a Great American road trip ), the least-expensive routes (TollGuru), the least traffic, and construction (Waze), and the nearest public restroom (Flush).

Shop around for rentals. If you decide renting a car is the way to go, follow these tips to save the most: Compare prices at various locations around the city (airport locations typically cost the most), consider discount brands, namedrop your memberships (such as AAA or Costco), and reserve the most economic car tier you and your travel companions will feel comfortable driving in (you may even luck out with an upgrade due to supply/demand on the day you pick it up).

Increase fuel efficiency. Aside from saving at the pump, you can also manage your fuel efficiency by avoiding roof-based luggage when possible (which makes the car less aerodynamic), driving at or below the speed limit, using cruise control on long stretches of open road, and keeping your tires properly inflated.

There’s a palpable sense of excitement when hopping in the car for a road trip that truly stands apart from other forms of transportation. The open road is positively brimming with possibilities, so feel free to choose the road less traveled. With each trip, you’ll gain a better sense of how to plan, what you’ll tweak next time, and, most importantly, where the next adventure will take you.

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If you’re planning a summer trip that includes a rental car, you probably have some questions: Am I getting a good deal? Which are the best rental companies? Is it safe to connect to the car’s Bluetooth?

A Consumer Reports survey found the average rental car cost was about $86 per day. That adds up to roughly $600 a week. National was the only car rental agency rated highest for overall satisfaction and the cheapest, at $73 a day on average. Members praised the company for its customer service, vehicle condition, and price transparency. Enterprise and Alamo ranked 2nd and 3rd.

CR members were disappointed with Dollar, Fox, and Thrifty's experiences.

Dollar was poorly rated on customer service and the ease of picking up the rental car. Thrifty didn’t live up to its name, coming in at an average of $91 per day, the most expensive.

Half of those surveyed make reservations directly through the company’s website, with about three out of four saying they used a discount to get a better deal, such as those offered by AAA or AARP. Another 15% percent booked through a warehouse club travel portal, like Costco or Sam’s Club.

CR advises that when you find a car that fits your budget, make the reservation, but don’t pay in full in advance. Use a site like Autoslash.com or Kayak to track your reservation and alert you if a lower price becomes available.

While Bluetooth, Android Auto, and Apple Car Play may be helpful tech during your rental car travels, just make sure to unpair your phone and delete any data and addresses you may have saved before returning the car! To help keep your data private, check the permissions on your phone, and only give the car necessary access.

Another tip - most rental companies place a hold, or a block, on your debit or credit card to ensure enough money or credit is available to cover your final bill. They won’t charge you any extra if you return the car as promised in your rental contract. But – if you’re near your credit limit or have a low balance in your bank account when a block is placed, your card could be declined for additional purchases.

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