How to plan an epic road trip!
Planning a trip is always something I look forward to doing. I love getting to plan everything from transportation, accommodation, activities, and what I want to see on the trip.
I’ve tried different types of trips over the years. I’ve been on an organized tour to Italy with mostly older people, I’ve been on family vacations, in all-inclusive resorts, camping, solo, and traveling around with public transports. But I prefer by far to plan a good old road trip around a great destination!
Over the years, I’ve perfected my road trip planning so I can make the most out of my days exploring a country by road. Road tripping somewhere allows you much more freedom on the stops you want to make along the way! You can even add some stuff to the itinerary you hadn’t planned in the first place.
I love planning a road trip because I know I’ll be able to see what I want when I want and at my own pace too!
So how do I plan this epic road trip? Keep reading for all my tips on planning the best road trip!
What is the best way to plan a road trip?
Well, there is no right or wrong answer here! I can be planning my road trips one way and someone else plans it differently but it’s just as great.
I like to plan my road trips as follow:
Destination
I usually choose a couple of different destinations I would like to go to. Where have you been dreaming of road tripping? Write a couple of destination ideas to plan that great road trip you’ve always wanted to go on! Just think of destinations here. Forget about the rest for now and dream a little bit!
Budget
Then I’ll look at my overall budget. Having the budget in mind might help eliminate some of your top destination choices because some are more expensive than others. If your budget is higher than usual (like mine when we will finally be able to travel again!) those dream destinations on your list might be worth looking into budget-wise.
Don’t forget to check the currency as well for each country on your list. Check your exchange rate. Is it to your advantage or not? It might help you choose the final destination too. If budget is very important, you might want to choose somewhere where your money goes a long way!
Length of your trip
From there, decide how long you will be traveling. Are you only visiting one country or many? If you are only traveling one country, for how long will you be there? Or how many days in each country you are planning to visit? The length of your trip will also help you eliminate some destinations. For example, departing from Quebec, Canada, if I want to go to Australia for example, if I only have two weeks, I’m probably not going to go there. Not because it’s not doable but because I would rather spend a whole month there to have the time to explore the country instead of rushing to make the most of my two weeks visit.
Choosing dates and booking transportation
Once I am settled on my final destination, I start by booking my flight so my travel dates are set in stone. I like to travel during shoulder season. That way, there are fewer tourists around.
Don’t forget the travel days on the plane when planning out your itinerary!
Once that is done, I will also book my transportation. Whether it’s a rental car or a campervan it will depend on what type of traveling I want to do and my budget as well. Renting a car and having hotels, Airbnb or hostels will add up quickly in your budget. So it’s something to think about if you are budget conscious. I like a campervan because I have everything I need in one spot and I have more money for activities as I have my accommodations on wheels.
In the end, it all depends on what accommodations you are comfortable with too.
Research and planning the road trip itinerary
Once this is settled, I start my research process. This is my favorite part about planning a road trip! I look at everything I would like to see in that country. I usually have a couple of pages of places I would like to see.
You’ll probably think that I might be going overboard, but I usually print out a map of the country and pinpoint every single place from my list on the map. I find this helps me plan the best route without trying to be everywhere at the same time while losing valuable time driving! It is very helpful to finalize the road trip itinerary. After that, I will use google maps to set up the final road map.
To plan my road trip, I will then decide what I want to see most on my list and set up my itinerary. I like to go with the flow so my itinerary won’t be set in stone. I’ll still write an approximate itinerary of what I’m planning to see each day. This way, I have a good idea if I’m actually able to fit everything in my timeframe or if I have to remove something from it.
Keep in mind that not everything always goes to plan. Sometimes for the better and sometimes it’s not always good. But it’s all part of the adventure! I always have a looser itinerary. Not because I plan for something bad to happen but to let me the freedom to do what I want.
If someone recommends you a great place to go, if your itinerary is set up by the minute, you won’t be able to add it in and might regret it later. Having a looser itinerary will allow you to add visits to places you hadn’t even thought about, or have a great activity you hadn’t planned on doing in the first place. This will help you add more to your original road trip plan!
When you have an idea of your final itinerary, you can book accommodations if you need to as you’ll have a better idea of what city you’ll be at each night.
When that’s all set and done, that’s it! You just have to wait for your departure!
Road trip planning tips
Don’t overpack your itinerary
Make sure to leave yourself some free time on your itinerary. A road trip is supposed to be fun and have unexpected stops along the way! If your itinerary is too packed, you’ll add up some unnecessary stress to yourself and others traveling with you.
You want to avoid driving too long during the day and not stopping anywhere along the way. If you have to rush to see everything you planned every day to see them all, it’s probably too packed.
On my road trip through Scotland, I planned about three, a maximum of four visits a day depending on how much driving we had to do. Beforehand, I had googled the driving time between each city we had on our itinerary to make sure it was doable. You don’t want to have four visits that day but also be driving for six or seven hours on top of that!
Driving abroad
If you are driving or your partner is, or even both, make sure the person doing the driving is comfortable doing so in that country. It would be unfortunate to get there and both drivers don’t feel comfortable doing so. The road trip would sort of be busted.
Inform yourself on the driving there. Do they drive on the right or left side of the road? Is the driver on the left or right side of the car?
I’m actually a good co-pilot so those are my tasks while driving. If this is your case, are you good at communicating directions for your driver? Will you be able to use the GPS or maps if needed?
This might all seem like little details but in the end, it will help your process of planning your road trip easier because you’ll have all the necessary information to make the most out of it.
Don’t forget to check if you need an international driver’s license to drive there. In some countries, you’ll need it to drive. You’ll have to take some time before leaving to send in the paperwork to receive it before your departure.
Prepare your vehicle, documentation, and insurance
Clean your car
If you are going on a road trip and using your own car, give it a good clean before you go. It will make you feel so much better. I hate cleaning but when it’s done, it is so satisfying to have a clean space! The same goes for the car. Once you leave on your journey, having a clean and fresh-smelling car will feel amazing!
Pack your car like a pro
This is a little harder on a road trip abroad. As you have limited space and weight for your suitcase, it’s harder to bring organizational items to keep the car organized.
If using your own car, being organized, especially if you have kids on board, will make everyone’s life easier. You can use backseat organizers to put all the kid’s stuff. They’ll be able to access their stuff easily without emptying their backpack on the floor when they want something.
I like to use a middle seat organizer with or without kids. I like to use the High Road CarHop car seat organizer. It’s not only an organizer for your stuff, but it also has a cooler inside. This is great when you are driving and want a cold refreshing drink!
Pack plenty of snacks, drinks, and entertainment for the kids! Organize everything you’ll need while roaming the unknown so it’s accessible when you need them!
Here is a list of the essentials I like to use while prepping the car for our road trip!
Check your vehicle
While renting a car or campervan, this should already have been done by the dealer so you don’t have to worry about it.
If you are using your own vehicle though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have your car checked before the departure. This way, you are less likely to have a bad surprise while enjoying yourself on the road. Add making an appointment to get the car checked on your to-do list before departure.
Road trip essentials
Here is a quick list of road trip essentials to make your life easier on the road.
–Backseat car organizer: great for kids
–High Road CarHop car seat organizer
–Passport wallet organizer: for passports, money, cards…
–Deodorant wipes: if your road trip brings you where there are no showers!
–External power bank: to charge up your electronics on the road
For more great road trip essentials, read all about my road trip essentials!
Personal travel insurance/ documentation
If you are planning your road trip, make sure you don’t forget to include these in your to-do list!
-Travel insurance: if you are staying in your country, usually your car insurance will cover you. Make sure you validate with them before leaving to make sure you are covered in case something happens if you are out of your province or state. If you are going abroad, get yourself good travel insurance so you are covered for car troubles, medical emergencies, and so forth.
-Passports: If you are crossing a border or going abroad, make sure everyone’s passport is valid. Also, make sure to check the countries regulations for passport validity. Sometimes they ask for the passport to be valid a certain amount of time after your arrival.
-Visa: If you need a visa where you are going, make sure to apply before leaving so you are not stuck at the border.
-Car Insurance: Make sure to have all the documents you need inside your car in case you need them.
-Car documentation: It’s always good to have the car manual. you never know when you might have a question about the car.
Road trip packing list
Now that all your travel plans are set, now is the time to pack your stuff! Make sure you have everything you need. In most places, you can go to the store if you have forgotten something though. So don’t fret if you’ve left something home.
Essentials
-Passport, visa
-A copy of your passport
-Drivers license/ International drivers license
-ID’s
-Reservation information
-Money
-Small backpack for day trips
-Dirty laundry bag
Clothing
-Pants
-Shirts
-Sweaters
-Insulated shirts (especially for fall, winter, and springtime)
-Socks
-underwear
-Bra
-Sportwear (if you are planning hiking along the way or exercising)
-Pajama
-Bathing suit
-Flip flops
-Rain jacket
-Shoes
Accessories
-Winter attire (scarf, gloves, hat…)
-Glasses
-Sunglasses
-Pack Towel
-Swiss army knife
Toiletry Bag
-Shampoo & Conditionner
-Brush
-Small hairspray
-Face cleanser
-Face moisturizer
-Makeup
-Toothbrush & toothpaste
-Deodorant
-Face cloths (especially if renting out a camper van)
-Laundry detergent (if I plan on doing some laundry on the road trip)
Medical
–Advil/Tylenol
-Allergy tablets
-Band-Aids
Entertainment
-Ipad/Laptop/kids tablet
-Phone
-Chargers
-Camera
-Book
-Pen
Want some more complete packing guides? Head here for more:
– Quebec City winter packing guide so you don’t miss out
– Family travel all-rounder packing guide
– What I packed for my 3 weeks road trip to Scotland
Planning your road trip food
Planing food for your road trip will depend on many things. Whether you are planning to go out to restaurants a lot or not, if you have the necessary to cook food or not, your budget…
If you’ve budgeted for eating out all the time, you won’t have to plan much other than bringing a couple of snacks for the road. You could even stop at the grocery store to get some.
If you are renting out a car and staying in hotels, but not going to a restaurant for every meal, pack food that you won’t need to warm up or cook as you might not have the necessary to do so. Staying at a hostel or Airbnb, you’ll probably have access to a kitchen so you have more options to cook when it comes to food. If you are changing accommodation every day or so, make sure to buy food you’ll be able to carry with you on the road without it going bad along the way.
Renting out a camper van, you’ll mostly have a small kitchen too. You might not be able to cook everything as kitchen supplies are a little more limited but you can still make yourself decent meals on your road trip. On our trip to Scotland, we would go to the grocery store every other day to get food for three or four days at a time. Since the refrigerator wasn’t a full-sized one, we couldn’t buy stuff for too many days as it wouldn’t fit inside.
You don’t have to be spending too much time in the grocery store every time you go. I like to make a grocery list so I can go straight to the point and get what I need and get out without spending an hour there.
Road trip games
Especially if you are planning a road trip with your kids, make sure to have a couple of games you can play with the whole family while on the road.
Preload your tablet with entertainment options as well. I personally try to use Ipad’s and video games less often as possible on the road. My kids tend to only want those and not do anything else. So limiting their use is a must. Sometimes though, having preloaded content on their tablet will be a welcome distraction!
Print out some cool activities you can do when everyone is bored. It will be fun for everyone to change things a little bit. It’ll also make you spend some quality time as a family.
A couple of ideas I found are license plate map (USA), slug bug game, car bucks, car bingo, the alphabet race, word explorer, road sign bingo, and a road trip scavenger hunt.
Sign up here to get more than 30 pages of free printables!
Road trip itineraries from Payte on the Road
If you are looking for some inspiration to plan your next big road trip, here are a couple of ideas for you.
Starting off with Scotland because this is our favorite one up to this day! I planned this one, not at the last minute but maybe three months before our departure. We sort of decided on a whim that we were going there for my 30th birthday. I followed exactly the steps I mentioned earlier and I am speaking for myself and my partner as well, we had such an amazing time, we would definitely do it again!
Last summer, with the pandemic, our travel plans changed. We went to the Magdalen Islands instead. They are part of Quebec so we were able to go. It isn’t that big but we still went driving around and exploring these beautiful islands!
Heading out to Quebec City, here is a great overview of what it looks like out here!
If you want to road trip across Canada, here are some great stops for you! We road tripped Canada twice when we moved to Alberta. We haven’t been everywhere on this list but they are still amazing places to add to your next road trip plans!
So there you have it! My tips and tricks on how to plan an epic road trip! How do you plan your road trips? What would you do differently? Is there anything else you add to your planning? Let me know in the comments!
So go out there, don’t be scared to plan this amazing road trip you’ve been wanting to do for so long, and make sure to leave plenty of time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the view!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally love and use!
Make sure to keep reading some more to inspire you for your next great trip!
Family all-rounder packing guide
7 reasons why you should travel as a family
What I packed for my 3 weeks road trip through Scotland
The ultimate coast to coast Canada itinerary
Our Magdalen Islands road trip itinerary
11 things I loved on my road trip through Scotland
Our 14-day itinerary across Scotland
