Now we’re parents, any road trip my husband and I plan and embark on will look VERY different from the adventure of a lifetime we had in California – the Golden State – in 2018.
The principles for planning the perfect road trip, however, remain the same. If we were to plan one now, with our young Son, we would work through the following, tailoring our itinerary for 3 accordingly.
Plan for an epic road trip that’s all about the route
Opt for a destination and route guaranteed to spark intrigue, awaken your senses, speak to your soul, and create impressions for lasting memories.
Consider a place you’ve seen in the media or heard about, always wanted to explore, but never visited.
Shortlist places where you’re less familiar with the climate, culture, food scene, terrain, and people.
Take the opportunity to venture where you feel happiest and most alive – be it by the majestic ocean, enriching forests and woodlands, cosmopolitan city life, or a mixture of everything!
For as long as I remember, I’ve always dreamt about road-tripping in the United States. It was a toss between Route 61 – the Blues Highway and Highway 1 – along the Pacific coastline in the Golden State.
After much research and pondering, the latter eventually won the battle.
I couldn’t resist the temptation of thriving LA, mesmerising Joshua Tree Park, lively Las Vegas, the awesome dessert lands, majestic Yosemite, cosmopolitan San Francisco, whale and dolphin spotting along Highway 1, and authentic towns – like Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo – plus vibrant San Diego.
Be realistic about your total mileage
Plan your route and work out the time, based on mileage, it takes to get from place to place.
This will help you make the most of your time and strike a balance between being ‘on the road’, exploring, walking, sightseeing, and relaxing.
Don’t try to cover too many miles in a single day, make regular stops, and add side trips to your itinerary.
Once you start doing this, it will become obvious ‘when’ and ‘where’ your Anchor ‘Dates’ & ‘Places’ are.
For California, we mapped our route and planned our drive times using Google Maps. Over the course of 14 days, we knew exactly where we would be, head to next, and stop off. We knew where and when we would sleep in our RV and where and which nights we’d ‘anchor’ in a hotel or motel.
In California, we anchored in a hotel/motel in 4 places:
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
- San Franciso
- Santa Barbara
Build your perfect itinerary
Starting with this structure will give you a basis to build your perfect road trip itinerary.
Between our 4 ‘anchor’ destinations, we slept in our RV in national parks, by the ocean, in car parks (recommended by locals, including law enforcement), and in quiet neighbourhoods.
While on the road, we took advantage of ‘Vista Points’, stopped regularly for a stroll, bite to eat, and visited small towns, which were unplanned and off-the-grid, getting to know the locals and friendly neighbourhoods.
To help build your itinerary, read tips from other travellers, especially seasoned pros who love travelling in camper vans, mobile homes, and RVs.
Prepare your vehicle
The RV we hired had all the essentials.
Fold-down seats and light mattress, privacy curtains for the windows, and a mini kitchenette at the back comprising a stove, sink unit with running water, utensils/crockery, and a cool box.
At the front, we had spacious seating, adaptors, and electrical leads.
Outside, we had a pop-up canopy, which came in handy alongside the two fold-up chairs for BBQs during the day and star gazing at night.
I recommend a foldable windshield sun visor, especially if your trip includes travelling through desert land. Most importantly, pack a vehicle first aid kit and make sure your hire vehicle has a roadside safety kit, including a hi-vis vest (for the driver and any passengers) and a reflective triangle.
You can check here for the requirements of each country, and wherever you go, make sure you have your essential road trip equipment, including:
- A good quality torch.
- Set of jump leads.
- Spare tyre or a tyre inflation kit.
- In Winter, carry a shovel, foil blanket, chocolate bar, and water, or get an emergency winter car kit.
- Consider a dash cam – it can protect you from liability in an accident that isn’t your fault.
Budget your road trip
Depending on your destination, there are many helpful sites that help roadtrippers to budget well. From experience, my tips include:
Booking flights according to where you want to start and complete your road trip
For us, we landed in LA to start our road trip and left again from LA where we finished our round trip. The other options would have been landing in LA or San Franciso and leaving from LA or San Francisco.
Researching hire vehicles online and booking the best type for you in advance
With so many options available and only two of us, we went for a nifty RV with all the essentials rather than a motor home or camper van. Booking in advance gives you peace of mind and, most likely, a significant discount too!
Researching your route online and booking your preferred ‘anchor’ stops in advance
Not only does this give you something ‘homely’ to look forward to while you’re on the road (i.e. a hot shower and cosy bed), booking in advance means you’ll most likely secure some great discounts and not have to worry about parking having booked your preferred hotel/motel with parking space included.
Make time in your itinerary to do a couple of big shops
I recommend stocking up on water, snacks, fruit, and breakfast. Without this, your daily costs will skyrocket, and any budget you have planned will be eaten into very quickly.
Have a rough idea of where you would like to eat and prioritise your must-do restaurants
Be realistic and accept that, to save money, you probably should drop the ‘nice-to-haves’ and grab a sandwich from a cafe or street stall in between eating at more exquisite seafood restaurants and steak houses.
To save more money, you can include one or two do-it-yourself meals in your big shop
For example, we bought steaks, veg, salad, and bread to enjoy a DIY BBQ in Joshua Tree Park and Yosemite.
Use an app like Petrol to find the cheapest fuel
Wherever you are, use an app to help you and always avoid filling up at motorway service stations.
Also, do not skimp on things like travel insurance and breakdown cover. If something goes wrong, you could be left with a huge bill if you are uninsured.
Document up!
Always keep the right documents with you for legal purposes and to save time and money should there be an accident or emergency.
- ID document or passport.
- Driving licence or International Driving Permit.
- Proof of car insurance to a minimum of third party.
- Proof of vehicle registration.
- Proof of vehicle roadworthiness.
- Breakdown insurance and roadside assistance information.
- Travel or medical insurance documents.
- Pet Passport or Animal Health Certificate if you’re travelling with a pet.
Capture lasting memories
If you succeed in planning your perfect road trip like ours in California, memories will be engrained for life.
Nevertheless, it is wonderful to look back at those memories in pictures and videos occasionally.
I am not a happy snapper and am often berated by one of my sisters, who is, for not trying harder to take photos and recordings. Especially of my young Son, which is a very valid point, so I must try harder.
Fortunately, me and my husband have a great bank of memories of our Californian road trip. We often look back together to relive small laughs as well as magnificent moments like successfully climbing Yosemite.
For more travel ideas, check my other blogs Best holidays to re-energise the mind, body, and soul and How to holiday in Sicily with a food allergies toddler.
