How to Start Traveling by Car: Create your Ideal Road Trip

Maybe you have heard this before, but for some people, traveling by car sounds long, tiring, boring, and stressful. Comedic road trip movies tend to emphasize the negatives of road travel, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I can agree that spending the whole day inside of a car is not the most fun part of the trip, but, its the other activities along the way that make being in the car totally worth it.

In order to answer the big questions, How do I become a road trip traveler?, we start with answering a few simpler questions: Have you been in a car for longer than two hours at a time? What did you think of it? Based on your answers, you can figure out what your ideal road trip looks like. If you find that you really do not like to sit in a car for long periods of time, it is best to gradually work your way up to longer distances or you can always fly to a city, rent a car there, and travel by car through the surrounding area at your comfortable distance before returning to the airport.

If you are wanting to build up the distance, start simple, local, and search for interesting places that are closer to you. Choose a destination that you are looking forward to seeing and route a reasonable distance that is satisfying for you to get to it. It could be something in a neighboring state, or in a region close by that you have not seen before. You could try fitting it all in one day by driving a couple hours, doing a few activities there, and then driving the couple hours back home. If that is too much driving you could plan to stay overnight and do the return trip the next day. Honestly, the ideal road travel time depends on you. Some people are just made for driving long distances and others may need to balance it with other activities or longer resting time.

You will also find out your ideal distance by experiencing first hand what different distances feel like. In trying to do longer distance days mixed with shorter distance days, you will find your ideal distance. Once you know your ideal distance, you can work on finding location points along the way that are that distance away from each other. If you do not have enough days in your vacation time to stop so frequently, you may need to drive longer days or consider flying to a destination and driving from there. I have found that after a long day on the road, it is nice to take a break. What does this break look like? It could be sleeping in the next morning, enjoying an activity where you stayed overnight, or sitting down and enjoying a meal, and then driving a few more hours before stopping for the night. Or, it could be driving a few hours, enjoying an activity along the route, and then driving a few more hours before stopping for the night. This is what can make road trips so nice. There is no set way to do it. You just work with the situation in the moment and adjust accordingly.

When traveling with others, it is nice to make sure they are comfortable too. By working together you can all find a happy medium. Choose interesting stops together along the way to keep everyone engaged in the trip by asking what they are interested in seeing. A one-sided trip, where one person is solely focused on accomplishing their itinerary, could make a trip miserable. Family vacations joked about of the past, like the one shown in National Lampoon’s Vacation movie, showcase one person’s mission to get everybody to California. While the misery is meant to be comedic, checking in with the passengers’ interests makes road travel easier and more enjoyable.

Having a strict itinerary can also really add pressure that is not needed.
Traveling is a big deal already, so if you can lessen the stress you feel and keep your schedule open for adjustments you will feel better.
Have your main destination in mind,
know how many days you would like to spend there,
consider some extra stops along the way,
give yourself some additional open days to fill, in case you want to stay longer or if you find a place you like along the way,
and know how long it takes to get there and get back.

The other big factor in determining whether to take a car trip or not is staying entertained and not just sleeping the whole time. If you can start building interest in looking around and taking in the surrounding scenery, you can build a curiosity for seeing something different and appreciating it for what it is. You can download podcasts, books, and playlists if traveling through limited cell service areas, or, you can listen direct if cell reception is good. If listening gets boring as a passenger, some like to read, plan the next steps of the trip, or do something crafty such as journaling, drawing, or even crocheting. Maybe you just enjoy the silence or would like to have the opportunity to talk. Try out some options and keep it different throughout each trip.

If you find that you still need more to do along the way, try to incorporate some interesting stops to see and to actually step out of the car and stretch your legs. It could be noticing when you cross into new states by recognizing the welcome signs along the road of state border lines, browse the information in state welcome centers, find some good food that you do not have to drive too far out of the way for, find an overlook and pull off area to observe the landscape, or walk through a nature park of some kind. Maybe you are interested in driving by, or touring, each of the state capitol buildings. Maybe you are hoping to try the local favorite foods where you travel. Some will try to cover all of the national parks or try to eventually drive through all of the continental states. Whatever it is that interests you, try to make it fun and most importantly, enjoy your journey!