Hitting the road (or climbing into the passenger seat) has already been one of the best ways to discover new and lesser-travelled destinations in your own backyard for a long time, but there are plenty of folk’s who have yet to experience the bittersweet delights of unscheduled pit stops and car snack depletion. And now, thanks to worldwide travel restrictions, the road trip is experiencing what feels like a long-overdue resurgence.
But if it’s your first one, how do you plan an epic road trip? Let us help!
It’s a Car, it’s a Van, it’s a… Oh, Just Take My Money!
There are a lot (and I do mean a lot) of vehicles available for you to travel from point A to B and beyond, pretty much all with their pluses and downsides. You alone can know the best mode for your journey, so choose carefully. (If you’re in Europe, Yescapa and Indiecampers also offer a peer-to-peer RV rental service (think AirBnB but for campers, RVs and conversion vans) that lets you rent your own motor home for as little as €50 per day! And you’ll find the same service in California, Washington and Oregon by way of USA Campervan if you’re out on the West coast of America, or Camptoo if you’re Down Under (or even in the UK).
Budget, Budget, Budget
A road trip is one of the most budget-friendly ways to travel, but that doesn’t mean it’s free. Use an app like Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas stations in your area, and download the appropriate app for any other rewards program you use. Sure, renting a fuel-efficient car and not overfilling it by lugging around all your crap will prevent you from burning too much gas but remember, that isn’t the only expense for gasoline. You’ll need to at least budget for tolls, meals and accommodation, entry fees at any places or events you wish to visit, and a bit extra in case something goes wrong along the way (you never know when someone could end up getting a fine).
Plan Your Itinerary
There’s nothing wrong with a completely spontaneous road trip, flying by the seat of your pants and just winging it as you go off on an adventure — but if you’re a newbie, you may want to have some sort of game plan to make sure that your time on the road is well spent and that you’ll be able to see all the places on your list. A great way to map out an itinerary is by choosing a theme: say, you want to see all of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in your country or take in a series of national parks. Or you can just choose a direction, bring out a map and figure out what cool sites and towns are there on that road.” Heading to out-of-the-way places and steering clear of big cities is not only an excellent way to find new things but also a way to make your money go much further as accommodation and food are generally less expensive in smaller towns and villages.
Road Trip ≠ Landlocked
If you live in a place with a lot of coastline like many Australians, there’s a good chance that somewhere close to your) There is an island…take the practical up to the proverbial next level. Ferries. Many countries operate ferries that can carry both you and your vehicle across rivers, oceans, or seas so that you can then continue on with your road trip adventure! If you’re in mainland Spain, for instance, your road trip doesn’t have to come to an end once you hit the coast.
And if you fancy a little more of the Mediterranean, drive south to Barcelona and hop on a Balearia ferry that will carry you (and your car) to one of the islands: Mallorca, Menorca, or Ibiza. And if you’re in the US, Balearia also runs services from Ft Lauderdale to the Bahamas! Ferry services are found in many countries and are a wonderful choice when you want to explore those out-of-the-way places you haven’t been to yet.
Determine Where You’ll be Sleeping
If you’re traveling in a camper, then chances are good that you’re packing up your sleeping arrangements, so at least you’re not going to be without sleep, but make sure that if you plan on spending the night out at a campground, you’ve also obtained the needed parking pass. Or maybe you’ll be staying in hostels, hotels, or Airbnb units — since a lot of places are operating under capacity limits because of the pandemic, you’ll want to make reservations or plan as much as possible.
Of course, the more ambitious might like to crash in their car or pitch a tent, but that also involves having some sense of off-limits areas and taking your safety more into account. If you’ve never slept in the great outdoors, do yourself a favor: Buy a convenient pop-up tent — otherwise, you’re likely to be stuck in that pile of poles and tarp for longer than you’d like (and don’t forget to try setting it up once before hitting the road).
Get Your Paperwork in Order
Of course, you know to make sure that someone in your group has a driver’s license, but do you also have car insurance for the vehicle you plan to drive? In fact, you can get away with a cheaper car rental if you pay for your own insurance — but only if you can perform this through the use of a credit card that will hold a serious deposit should anything go amiss! icarhireinsurance worth seeing as they provide Worldwide car rental insurance.
And when you’ve got your ride all arranged, don’t forget your passport if you want to drive across the border! Of course, you will need to make sure that you have the right visas and authorizations to return if, indeed, you are doing a little country hopping.
The More the Merrier…Sometimes
Of course, one easy way to shave down those road trip costs even more is by enlisting a group of friends to go on the journey with you. But never forget that your sanity has a price – you’re going to be squished up next to each other for hours, and it’s worth doing what you can to ensure that everyone traveling shares some kind of similar style or interest.
