Planning the Perfect Road Trip
Martha Stewart for pingg
Every year, friends, families, adventure enthusiasts, holiday travelers or those simply looking for a change of scenery will choose to hit the road, participating in a right of passage by trekking across America. Over the years, after many adventures in the family station wagon to the mountains of Nevada, Niagara Falls and lots of incredible scenery in between, I have amassed some helpful tips to planning the perfect road trip. Whether you will be following Route 66 all the way to California or heading to Disney World with the family it’s bound to be an unforgettable experience. So grab your GPS-or for those of you looking for the true road trip experience, maps- and start planning!
Unless your goal is to head wherever the wind may take you, having some sort of itinerary is a definite must. Some of my favorite travel resources include www.randmcnally.com, http://www.tripcart.com/ and www.gorp.com. Once you and your driving buddies have picked a destination, there are tons of guidebook to navigate through the 50 states or even their official tourism board websites. It can also be just as important, however, not to schedule every moment of the day. This has led to the downfall of the Griswold’s and Wrigley’s alike. How can you fully appreciate the Grand Canyon or the world’s largest frying pan (located in Rose Hill, North Carolina) if all you’re worried about is getting back on the road in time?
For those of you gutsy enough to get off the main road, you can check out the American byways, which offer a much more scenic and diverse terrain including the country’s longest, hottest, largest, and weirdest of just about everything. If you’re traveling with kids and looking to avoid too many “are we there yet?” moments, make sure to pack plenty of games and activities to ensure road trip survival. Or you can try some of my classic favorites such as the License Plate game (my personal record is 31 states), I Spy, 20 Questions or a word scavenger hunt.
One of my favorite sites that will help make your trip fuel-efficient is gasbuddy.com so you can find the cheapest gas prices along the way. It is also helpful to check out America’s camping grounds in case you want to save money and stretch out under the stars.
In case you discover a perfect destination along the way and decide to never come back, check out pingg’s moving announcements to send word back home!
In the end, you’ll have plenty of “oh, I’ve been there!” stories and be able to pass on your wisdom of ways see as much of the country as possible while having fun!
