How do you plan the perfect road trip?

I love planning road trips. I have planned a bunch of them for the last decade and a half. The most important thing is to plan flex time. You will pass something you want to check at, or something to look at off the direct path. Or your kids will randomly throw up. it is always good to have at least two hours of extra time that is not accounted for. If you are going to be staying in a hotel, tell them you will be checking in at that later time, so there are no surprises.

Especially when traveling with children, plan to be somewhere with food options every three to five hours unless you are packing a lot of snacks. However, if your kids are used to eating meals, snacks will totally change their mood patterns. We usually stop for food because we need time out of the car and bathroom breaks.

Always keep an eye on the clock and where you are driving. If you are used to late night shopping or gas stations and you are planning to hit those up during your travels, do a quick Google search to make sure they are open the same hours that you are used to. It was a huge awakening for my partner who grew up in a large city while small towns keep very short hours. I grew up in a small town, our store was closed by six. We had no gas station at the time.

If it is a travel day where we do not plan to be meeting anyone or seeing anything for an entire day, I usually try to put at least one interesting stop in. Last trip we stopped at Independence Rock for an hour and the kids loved it. There was nothing else to see on that particular trip, but at the end of the day of being stuck in the car we were able to check in with friends and family and tell them we did something cool.

The biggest make or break of a trip is how well you packed. I always make a list and have everyone use it to make sure they have packed everything they need. I include weather and any other clothing needs during the trip. If we are going to a wedding, then pack your formal wear. I always have everyone pack two extra days of clothes and supplies in case we are delayed at any point. It is always a small thing that is not packed that causes the most drama. Typically I spend so much time trying to make sure everyone else packs their stuff that I forget something like bras or a rain jacket. Every time I forget something.

It is always good to have a physical map in the car. There are so many places where you lose signal and if it happens at the wrong time, you could end up hours off track before figuring it out. Make sure any car entertainment or music is not dependent on a signal. Or at least not all of them. I dug out my CDs during one road trip because we did not have a charger to plug it into the car.

TLDR: Be flexible!