Plan out your Road Trip Across the USA

It's warm, you have some vacation time to use up, and the open road begs to be explored. It's the perfect road trip season, and there are millions of destinations awaiting you all across America. Picking places to go is the easy part. So how do you plan all this out?

First, you'll want to map it out. Head over to Google Maps or Mapquest (I prefer Google Maps because their directions seem more accurate and they have a street by street view in many neighborhoods). Punch in all of your destinations and see what makes sense. Click "add destination" after your first search to add more places. When you're done, you'll have a map that pinpoints all of your arrival points, along with the time. I keep the rule of thumb that more than a few hours on the road and you'll get bored, and won't really experience what the area has to offer. If you can, space out your destinations so there's only a few hours at most driving between destinations.

Next, you'll want to visit the How to Plan a Road Trip guide page. This will give you some excellent tips on packing, where to stay (so you can get in and out quickly!), and how to pick destinations. You'll also find out how you can save some cash on the road.

Before you leave on your road trip, you'll also want to go through your own checklist of things to do. Preparing for vacation, especially the long ones, will give you a good peace of mind so you can actually sit back and relax while you're on the road (and have less to do when you get back).

To plan out individual sections of your trip, check out these trip planners below:
Florida road trip
East Coast Road Trip
California Road Trip