There’s nothing like a cross-country road trip — if you’re prepared, that is! A road trip can quickly become a slog if you haven’t planned ahead. With just a little bit of homework and some advance preparation, you’ll be set up for a perfect road trip adventure. We’ve compiled a checklist of smart pre-trip planning items, including a few of our favorite travel apps and websites to keep you organized, on course, and exploring new places on your next road trip.
Prep Your Vehicle
Whether you’re RVing or heading out in the trusty minivan, you’ll definitely want to make sure your vehicle and your supplies are in tip-top road trip shape.
- Check fluids
- Get an oil change early if there’s any doubt about when your next one is due
- Take along extra oil and coolant, as well as an extra set of wiper blades
- Be sure the air conditioner or heater is functioning optimally
- Inspect tires and add air as needed
- Pack gear including jumper cables, a spare tire, car jack, tools, flares, emergency lighting, and emergency survival blankets
- Make sure your car or RV insurance is up to date
Water and Fuel for Your Crew
Stay hydrated! Always pack more water than you think you’ll need, along with easy to access healthy snacks for your crew. Protein bars, beef jerky, trail mix, popcorn, carrots, apples, and grapes will stave off hunger (without too much mess) when you’re trying to get to your road trip destination before sunset. If you’re traveling with children, be sure to give our road tripping with kids blog a read! And, if you’re bringing some furry friends along for the ride, check out these tips on RVing with pets.
Plan Your Route (and Rest Stops!)
While a short, spontaneous road trip can be fun, cross-country road trips tend to require a little more forethought. Are you the scenic type, with all the time in the world to get where you’re going? Or is the road trip more about getting to the destination in time to enjoy it? Those are just two of the questions worth discussing with your road trip crew.
Start planning your route with simple parameters: How many days will you be on the road? How many miles do you want to cover in a day? Don’t be a hero. The best road trips leave plenty of time to get to each night’s stop — and time to enjoy the unexpected detours (and bathroom and snack breaks) that present themselves along the way. A nice stretch every two hours is a good rule to follow to keep everyone comfy and enjoying the ride. And if you’re feeling drowsy, be sure to find a rest stop and close your eyes for a bit so you’re not a danger to yourself or others on the road.
Travel Planning Websites and Apps Will Help You Map the Best Route
There’s an array of travel planning apps and sites that make road trips a piece of cake. These are just a few of our go-to road trip planning apps:
Google Maps
Google Maps is a terrific starting point for a cross-country road trip. In fact, we can’t even imagine road tripping without it now (sorry, torn, coffee-stained paper maps). Input your origin and your destination, and it will suggest a few possible routes, along with the estimated driving time. It’s easy to work from there and piece together a plan. You can also filter out toll roads or highways if back roads and slow lanes are your happy place. PRO TIP: Download offline maps in the Google Maps app! If you don’t have service, there’s no need to worry—no matter how remote the destination!
Wanderlog (Android and iOS)
Looking for a free travel app tailor-made for planning road trips and vacations? Wanderlog makes it easy to organize and map out your itineraries. View your map and its corresponding itinerary simultaneously — there’s no need to hop in and out of different apps and tabs. Add places to your trip, and Wanderlog will automatically add a photo and description of the destination from the web. Wanderlog will also offer personalized travel recommendations based on your itinerary.
Wanderlog can import flight and hotel reservations from your email inbox, seamlessly merging them with your trip plan. You can also collaborate with your fellow travelers, thanks to clever live syncing and group editing. Wanderlog also makes expense sharing a piece of cake, so you can keep your group on budget and divvy up travel costs without the hassle.
And if you are a lover of lists, Wanderlog has you covered with checklists for packing, shopping, and any other kind of to-do list you need to keep handy before, during, and after your trip.
If you’d like features like offline access, flight deals, unlimited attachments, optimal route suggestions, and quick exports to Google Maps, opt into Wanderlog Pro for $49.99 a year.
Atlas Obscura (Android and iOS)
We are huge fans of Atlas Obscura, an extensive database of the world’s quirkiest, coolest, most unique destinations. In fact, we wouldn't go on a road trip without first using the app to see what hidden treasures might be waiting at our destination (or along the way). The database is growing all the time, so if your road trip party likes to savor the weird and the wonderful on the roads less traveled, Atlas Obscura is for you. The app lists many U.S. wonders, making it a perfect accompaniment to any stateside road trip. But it’s also a boon if you’re heading overseas. So, if visiting an island ruled by cats, a temple shaped like a chicken, or a gas station built into a slab of rock sounds like road trip heaven to you, Atlas Obscura is a must.
Roadtrippers (Android and iOS)
Discover new routes and new adventures with Roadtrippers, another great app for organizing travel. Roadtrippers was designed by the company that created ToGo RV and Campendium, two companies beloved by RVers worldwide. Roadtrippers is a popular trip planner with an AI Autopilot option that can concoct a terrific adventure for you in seconds. Just enter a starting point and an ending point, and Roadtrippers will create a route with pins of suggestions for cool sights, photo ops, attractions, national and state parks, hotels and interesting stays, restaurants, campsites, gas stations, rest stops, and more.
Although the basic Roadtripper app is free, you’ll need to put up with a few ads, and you’re limited to one trip with three stops. We’re partial to ad-free Roadtripper Premium ($59.99 a year), which allows the user to add unlimited trips and 150 stops within a single trip, as well as RV GPS, RV overnight parking, and live traffic info. Premium also contains ToGo RV and Campendium, so it’s like three travel apps in one — a steal for RVers.
Roadtrippers is easy to navigate, with pleasing graphics. The in-app navigation system is smart and keeps users in the app, so there’s no toggling between sites. Just add and remove desired stops with just a click. Have a “maybe” day trip in mind? Roadtrippers lets you bookmark the stop, and toggle on or off as needed. The app also offers a wide array of travel articles as well as preloaded itineraries to entice users considering new destinations.
Like Wanderlog, Roadtrippers lets you collaborate with your fellow travelers — an excellent feature for those planning a road trip with friends or family. The app also estimates gas prices, a definite plus for those whose trips will cross multiple state lines.
GasBuddy (Android and iOS)
There’s nothing worse than going over budget on a road trip because of unexpected gas prices. That’s where GasBuddy comes in handy. This free mobile app and website help users locate the cheapest gas prices based on crowdsourced data. GasBuddy has data on over 150,000 gas stations across North America and is updated in real-time by millions of users.
Search by location or route, and GasBuddy will give you a list of gas stations nearby with their current gas prices. Just like that, you can locate the most affordable gas pump on your route and save a little each time, which can add up in a big way on a long road trip! There is also a convenient trip cost calculator that estimates how much the total trip will cost based on current gas prices.
iExit (Android and iOS)
Another free resource to turn to on a road trip is iExit! Gone are the days of driving endlessly toward restaurants that aren’t there or frantically searching for restrooms off access roads that don’t seem to exist. This handy app shows you which interstate exits have the amenities and services you’re in need of. Users can see ahead of time what is available at each exit, allowing them to plan their stops more strategically. From gas stations, restaurants, and restrooms to hotels, rest areas, pharmacies, and more, iExit will locate what you need, and not only that, but it will also show you helpful information like operating hours.
With a comprehensive set of filters, you can pinpoint what you’re looking for, like stops that have Wi-Fi or pet-friendly accommodations. When you find something that’s right, you can save it for later, but if road trip distractions make you forget to save it, the app also logs all of your previous searches and recently viewed exits.
Come Home to Carefree Covered RV Storage
We’re betting you’ve got the road trip bug now! Send us a postcard here at Carefree, and let us know if we missed any road trip wisdom. When the adventuring is over, make sure to store your vehicle somewhere safe and secure. A car can fit into a garage, but an RV is often a different story. If you’re in need of RV storage, check out Carefree Covered RV!
When you store your recreational vehicles with us, you’ll enjoy secure, quality covered RV storage with our extensive video camera surveillance, along with 365-day automated access with our phone gate app, charging outlets, free Wi-Fi, and free self RV wash and sewer dump.
We’ve even got complimentary bags of ice! We’re always here for our customers at Carefree Covered RV Storage. Check out our facilities in Texas and Arizona, then stop by, and we’ll get your rig set up.
At Carefree Covered RV Storage, you’re guaranteed peace of mind, protection, and personalized, old-fashioned service. We make it easy for you to rent and make payments online, maintain your vehicle, and get on the road — so that you can keep living the carefree life.