Road Trip Planning Tips for the Long Way Around

Start by listing the places you would be disappointed to miss. Those are your anchors: a national park, a coastal town, a city you want a full day in. Put them on a map, then connect them with the most interesting route rather than the fastest one.

Decide early whether the trip is a loop or one-way. A loop brings you back to where you started, which keeps a rental car simple. A one-way trip lets you cover more ground, but rental companies often charge a one-way drop-off fee, so check before you commit.

Looking for inspiration? Browse shared trips on Pack N' Zoom to see how other travelers have routed coastlines, national parks and long weekends.

Map apps tell you how long the driving takes, not how long the day takes. Fuel, food, photo stops, traffic and that detour everyone wants to make add up quickly. Add a generous buffer to every estimate.

Many road trippers find that a few hours of driving a day leaves time to actually enjoy the places in between. Save the long driving days for the dull stretches, and plan an occasional day with no driving at all, so nobody burns out.

Take a break every couple of hours, and if more than one person can drive, rotate. Driving while tired is dangerous, so build rest into the plan instead of pushing through.

You do not need to book every night in advance, but some places fill up fast. Book ahead for popular destinations, holiday weekends, small towns with few places to stay, and anywhere inside or next to a national park.

Some busy parks also use timed-entry or vehicle reservations during peak season. Check each park's official website well before you go, because those permits can be released months in advance.

Leave a few nights flexible so you can stay longer where you love it. A plan with one or two open nights is much easier to adjust than one where every bed is non-refundable.

Fuel is the easiest cost to estimate. Divide the total distance by your car's fuel economy, then multiply by the local fuel price. For example, 1,200 miles in a car that gets 30 miles per gallon is 40 gallons; at $3.50 a gallon, that is $140. Prices vary by region, so add some room.

Driving an electric car? Plan charging stops along the route with a charging app, favor places to stay that offer charging, and remember that charging takes longer than filling a tank.

The costs people forget:

• Tolls, parking, and park entry fees or passes.
• Rental extras: additional drivers, young driver fees, mileage limits and one-way drop-offs.
• Snacks and meals on long driving days.

Splitting costs with friends? Our group trip budget tips cover how to share fuel, rentals and lodging fairly.

A quick check before a long trip can prevent the most common roadside problems:

If your car is due for a service, get it done before the trip rather than hoping it holds out.

• Download offline maps. Cell coverage can disappear in mountains, deserts and remote parks.
• Fill up early in remote areas. Gas stations can be far apart, so do not wait for the warning light.
• Keep the plan where everyone can see it, with each stop's address, booking details and notes. In Pack N' Zoom each stop on a trip has its own notes and checklist, and you can drag stops to reorder them as plans change.
• Pack a small day bag so you are not unloading the whole car at every stop.

A road trip is a list of stops in order, and that is exactly how a trip is built in Pack N' Zoom. Here is how to set one up.

1. 1

   Start from a route that worked, if you like

   Browse shared trips for a road trip close to yours. On the trip page, choose Clone, then Clone with comments to keep the trip's notes or Clone without comments for just the stops. You review the copy before saving it, and it starts out private. You need to be signed in to clone.
2. 2

   Or create the trip from scratch

   Choose Plan my Trip. Set the Departure Date, and use Origin for the place you start driving from.
3. 3

   Add each overnight stop

   Under Your Destinations, use Add Another Destination for every place you sleep, up to 14 stops. Give each its dates and set the transport to Car. Drag the grip icon to reorder stops as the route changes.
4. 4

   Keep each stop's details in its notes

   Each stop has its own notes: the address, check-in time, park reservations, where to fuel or charge, and a checklist of what to book.
5. 5

   Share it with your co-drivers

   In Sharing & Privacy, choose Limited User Access and give the people coming along Can view & edit, so anyone can update the plan from the passenger seat.

Here is how it looks. The preview below uses the same stops and notes editor as the real trip form, with a train trip through Japan instead of a drive.