7 Tips for the Next Road Trip USA

  1. Create a plan. We used the Road Trippers app to find unique stops and fun photo ops along our route.

  2. Make unscheduled stops. Part of the fun of driving is having the control to stop and jump out to see something cool. Do that!

  3. Have a great playlist! With untold hours ahead of us, we created a very eclectic playlist on Spotify

  4. Trying to make it educational? Plan ahead for topics of discussion, bring related worksheets, games, or paper maps. After passing all the wind farms, solar farms, and seeing the Hoover Dam, we even made a game of finding which renewable energy is most efficient for a city and then an individual home.

  5. Bring a notebook. If your kiddos are older, like mine, have them write something each day about their adventure—a list, a paragraph, draw a picture. This helps keep everything from running together in their minds but also puts them in charge of the memories created.

  6. Chargers! You can’t have a road trip these days without electronics. There are tons of educational games and YouTube videos you wouldn’t want to miss, plus music (and quiet time for the parents) and cameras. Don’t forget extra chargers for the car and hotels.

  7. Don’t start from home. If you’re like us and drive quite a bit around your home base, try skipping those miles in favor of a new starting point. We flew to California first and flew home from Texas. That way we were able to really enjoy the scenery and not get burnt out on roads already traveled.