Fall is known for so many things – pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween and orange leaves, to name a few – but we always forget one thing: road trips! The weather is perfect, with it being cool enough for layers but not cold enough that you don’t want to leave the house. Plus, you get to see so many bright colors outside as you travel with a warm drink in hand – how perfect does that sound? Of course, like everything else, it can be overwhelming to actually plan a road trip (just thinking about planning a whole trip can seem grueling!). But that’s why I’m here! I’ve narrowed down the planning to the essentials, bringing you the perfect guide for a road trip!
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Pick a Destination:
The journey is fun and all, but it’s important that the destination you pick is just as fun. Everyone has their own preferences for where they want to travel, so here are some questions to ask yourself/points to consider:
How far is the drive? If you enjoy longer distances because of the view and overall trip, then perhaps consider traveling out of state and such. If you usually get motion sickness though, I’d stick to somewhere close by.
What are you going for? Are you going to see the fall colors or are you going for some specific event? It’s good to have an idea of what you’re actually going to do at the location, so try picking a place that has the activities you’re looking to participate in.
Where will you stay? Are you looking to visit a friend on this trip or stay at a hotel? Perhaps you even want to stay at a cabin with your friends. Just make sure that you know where you’re going to be staying and ensure that there is availability in whichever location you choose.
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Decide Who’s Coming With You:
What’s a simple way to make a trip better? Bring others! It’s always fun to travel and create memories with other people, so it’s important to know who you’re bringing. Each road trip can vary simply by who’s coming with you. A family trip can be really fun to bring everyone together, while a friend trip could be adventurous and entertaining! Do consider what everyone has in mind with this trip to ensure that everyone is on the same page as well.
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Scheduling:
This can get tricky simply because of how busy we can get as people, but it’s important to set aside enough time to enjoy the road trip. If you have a fall break coming up soon, use that time for this trip! Also ensure that the people you are traveling with are free that time (this is why I’d personally suggest having limited people invited as it would make this process a lot easier). Finally, check to ensure that the activities and hotel/house you’ll be staying at is available at the time you are planning the trip!
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The Fun Stuff
Now that you got all the tedious work done, you finally get to start planning all the fun stuff! Whether it’s planning games or packing your bag, most of the fun actually comes from the little things you do. Here’s a small checklist of things to plan for:
Playlist: Get out your favorite on-the-road songs and add them to a playlist (bonus points if you share it with your travel mates and have a combined playlist!)
Snacks: There are SO many amazing snacks that you can try – there’s nothing like snacking on chips while watching a movie with your friends. Make sure to pack a variety, whether it be chips and soda or candy and donuts – the more the merrier!
Clothing: Make sure that what you pack is relevant to the location you’ll be staying at – you wouldn’t wanna go to the destination with shorts when it’s freezing outside!
Downloads: If you plan on watching any movies or shows on the road, make sure that you download them beforehand and check that it’s downloaded properly (the amount of times my brother thought he downloaded something just to realize on the road that it didn’t actually download is insane).
Necessities: Now, this doesn’t necessarily need to be stuff like water and a small first aid kit (though I would definitely say that you should bring those) – this is more for your own necessities. Get cold easily? Bring a small blanket! Never had time to finish that one novel? Why not finish it on this trip? Whether it's books, a blanket, a face mask, or a Nintendo, bring whatever you would need to make this trip your own – personalize it!
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Hopefully with these pointers you feel a bit more comfortable with planning a road trip. Remember, this is simply the basics – it’s up to you to customize it for your own needs! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go plan my own road trip for fall.
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