How To Plan An Epic Roadtrip

One of my all time favorite things to do in the summer is to go on road trips. Whether it be with friends or with my boyfriend, I just love long car rides, exciting new adventures and experiencing what it is like to live like a local in a different town. Through our many adventures, I think I've picked up a thing or two about planning an amazing road trip - that I'd love to share with you!

If you're thinking of planning a road trip with your friends, your significant other or your family, check out these 8 Simple Steps that will ensure everyone has an epic time!

Step One: Pick A Destination | This is generally how any road trip starts and is pretty straight forward. Where do you want to go? Think about what you would like to get out of this experience. Is it to enjoy some bonding time with friends or family? Is it specifically to go sight seeing? Is it to experience the culture of a new city? Or is it just because? Whatever your reasoning, pick a place and let the planning begin!

Step Two: Invite Your Squad | A road trip really is made based on who you go with. You will be stuck in a car with these people for a fair amount of time, so I'd hope you'd invite people you actually enjoy being around for long periods of time and have the same level of wanderlust as you do. Who you invite really does impact the type of trip you will end up having and can really make it or break it.

Step Three: Find Accommodations | Depending on how far you plan on going and how long you decide to be away, you may not have to do this step. Typically, though, I like to go on trips for multiple days. I find that the easiest way to find affordable accommodations are through Groupon and Airbnb. I can't stress enough how much I love using both for when I go on trips!

Step Four: Get A Car Check-Up | If you will be driving for long periods of time, you really should be bringing your car to the shop to make sure everything is good to go. Check your brakes, get that oil change you've been avoiding, fill your tires, and whatever else needs to get done. Doing this will really ensure that despite your long drive, your car will be in tip-top shape to endure the distance.

Step Five: Pick Attractions | What's a road trip without a couple stop overs? I think one of my favorite parts of road trips is the journey to the destination. There are so many places you can stop along the way. Also do some research on places to visit in the surrounding area of your destination. That way you have a couple of things to do if you are staying for a couple of days. I find just googling "Things To Do In ________" is a good way to start. I also like to look for local events that are happening on the dates I am in town. That is a great way to submerge yourself in the culture of that new city or town.

Step Six: Meal Plan | Whenever I go on a trip, I love to meal plan. It really helps me save money on groceries and makes sure I don't blow all my money at one restaurant. Yelp and TripAdvisor are really good resources to find local restaurants that are actually worth your money. I typically just use Pinterest for recipes if I am planning to cook from the kitchen provided in my accommodations. You also may want to plan meals you can pre-make at home and keep in a cooler for the drive. Because this is a road trip, you may be going some-odd miles without places to stop and eat.

Step Seven: Put Together An Awesome Playlist | You can't have an epic road trip without some rockin' tunes! Have a chat with everyone going on the road trip with you and see what kind of music they'd like to hear for the drive--that way there will be a little something for everyone. The music you pick will really help set the mood of the trip. I like to pick really up-beat songs to jam out to in the car. It really gets me and everyone else in the car super hyped up for our adventure.

Step Eight: Pack | Packing is straight forward, but you should thoughtfully pack when planning a road trip. You may be driving for some time without places to stop at. Make sure you have essentials like a first aid kit, a paper map, a AAA kit, a car charger for your phone, and little safety things like that on top of your clothes and electronics. These will really save you in a "1/1000 situation".

And after you've completed these eight easy steps... let the adventure begin!

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