Our first family road trip was in 2018 when we visited the east side of Canada. Initially we just wanted to revisit Toronto having spent a summer there whilst at University, working on a visa organised through the BUNAC scheme. However, quickly Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City were added onto the wish list, and the idea for taking a road trip was born. The result was such an enjoyable experience that our family fell in love with road trips.
Our first family road trip was in 2018 when we visited the east side of Canada. Initially we just wanted to revisit Toronto having spent a summer there whilst at University, working on a visa organised through the BUNAC scheme. However, quickly Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City were added onto the wish list, and the idea for taking a road trip was born. The result was such an enjoyable experience that our family fell in love with road trips.
So, what’s so good about taking a road trip?
For us, a road trip is about much more than driving from one place to another. A road trip offers freedom, flexibility and immersion in a way that few other holidays can. You are not just travelling to a destination, you are experiencing everything in between as part of the holiday itself. You can stop when something catches your eye, take a detour if the mood takes you, and get a much stronger sense of place that you often would by flying between locations.
Within the Love Travel Planning Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap, a road trip fits beautifully because it brings together so many of the key steps of successful travel planning. You still need to think about who you are travelling with, what kind of holiday you want, where it makes sense to go, when to travel, how to structure the route, what to pack, and how to stay safe. The difference is that, on a road trip, the journey itself becomes a central part of the experience.
This guide acts as a platform to explore our road trips, whilst also sharing the key lessons we have learnt from planning and taking road trips across Canada, the USA, Chile, Australia, Costa Rica, Oman and Europe.
As with any holiday, the first step is to think about who you are travelling with and what kind of trip you want to have.
A road trip with toddlers is very different from a road trip with teenagers. A road trip with friends will feel different again to one taken as a couple, as empty nesters, or with wider family. The people travelling with you will shape how far you can reasonably drive, how much structure you need in the itinerary, what kind of stops you make, and how much flexibility you can build in.
The same applies to the type of trip you want. Some road trips are all about iconic scenic drives and famous landmarks, whereas others are more about slower travel, smaller towns, food, wildlife, beaches, or simply enjoying the feeling of life on the road.
This is also the stage where practical considerations really matter. If you are planning a road trip with food allergies, for example, then you may need to think more carefully about where you stay, where you stop for food, how remote your route is, and what emergency provisions you have with you. The same applies to dog friendly road trip planning, where accommodation choices, walking stops, and driving durations may all need greater thought.
The more honest you are at this stage about who the trip is for and what will make it enjoyable, the easier the rest of the planning becomes.
For many travellers, taking a road trip can be one of the most enjoyable holidays, but they take a lot of planning. Once you’ve decided to embark on a road trip then, in addition to following the 9 steps to successful travel planning, there are a few specific road related elements to consider as well.
Don’t worry though, whilst planning a road trip can feel quite involved, making sure that everything is in place before you set off allows your trip to run as smoothly as possible, so you can really relax and enjoy your journey.
The route you decide to take when planning a road trip can make or break your holiday. Too much driving, too many stops, or unsafe conditions can all impact on your overall travel experience, so try to consider the following areas when planning your road trip.
Invest time at the outset researching the options for your road trip. The more time you spend in the planning phase, the better your trip will be at the end. Pay special attention to:
If you’re catching an early morning ferry, or an international flight, then it’s a good idea to stay near the ferry or airport the night before, just to ensure that you are in the right position for your onward travel and to avoid any last minute rush or hold ups.
What places would you like to see along the way? We find it useful to use a road map at this point of planning a road trip, putting post-it notes on the map for overnight stays and pitstops of various kinds such as toilet stops, food stops, activities, and sightseeing.
Use Google Maps to research the driving distances between your overnight stays and pitstops. Our rule of thumb is that 2 hours should be the maximum drive without a pitstop or longer break. Overall, we try not to drive more than 4 hours a day, and if we do, we plan a non-driving day the following day.
Consider how far you can travel in the time you have set aside for your road trip. Be realistic and try not to underestimate how long you need to move around. Allow for traffic days, filling up with fuel, grabbing coffees, and finding parking spaces.
Use an excel spreadsheet or travel app to help plan out your route with all your researched information on it.
Once you have your draft plan set out, take a step back and ask yourself whether it looks reasonable. Does it look nicely paced, or too rushed? Are there too many overnight stops or not enough? Try and imagine how the route will feel in practice and amend it if necessary.
Now that you have a workable route for your road trip, you can start to address the details. You may prefer to leave your plans loose and decide what to do when you get to your destinations, or alternatively, you might prefer to choose activities and book some in advance, particularly if you are travelling in high season, just to know that key activities are arranged.
How much detail to add might depend on who you are travelling with. For example, we would schedule more in advance if it was a road trip with our kids. Whereas, if we were travelling as just a couple, we would embrace more unscheduled stops, making the time to stop and enjoy what we saw on the way.
Whatever you decide to do in terms of activities and unscheduled moments, always try to work to a 70/30 day layout, where you spend 70 per cent of the day together, and 30 per cent apart. This helps with allowing people their own personal time.
Use your itinerary spreadsheet or travel app to schedule activities and sightseeing as required, adding notes about opening times or pick up locations for tours. We usually schedule a laundry morning, which can be a welcome highlight by the halfway point of our road trips.
For tours, adventure, and other group activities, we use Get Your Guide, which we find to have higher standard activities, and an app which keeps all the booking details in one place.
Our advice would be to approach scheduling with an open mind and be prepared for the need to be flexible, depending on what happens when you’re on the road. You might decide to make a diversion from your route to see something as the mood takes you. We once took a long unscheduled detour from the highway in Australia to Eungella National Park where we were rewarded with platypus sightings on Broken River.
A road trip rarely takes exactly the time predicted by Google Maps to get from A to B, due to traffic, accidents, detours, and unscheduled stops, so always allow some slack time in your itinerary.
After a long drive, you may just want to chill for an hour and have quiet time, so try to bear this in mind when scheduling. Try to keep the schedule clear immediately after a long drive if you can, or schedule something relaxing. If you can, try and leave around 30 per cent of the day for decompression and individual relaxation.
Whilst the basic steps of planning a road trip are the same, no matter where you are going, there will always be local considerations depending on the destination.
No two road trips will be the same, which is part of the excitement of embarking on one in the first place. The roads will be a lot smoother and flatter in some places, such as on a Canadian Badlands and Prairies road trip, than others where the roads are less well maintained or it is hillier, such as in Costa Rica.
Sometimes there are special considerations, such as driving on sand, where you might need to let air out of your tires to keep moving, as on an Oman road trip. Just make sure that you are prepared for local conditions.
There are even some routes which are known to be more challenging and are only recommended for experienced and confident drivers. Take a view on whether you are happy to attempt your planned route and remain comfortable.
This will depend on when you are travelling in your chosen destination but think about the weather and if there are any special conditions you need to plan for, such as driving in ice and snow, torrential rain, or extreme heat.
This is where the Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap really comes into its own. It is not just about choosing where looks exciting on paper, but about choosing where makes sense right now. Some destinations work best in spring, some in winter, and some only really come into their own in summer. Matching the destination and route to the season can make a huge difference to how enjoyable and safe your road trip feels.
It might seem that there is a lot to think about, perhaps because there is. However, just work through the planning phases in turn, and remember, the more road trips you do, the easier the planning gets.
Once the structure of your trip is clear, you can start making the practical bookings. Remember, you can book your flights, accommodation, and car hire through the Avios portal, which will help you build reward points.
Book flights in line with what you decided about the style of your road trip, whether circular or linear. For a circular route, you’ll fly in and out of the same airport, which usually keeps things simpler and cheaper. For a linear route, you’ll likely need to book a multi-city or open-jaw ticket, flying into one airport and out of another, which gives you more flexibility but can sometimes cost more.
When booking, think carefully about your arrival and departure times. As we cover later in our logistics lessons, arriving late at night after a long-haul flight and then trying to pick up a hire car and drive can be exhausting and unsafe. Where possible, aim for flights that land in the morning or early afternoon, giving you time to collect luggage, clear customs, and get to your first night’s accommodation without rushing. Similarly, on your return, build in enough buffer between dropping off the hire car and your flight home to account for traffic, fuel top-ups (most rental companies require you to return the car with a full tank), and the car return inspection process.
It’s also worth considering the airport itself. Larger international hubs often have a wider choice of hire car companies and more competitive pricing, whereas smaller regional airports can sometimes mean fewer options and higher rates. Sometimes, flying into a slightly less obvious airport can open up a better starting point for your route and save money overall.
Finally, if you’re collecting reward points, booking through the Avios portal or directly with an airline alliance partner can help your road trip work harder for future travel.
Assuming that you are not hiring a motorhome for your road trip, then you need to book accommodation for your overnight stays. Does the accommodation you booked have car parking on-site or will you need to use off-site parking, and how much will this cost?
Think about the type of car that would work best for your road trip. Is a 4WD preferable for desert or off-road conditions, or bad roads? What size of car do you need for the number of passengers and all their luggage? Be prepared, however, not to always get the exact type of car that you ordered.
If your route allows for it, don’t skip national parks. They are often the best way to experience vast, untouched landscapes and can become real highlights of a road trip.
From a planning perspective, it’s important to treat National Parks as bookable elements of your itinerary. Many of the most popular parks, particularly in the USA, such as Yellowstone, require advance reservations for entry, access, and to get nearby accommodation.
On a road trip around California with our eldest son, we visited Joshua Tree National Park, and he has not stopped talking about it since (5 years ago). It’s those kinds of experiences that often become the standout memories of a road trip. If you are planning to include National Parks, it’s worth checking official websites in advance for booking requirements, availability, and permit systems:
When planning a road trip you will no doubt have a budget to work to. On top of the basic costs of your holiday such as airfare, accommodation, food and activities, the additional costs of a road trip will be:
Car hire through most rental companies can be expensive, especially as you journey into the 5, 6 and 7 seater cars. One way to get around this is by booking the car as part of a package along with your flight, such as with BA Holidays. This can sometimes work out cheaper, or offer reward points with the airline you are using.
Also, if you are taking a linear road trip from A to B, then the rental company may charge an additional ‘One Way’ fee for the rental. So, from a budgeting perspective circular road trips can be more cost effective in relation to car hire.
A necessary evil for road trips is fuel. There are fortunately apps which you can use to identify cheap fuel on the way, like GasBuddy for USA and Canada travel.
And lastly, this one is especially important in the Canadian Badlands and Australia, you will want to get your car cleaned regularly, due to the build up of bugs, dust or mud on your windscreen.
Car parking may be needed if your hotel doesn’t have on-site car parking, or if you are visiting a new city. Smyto, one of our website writers recently stayed in Melbourne South Bank with a car, and the AirBnB didn’t have parking. He was forced to put it in a multi-storey car park for 6 days, costing $114 (AUD).
In some instances you can set the sat nav system to avoid toll roads, however sometimes it pays to take the toll roads for speed, so it can be a trade off. Make sure you have small local currency to hand for tolls in case they don’t accept cards, such as in Costa Rica.
Get off the beaten track on this less well travelled path east from Calgary, Alberta, driving east into Saskatchewan and the remote Grasslands National Park. Explore the tunnels of Moose Jaw, find Mounties in Regina, and dinosaurs in Drumheller. It’s quite the ride…
The coastal drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco is a classic for a reason – stunning coastal views, towering trees of Big Sur, sea otters hiding in the kelp, history in Monterey, and wine in Sonoma. 2 iconic cities either side of the coastal drive.
A short road trip loop from JFK/Newark east on Long Island and across the New York Sound to Connecticut on the Cross Sound Ferry. From here your options are endless in New England, but this trip goes to Newport, Rhode Island, and the Berkshires, Massachusetts.
On this circular road trip from Seattle, take a ferry to the hidden gems that are the San Juan Islands, USA, to look for killer whales. Then take ferries to and from Vancouver Island, Whistler and Vancouver in Canada, before dropping back down into the States.
On this Boston based autumnal getaway, spend a few days exploring the city’s history, harbour walks and sports scene before setting off on a short leaf peeping road trip through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, before looping back to Boston.
From Muscat, Oman, enjoy a road trip with a difference to visit an historic fort, the welcoming oasis of a wadi, rocky landscapes and turtle egg-laying beaches, and the chance to drive into the desert for a night in a tent under the stars.
Arrive in Santiago, Chile, before making your way to Temuco to start your road trip through the mountains, lakes and volcanoes of The Chilean Lake District. Discover the charms of the Chiloe archipelago, walk through ancient Monkey Puzzle forests and fall in love with Chile.
This great road trip offers real variety – from sloth spotting, to outdoor activities in the cloud forest, soaking in hot volcanic springs, and visiting turtle egg laying beaches. Driving distances are manageable, making it a great road trip with the family – a joy from start to finish.
Perth, Australia, is your starting point for this incredible road trip heading South West along the coast via Margaret River, to the ultimate destination of Esperance and the Cape Le Grand National Park. If you’re lucky, you might meet kangaroos on the beach!
Road trips are a fantastic way to travel but they do take a lot of planning as there are a lot of moving parts – car hire, routes, accommodation, distances. Here’s how to take the pain out of planning a road trip, so you can make some amazing memories on the move.
Before setting off on your road trip, it’s important to understand how driving works in your destination. This is a key part of the Travel with Confidence stage of the Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap, and one that is often overlooked. Start with the basics:
Once you’re on the road, stay alert to the fundamentals:
Taking the time to understand these differences before you travel can make a significant difference to how confident and relaxed you feel behind the wheel. However, one of the biggest things we’ve learnt from road trips around the world is that not every country has one simple set of driving rules.
Unlike many countries with a single national driving code, the USA operates more like a patchwork of state laws. A legal manoeuvre in Florida might result in a fine in Georgia. Before crossing state lines, we always recommend checking local rules using tools such as the GHSA State Laws resource. It’s a small step that can save a lot of confusion.
Australia’s road rules are broadly aligned across states, but the details, particularly enforcement, can vary more than you might expect.
Some states, such as Victoria, are known for being extremely strict (even 2 to 3 km/h over can trigger a fine), whereas others can be more lenient.
In Western Australia, most fixed speed and red light cameras are clearly visible in bright yellow housings, with mobile cameras often signposted. In contrast, Tasmania is moving towards a zero tolerance approach, using unmarked, covert mobile speed camera vehicles.
Times and speed limits vary by state, meaning that crossing a border can change both when restrictions apply and how fast you are permitted to travel.
In Victoria, you can typically make a U-turn unless a sign says otherwise. In most other states, it’s the opposite. You can’t unless signage permits it.
In Canada, driving laws are set at a provincial level, which can lead to important differences:
Mandatory in Quebec during winter months, but only recommended in provinces such as Ontario.
Prohibited on the island of Montreal, even though it is allowed in most other parts of Canada.
By contrast, some countries operate under a single national driving code, which makes planning simpler.
In Oman, Costa Rica, and Chile, the legal rules, road signs and speed limits are consistent across the country. That said, local conditions still matter. Driving in the Omani desert may require a 4WD and different preparation compared to city driving in Muscat, even though the rules themselves remain the same.
To make this easier, we’ve pulled together official road rule resources from some of the main destinations we’ve road tripped in:
| Country | Official road rules and safety resources | Regional variations to be aware of |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Government of Canada: Driving in Canada | Provincial laws (winter tyres, turning rules) |
| USA | USA.gov: Driving in the United States | State-by-state legal differences |
| Costa Rica | Visit Costa Rica: Official Driving Tips and Safety | National system |
| Australia | Austroads: Australian Road Rules and Licensing | State level enforcement and rule differences |
| Oman | Royal Oman Police: Traffic Laws and Safety Guide | National system |
| Chile | Chile Travel: Driving and Transportation Tips | National system |
Understanding these differences is not just about avoiding fines, it’s about feeling confident and in control when you’re driving in an unfamiliar place. A quick bit of research before you go can:
It’s a small part of the planning process, but one that can make a big difference once you’re on the road.
As road trips are our favourite type of holiday, as a family we have completed quite a few over the years from camping trips around France and Germany, to road tripping in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, the USA and a short road trip in Oman.
Each one offered a completely different experience and set of challenges from which we have learnt quite a bit, including about ourselves. In case it can be of use to you, here are some of the things we have learnt from our road trips to date.
To ensure that you catch your international flight, stay at the airport the night before to avoid any last minute stressful dashes to the airport.
After a long haul flight, stay overnight at or nearby the airport to avoid driving when tired. Collect your hire car in the morning and set off on your road trip when you are refreshed. What you spend on the hotel, you might save on the car hire for your arrival night.
We once made the mistake of flying from the UK to Los Angeles, picking up a hire car at LAX and then tackling the busy freeway down to San Diego. Whilst on paper this is a completely acceptable plan, in reality we were extremely tired after the flight and found the 2 hour drive very challenging.
Avoid our mistake by staying overnight after a long-haul flight, even if only at an airport hotel, and then setting out fresh in the morning on your road trip.
If you have arrived at a destination after a long-haul flight, then book a couple of days there to start acclimatising to the local time zone before heading off on your road trip. Generally, for every hour time difference there is, is one day to fully get over jet lag.
Over rather than underestimate how long you need to make connecting flights. This is to ensure that you don’t get caught out if your first flight arrives later than scheduled, or if there is a long wait at baggage control.
Book your airport parking and your flight separately, to avoid the situation whereby your flight times change but you are unable to contact the airport parking to change your drop-off and collection times. This has happened to us, and we lost a lot of time trying to sort it out.
If your journey involves catching a car ferry, such as on the San Juan Islands to Vancouver Island route, note that these routes can sell out in high season so book your car ferries early to avoid disappointment.
Don’t leave it to chance. Always book your hire car before travelling to make sure that you can be allocated a car. Just be warned, you can make the right booking, but you don’t always get the type of hire car that you booked.
We discovered that using the express pick up service can help you avoid long queues at the car hire desk, which is particularly welcome after a long haul flight.
Before you head off on your road trip, take 10 minutes to carry out the following checks:
Make sure that you book a car with boot space large enough for your luggage. We made this mistake in Florida when we booked a convertible but then had no room for the luggage, or the kids.
If you are arriving in a city for several days before embarking on your road trip, then you can use taxis and public transport to get around in the city, and delay picking up your hire car until you are leaving.
When we are road tripping, we tend to keep our fuel tank topped up more regularly than we would at home, particularly if we have a long drive ahead in more remote areas.
For many destinations in the world, you can now pay for most things by card. However, this is not the case everywhere, or in every circumstance, so it helps to have some small amounts of local currency to hand.
We have tended not to drive at night on a road trip for reasons of safety. Yes, the roads are typically quieter, and you can lengthen your sightseeing day, but there is a greater risk of animals jumping out into the road and you getting tired whilst driving.
If there are signs by the side of the road, warning you about the risks of animals in the road, then pay attention, as they really do run out without warning. We narrowly avoided quite a few kangaroos in Australia, and Smyto was surprised by a Wombat at dusk.
As well as sharing your driving, it helps if you can work around each other’s strengths. For example, we have found that one of us is usually calmer than the other driving in cities, but the other is better at navigating and driving on busy motorways. So, we divide and conquer that way.
Don’t set off on your journey without some snacks and drinks in the car. However, try to pack a mixture of healthy, and unhealthy snacks to avoid a car-load of sugar-wired kids or teenagers.
We have had direct experience of getting stuck in the Omani desert in the sand as the light was fading and panicking about how we were going to get back on track. Luckily a van of locals appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and helped tow us out and set us on our way. Thank you for the kindness of strangers.
It’s the things that happen along the way which make a road trip interesting, and help form the memories which you will take home with you. Learn from the things which do not go according to plan and let those experiences inform the next trip.
Embarking on a road trip is very exciting, but by the nature of a road trip, anything can happen, so you need to be organised and well prepared for the adventure ahead.
For most road trips, you won’t be too far away from a fuel station or rest stop with access to basic items, so unless you are heading somewhere very remote, you may not need absolutely everything with you, but here are some essentials.
You will definitely need your driving licence with you to collect your hire car, so remember to pack this in your hand luggage. Do not leave home without it.
You also need to have your driving licence on your person during the trip, in case you are stopped by the police for any reason.
Although you can typically hire a car abroad using just a full UK driving licence, before travelling check whether a special licence is required, such as an international driving permit.
Have your insurance details to hand in case of a road traffic accident or any other such circumstance. You need to know the numbers to call, and where to find the numbers quickly.
We have found big differences between the sat nav systems that we’ve used, but agree that Waze has often been the most reliable on our travels.
Smyto ran into a problem when picking up a car at Hobart Airport, in that the Toyota wasn’t subscribed to the Sat Nav system, an issue running across all the available cars they had. So, he was forced to use Google Maps, balancing it against the dashboard to see where he was going. You may wish to bring along a car phone holder which can be attached to the vents of a car to avoid this happening to you.
It is advisable to carry a physical road map to help you on that one time that the sat nav fails and you don’t have connectivity. This happened to us in Canada when the hire car went into ‘valet mode’ and the passcode to unlock it didn’t work. Alternatively, download Google Maps offline for the areas you are visiting, so you never get lost in remote areas.
Make sure that you start your road trip with a full tank of fuel and keep it topped up, particularly if you are going to be driving in any remote areas, or there are warnings of bush fires.
Make sure that you have ways of charging your phone and other devices on your road trip. Don’t forget your charging cables and buy plug converters for the country or countries you are visiting.
Take a fully charged power bank with you in your hand luggage to help keep everything charged on long days of travel.
It’s always a good idea to have a good supply of water in the car in case of breakdowns or delays, particularly if the weather is hot.
Depending on how long the leg of your journey is, you will want to have some food supplies in the car. If you are travelling with allergies, this is even more important, as safe food options are not always available when and where you need them.
A basic first aid kit is always useful to have in your hand luggage in case of minor injuries.
In case of poor toilets at rest stops, it can be very welcome to have toilet paper, wet wipes, and hand sanitiser accessible in the car.
In case of a flat tyre you should carry a spare tyre and winch, so double check these are in your hire car when you pick it up.
If you were ever stuck in your car overnight, then it is advisable to have some warm clothes or blankets with you, even if you are in a warm climate country.
If you are planning to drive in winter, then you may need snow chains and de-icer.
If you are travelling to very remote areas on your road trip then you might consider a satellite phone which you could use to call for help.
Generally on a road trip you should have everything with you anyway in the boot of your car, so you just need to be mindful of what goes in the boot and what goes in the main body of the car. As a road tripper, you are a bit like a snail with your house on your back, but hopefully moving quicker.
For most travellers, especially families, we recommend no more than 4 hours of driving per day. A good rule of thumb is to break this into 2 hour driving blocks, with a proper stop in between to stretch your legs, grab food, or explore somewhere along the way.
Longer driving days are sometimes unavoidable, but if you do exceed this, try to build in a non-driving or lighter day afterwards to avoid tiredness and keep the trip enjoyable.
Yes. It just requires a bit more planning upfront. Using the Platinum Travel Planning Roadmap, you can:
From personal experience, this approach works. Smyto Creative recently completed a solo road trip across South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania while managing food allergies throughout.
We’ve found that no single app does everything, so the best approach is to use a combination:
Used together, these apps give you a much more reliable and flexible planning system, both before you set off, and while you’re on the road.
You have chosen your holiday style, a road trip it is. Now the Platinum Roadmap continues with the decisions that turn that intention into an actual trip:
For the broader context of where road trips fit within Stage 2 of the Roadmap, see our holiday types guide.
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