How to Plan a Great Road Trip
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6. Create the right ambience inside your vehicle. Take along your favorite music and audio books. If you want to enhance the road trip mood, consider Lost in My Own Backyard, On the Road, or books that focus on the places you're visiting. Christopher Buckley's Washington Schlepped Here is a good choice for Washington, D.C., and Mark Twain's Roughing It is great for Nevada and California. Great road trip music abounds, and it's a frequent topic of discussion on the RoadTrip Forum.
7. Plan to keep a journal. Most people take pictures, but far too few keep journals. Even if its just a few words, jot down what happened at the end of each day along with all your trip data-mileage, stops, weather, expenses. It will serve you well when you plan your next trip, and the next time you visit the road trip forum, you'll be the one with useful advice for a novice. For a good example of an online journal, check out Travels with Thurman.
8. Hang loose! No matter how much you plan, there are still plenty of things you can't control. This is why lots of people hate road trips, but it's why we love them. You really never know what lies around the next bend, because the moment you go there is like no other moment in all of time. We can tell you what Old Faithful was doing the last time we saw it, and you can look at a Web cam image to see it right now, but what will you see when you get there? No one can tell you. So please go and check it out, and when you get back, tell us about it. Road trips are adventures into the unknown, and reliving them through sharing makes them even more enjoyable.
We wish you all the best as you plan your next road trip, and the Road Trip America community is here to help. We add new features every week, and your questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.
