Are we experts in planning Road Trips? Nope! Do you we have fun, have we learned a few things along the way, and are we still learning? Heck, Yah! Keep on reading and we’ll share with you what we’ve learned so far.
- Create a Bucket List. This doesn’t have to be just big grandiose costly activities or what not, they can, but it should be a list places that make you think, “Hey, that would be cool!”. A lot of places we’ve been to are places we’ve seen others go to or we’ve seen on TV, heard about or stumbled upon while scrolling Social Media
- Plan! – Okay, confession time here. Kyrie will be the first to say that for the most of the time I’m that guy that just points the Jeep in the direction of where we’ll eventually end up and go! Arguably this works for short one or two day or familiar area trips. For longer than 3 days or to places your going for the first time PLANNING is a must. Mostly because it reduces stress levels with those travelling with you and they’ll love you for the time you spent planning. Make a list of the areas you what to visit (include those items from your Bucket List) and the route out a rough itinerary and see how things layout and make changes as needed. Sasquatch Hint: Be okay with not hitting everything you want see, it gives you the opportunity to go back. Quality over Quantity!!
- Don’t plan to drive more that’s 400 – 500 km, for most days (this may have to be shorter depending on the time of year), why? Long driving days can wear you out. Also its boring to spend hour up on hour driving. The biggest reason though is the old adage, “ Stop and smell the flowers and dang it BREATH!” (okay, the last bit is mine). Seriously though, if you you’re driving 8 – 10 hours straight everyday you are going to miss a ton of things. Now this doesn’t mean that on the odd day your going to need to put the foot on the accelerator and gain some time to get where you are going, but a fair portion of your time should be easy going
- Be flexible! We know we said, “PLAN!”, but allow yourself to be a little flexible so you can take the detour or that side trip. Some of our favourite trips and memories are from the Side Trips, suggestions from friends we made along the way or something we heard about during the trip. ie Shiprock, NM (Thanks Mike!!)
- Vary your camping experience. Combine Off Grid with Serviced Camp areas (National, Provincial, State or KOA Campgrounds). Off Grid campsites are awesome and really give you and opportunity to really experience good ol’Mother Earth and connect with nature and disconnect from it all. Truly disconnecting from everything has many benefits that will be a topic for a future Blog. So, why not just Off Grid? If your just getting into this the biggest reason is SHOWERS! There is something to be said about being able have a hot shower the just rejuvenates the soul and for us it works. We love KOA Campgrounds and have good experiences at all the ones that we’ve been at and they are everywhere.
- Don’t be afraid to explore! Experience the culture of the area. Make sure you take opportunity take in a bit of the history, culture, and try the ethnic foods of the area. The last one, for us is always a must and the first thing we plan for. Why? We love food and it really locks in the memory of the places we’ve visited. Just ask our friends and family. Maui it’s Shaved Ice and Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos, O’ahu it’s Malasadas and Thai Food from the North and Norway it’s the baked goods and the chocolate milk (it’s that good!)
- Wake up early and watch a sun rise, make time to watch a Sunset, stay up late and stargaze!
- Lastly, TAKE PICTURES!! Record the trip through pictures, video or journaling and share it with others.
Now, go on and #GETOUT and enjoy your next adventure!