4 tips for planning an American Road Trip

The Great American Road Trip is one of the greatest holidays you can have. For many, the idea of over four million miles of open roads that traverse mountains, connect cities of shimmering glass skyscrapers, travel through breath-taking national parks, along stunning coast roads and across the deserts of the wild west is a bucket list trip.

It also happens to be the best way to see the United States in all her glory. The idea of planning a Great American Road Trip can appear to be a daunting one, but it really doesn’t have to be. The advent of the internet has made it easier to research the perfect route and the growth of the car hire business means that the perfect vehicle is out there for everyone.

To get you started, here are four tips for planning an American Road Trip.

Hire the right car

Half the fun of an American road trip is the experience of driving it. You’re in America, so why not do it with some classic American wheels? A Ford Mustang, a Cadillac or a Dodge Charger are all great ways to cruise around the US or if you want something more akin to what the everyday American travels around in, then why not consider the counties favourite, the truck? Entire websites such as Black Smoke Media are dedicated to trucks – you can’t get more American than a pick up.

Pick the right route

The route you choose will largely depend on your personal preferences. If you want to see Yellowstone National Park or explore the great cities of North Eastern America, then you’ll need to plan the route accordingly while a lot of it will also come down to time and budget. Two of the most popular routes are the Pacific Coast Highway, a dazzling road along the Californian coastline from San Francisco to San Diego which takes in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles along the way. The classic remains Route 66 which travels for 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to finish in Los Angeles, California.

Plan the trip

The idea of rolling into a town somewhere in middle America as night falls and stumbling across a motel room might seem a romantic part of an American Road Trip, but the reality is different. If you’ve been driving for eight hours to reach a destination, it’s much more relaxing knowing that there is going to be somewhere to hang your hat when you arrive and that you aren’t going to be scrambling about desperately searching for any old bed. A little bit of advance planning including the booking for a hotel could go a long way to making the trip as relaxing as possible.

Stop and enjoy the sites

One of the best parts about the American Road Trip is all the quirky attractions you’ll stumble across on the way in the absolute middle of nowhere. Sure, sights such as the world’s largest hotdog, the worlds biggest sheep or bible themed mini golf aren’t going to feature in America’s top 25 destinations, but it’s part of the appeal of the American Road Trip that you’ll stumble across all kind of characters and all kind of sights along the way. Take a moment to stop and enjoy them.