Roadtrips can quickly become massive undertakings that require lots of time, money, and planning if you want to go a long distance. An adventurous spirit is helpful, too, because everyone who goes on the road trip will need to put quite a lot of effort into the trip for it to go smoothly. Even the most detailed plan can go awry, so keeping a positive attitude will go a long way. With all this in mind, if you were wondering how to plan a road trip that everyone will enjoy, here are a few tips to consider.

Have A Plan

The first step that you should take is to make sure you know where you want to go and how you will get there. If you plan on driving the whole way in a minivan, for example, you should find the hotels or campsites that you will be staying in along the way. Utilizing campsites and sleeping in tents will likely be your cheapest option, but if you can afford to buy or rent a recreational vehicle you will find that you might end up spending less on costs relating to parking and lodging. If you feel an RV would be the best option for you, browsing through the RV warranties extended warranty rates may be a good idea as well since RVs are rather expensive.

Bring What You Need

Next, you need to ensure that you know what you want to pack and what you don’t. Bringing non-essential items like toys for kids is a good idea, but try not to go overboard. Essentials to bring include a first-aid kit, water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray. toiletries, and proper sleeping accommodations for your chosen method of travel; if you plan on using a tent, bring both a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. Also worth considering is what you don’t want to bring along since you are only capable of bringing so much with you on a road trip. You should be able to find a few places along the way to access the internet for free, so it may be wise to store particularly space-intensive digital videos using online video storage services. While pictures tend to take up less space on memory cards if you are worried about losing those cards somewhere between where you take them and home, utilizing cloud storage for pictures would not be a bad idea either.

Eat Healthily

Planning your diet is particularly important on a road trip. You may be tempted to eat fast food often, but cooking your own food is far healthier and cheaper. Fried foods aren’t particularly healthy in the first place, and when you consider the fact that you will be sitting and relatively stationary for most of your trip. Staying hydrated is also a priority since it is easy to become dehydrated when it is hot out and making sure you drink enough water is a healthy habit to get into besides. In other words, making sure you eat a proper diet on the road is a good way to get the most out of your vacation.

Regardless of where you are going, the most important part of your road trip is the part where you have fun. Whether you are touring national parks, visiting monuments, or just going to see a distant relative, all of the abovementioned basics still apply. If lots of people are coming along you might end up with less leeway on what you can or cannot do, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice freedom or spontaneity either. For many, plans are made to be broken; if you end up going off the planned path, you will likely see things you might not have otherwise.