When the time comes for you to plan a trip, it’s always exciting to think about where you could go and what you can do. Whether you usually like to fly overseas and lay by the beach or you prefer to visit the country, you may find that you actually want to be able to do something a little different. And that’s where the idea of heading out on a road trip can be appealing. Better yet, when it comes to planning a road trip, it’s really nice to think about the kind of trip you’d like to go on. Because there are so many ways you could approach this. Maybe you’d like to stop off at different attractions like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, or visit people that you know (we used to go to Gatlinburg every summer so we could stop in Knoxville to visit family). But, when it comes to making your road trip come alive, here are some options to inspire you.



A Well-Known Route

When it comes to planning a road trip route, especially if it’s going to be your first, then it’s nice to do one of the biggest and well-known drives. Some of the most known road trip routes in the US are Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway through California, and then you could even look to do a "The Deep South of the USA" road trip too. All three are classed as some of the best in the world, and would feel like once in lifetime experiences if you were ever to do one.



A Picturesque Route

The next best thing could be to make sure that you’re touring a route that is really beautiful. There are definitely a lot of scenic drives across the US, and it would be great for you to be able to explore them. Some of them include the Olympic Peninsula Loop in Washington, the Highway 12 in Utah, and the Overseas Highway, Florida. But you can take a look at some of the most notable and pick a pretty one to explore.



A Dream Final Destination

Sometimes, the road trip is just another bit of fun along the way. But the main event is the destination that you’re heading to. Is there somewhere across the country that you might have always wanted to see? Then why not make it seem like the trip of a lifetime to travel there and enjoy the journey along the way?



A Girls Trip

The next option you've got is to go on a girl’s road trip, which is one of my 101 in 1001 goals. Maybe you want to get together with all of your friends and go out of town. It could even be that you actually take a trip to visit your friends. You may find that getting together and ensuring that you are able to go to see a show that you’ve always wanted to see or something else fun is exactly what you need. If you're all into films, consider making it a film-themed road trip. We drove all around scouring Stranger Things filming locations, and that was a blast!



A Trip To A Small Town

Most of the time, when you think of heading out to a certain destination, it may be the case that you think about seeing the big places. But, sometimes visiting a small town can be even more charming. There are a ton of day trips available from Atlanta, so we often drive out for little mini locations, like Helen, or Pine Mountain. From the sweetest small towns of Jacksonville, Oregon to Stowe, Vermont – it’s nice to spend some time in a quiet place and enjoy a slow drive through other small towns on the way there.



A Foodie Tour

The next thing that you might want to think about is going on a foodie tour. If you know that you're a foodie yourself, then it might be nice to go to locations to explore based on the different foods you're interested in. For this, you can find many different food and drink guides online, like The Darkest Roast, to inspire you. I'm a big fan of themes, so it's nice to have a theme around your trip, especially when you get to explore places that interest you.



A Historical Tour

One of the best things about the idea of a road trip is that you get to see so many different places. So, because of that, it’s nice to be able to take in places of meaning. Deciding that you’re going to go on a historical tour could be just what you’re looking to do. Depending on where you’re starting from, you could stop by the Lincoln memorial or the Liberty Bell or even the Freedom Trail. Chances are, wherever you're based there will be somewhere exciting nearby.



A Family Tour

You may want to consider a road trip with your family. I never flew until I was 24 because my family always traveled by driving. Looking to come up with a route for a road trip might seem really hard when you're hoping to go as a family because you may find you're all different and enjoy different things. But these family road trip ideas might inspire you. And, while you're in the family frame of mind, you may also want to think about visiting family around the country to add even more meaning to the trip.



An International Tour

Or maybe you like the idea of doing a road trip overseas. If it's in your budget, you could fly overseas and rent a car to make the most of your international experience. Maybe you’d like to go to Europe and drive through the mainland? Or explore the coastline in Australia? It’s nice to try and be adventurous with your planning when you’re doing something as fun as a road trip.



Something Completely Unplanned

Finally, you’ll want to think about taking a trip that is completely unplanned. When it comes to road trips, we’re all used to the idea of planning a road trip to the tee so that we manage to fit in everything that we want to do. I, myself, am big on planning. But, when it comes to really having fun, it can be nice to just see where you end up. Pack the car, head in a general direction, and just see where you can go. This could end up being just the kind of road trip you’re hoping for.




Are you a fan of road trips, or do you prefer to just get down to business?




*This is a collaborative guest post.