How to plan a long road trip when you have no clue
Planning a long road trip without a clear goal or destination can leave you feeling completely overwhelmed. It makes it difficult to know what to see or accomplish, leading travelers to wonder if the entire trip is just an experience you have to figure out on the fly.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 12.8× more often in r/travel than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Getting on the road early at 4 AMDid this help you?
- 2Packing lots of snacks and drinksDid this help you?
- 3Taking regular breaks every 2 to 4 hoursDid this help you?
- 4Preparing playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts for entertainmentDid this help you?
- 5tie wrap the fuck out of it and stay at 60mphDid this help you?
- 6Tie that up with some bungee cordsDid this help you?
- 7Dont take the freeway, listen for noises, and tie up what you canDid this help you?
- 8Buying parts from online retailers like Amazon for fast shippingDid this help you?
- 9Paying dealership prices for maintenance servicesDid this help you?
- 10Performing DIY maintenance to save moneyDid this help you?
- 11Using soft-sided crates instead of plastic onesDid this help you?
- 12Switching from a collar to a halter/harness for better leverage at rest stopsDid this help you?
- 13Looking for travel centers with fenced-in dog play areasDid this help you?
- 14splitting up the drive across a few daysDid this help you?
- 15making an exception with screen time for long drivesDid this help you?
- 16stopping in specific cities for a few nights along the wayDid this help you?
- 17Checking fluid levels, tire pressure, and belt conditions manuallyDid this help you?
- 18Packing emergency tools, spare tires, and required legal equipment for foreign travelDid this help you?
- 19Driving straight through states without stopping except for photos at state signsDid this help you?
- 20Planning routes along horizontal highways or zig-zagging verticallyDid this help you?
- 21Staying the night in every state or every other stateDid this help you?
- 22Creating a comprehensive preventative maintenance checklist like oil changes, new tires, and flushing fluids.Did this help you?
- 23Using AI to plan a route that avoids extreme elevation changes.Did this help you?
- 24Breaking the trip up into smaller daily mileage goals.Did this help you?
- 25Guessing what might be needed and packing a large portion of a home tool box, including heavy items like jacks, jack stands, and impact guns.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'll be taking my first road trip --- driving about 350-500 miles a day --with my new rescue sweet boy, Ziggy, in about a month and I would love suggestions for equipment to keep him comfy and happy.”source ↗
“Small travel plastic bowl. (I think this needs an upgrade)”source ↗
“Other suggestions?”source ↗
“I’m about to deploy and it was my only day off and wife needs the truck while I’m gone”source ↗
“dealer wanted $600 for spark plugs so I did it myself”source ↗
“I was trying to do all preventative maintenance before I leave”source ↗
“I’m taking a trip with my friend across the country next week and was hoping to get some input on what tools I should bring. I have a pretty complete box at home but don’t want to overpack.”source ↗
“I’m sure im forgetting a few things, so any recommendations would be great”source ↗
“Our radiator core support seems to have broken and we are in a town 300 miles south of where we live in UT. We need to take I-15 home to immediately take this to our mechanic shop. Do we risk it or is there any fix I can do while here myself to try to secure it in place for the drive before I take it into the shop?”source ↗
“Also is it the end of the world that I didn’t put dielectric grease in the boot?”source ↗
“I was hesitant but… I needed them the next day and everywhere else was going to take a week to ship”source ↗
“I am currently planning on taking advantage of the US rail pass deal sometime in JAN, I have not traveled cross country before. I am looking for general advice for this sort of trip.”source ↗
“I am looking at rucksacks in the 50L range. if there is a brand/different type of backpack that would be better please let me know. even if its beginner advice I would greatly appreciate it.”source ↗
“Im going on my first roadtrip soon, unfortunately I thought I was going to have a different means of transportation but it didnt end up working out. This led to a 13 hr roadtrip with my partner! I need some advice on… pretty much everything, anything is appreciated.”source ↗
“However, I don’t have a goal or a clue about what I want to see or accomplish.”source ↗
“Is it just an experience where I can’t plan what I’ll want to do until I’m on it?”source ↗
“Me and my friends really want to travel together, and I think the first step is to do a 50 state marathon. We start in Florida and want to visit every state.”source ↗
“So things I’m asking is, how long would this take? I’m thinking a month and some change, but I know there’s a lot of variables.”source ↗
“Another question, how should we route it? I was thinking going on the horizontal highways, but would zig zagging vertically be better?”source ↗
“How much should be saved up? I know this has a lot of variables also but I just want a really really general answer.”source ↗
“The car seems to be in good condition but is there anything you’d recommend I should check before setting off?”source ↗
“Tire tread, pressure, all fluid levels, make sure the fluids have been changed when they were due, spare tire has pressure and you have stuff to change the tire if it is flat.”source ↗
“Think she’ll be up for the drive? I’m going for ~450/mi day pace.”source ↗
“I was wondering how to make this trip safely and enjoyable with our 1 year old.”source ↗
“our baby has always done well in the car but has never been in the car longer than maybe 45 min at a time.”source ↗
“Should I be worried about her little body going from sea level to such a high elevation?”source ↗
“I don’t even know what other questions I have yet. I’ll take any and all tips and recommendations to make this go as smooth as possible!”source ↗