How to Map a Road Trip

If you're planning a road trip, mapping your drive is more than just figuring out what roads to take to get to your location. If you want to sightsee along the way, you'll need to determine how long you will spend at each location and how long it will take you to get to the next one. With some good planning ahead of time, you can map a road trip and have everything figured out before you hit the road.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Determine your destination and figure out roughly how many miles your road trip will be. Calculate how many hours it will take you, figuring roughly 60 miles per hour.

2. Plan which places in between your starting point and ending location you would like to visit along the way. Figure out how much time you plan to stay and sightsee at each visiting spot.

3. Decide how much time you want to devote each day to driving and sightseeing. Then, use that information, along with the information you compiled in the first 2 steps to determine how many days you will need to complete the trip.

4. Plot out your overnight stay locations. If you're going to be staying in hotels, use the Internet to search for hotels in the cities or towns in which you want to stay to make sure there will be options.

5. Make reservations at hotels or campgrounds or other overnight stay locations so that you know you will have a place to stay when you get there.

6. Figure out where you will be at meal times during each day if you are not planning to bring food with you. Make sure you will be in locations that will have restaurants or other options for purchasing food.

7. Highlight your route on a map, using stars or other symbols to mark all your stopping points.