How to Plan a Camping Road Trip

You've probably heard of a road trip before, maybe you've even been on a few. But have you ever considered going on a camping road trip? If you are adventurous and enjoy seeing the great outdoors, this can be a great (and cost-effective) way to do it! This is a fun vacation idea for a couple, a group of friend, or even a family with kids. Read on to get some tips and ideas for planning a fun and relaxing camping road trip.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet
• Map
• Camping Gear

Instructions

1. 

   Set a budget. When planning any vacation, the first thing that you should do is decide how much money you have available to spend. This will dictate all of your other decisions, so it's important to do this first. Set aside money for each portion of your trip, including food, gas, lodging, entertainment, etc.

2. 

   Decide on a timeframe for your camping road trip. You've got to know how long you are going to be on the road so you can decide how far from home you can go.

3. 

   Get out a map, and plan your trip. Consider going in a circle so that you can see as many places as possible. Decide on your basic course of travel.

4. 

   Decide how many miles you'd like to travel per day on your camping road trip. As a general rule, you can plan on about 50 - 55 mph, so if only want to drive 4 hours a day so that you can enjoy some time at each campground, you should only plan to drive 200 miles per day.

5. 

   Once you have your basic trip mapped out, head to Yahoo or Google Maps. You can use this tool to type in two locations to check distance and travel time. For example, if you want to drive from Atlanta, GA to Maggie Valley, NC on day 1 of your trip, you can check to see how many hours it will take to drive. This will help you to better plan your stops.

6. It's time to start choosing campgrounds. Use the internet to search for campgrounds in each city or area where you will be staying. Compare campgrounds for amenities and prices and then make a decision about where you'll stay.

7. Contact the campgrounds where you'll be staying and make reservations. This is especially important if you are going on your camping road trip in the summer when you it may be busier.

8. Use one of the online map services to check for stores and other items you may need on your trip. Chances are that you'll need to stock up on groceries a time or two and you'll certainly need ice, so check to see what's available in the areas where you are staying.

9. 

   Create your own itinerary. Print out driving directions to each location where you'll be stopping and information about the campground, including phone numbers so you'll have them while on the road.

10. 

    The last step in planning your camping road trip is to create your packing list. This will be invaluable to you as you pack all of your camping gear that you'll need while you are out on the road. Consider creating this using Excel so that you can easily update and change it as you prepare for your vacation.