Planning Your Road Trip Route

“Instead of trying to fit this day into a preconceived mold, relax and be on the lookout for what I am doing.  This mindset will free you to enjoy Me and to find what I have planned for You to do.  This is far better than trying to make things go according to your own plan." - Sarah Young, from Jesus Calling

Welcome to the Summer of Wonder!  This summer Lexi the Golden and I are planning and embarking on a month-long epic road trip from Central PA west to the Rockies, and we're taking you along for the ride. To follow our entire journey, you can find our home blog page here, and for all the videos, head over (and subscribe!) to my YouTube channel, WonderBing Travel.  Let's dive in to the latest part of the planning journey - planning your route!

Time and Distance

Each day spent on the road will be unlike any other—an unrepeatable gift. At home, when days feel redundant, I need frequent reminders to embrace each moment. As I adventure, however, uniqueness is baked into the pursuit of wonder. New places and people, singular sights and sounds, uncovering and discovering and seeing anew every day. What about you? What is God preparing for your wonder-seeking days? What will you discover as you open your mind and heart to every precious new unrepeatable gift? I wonder!

The mysteries around each bend, the not knowing until it happens, are indeed part of the wonder. You just need to be ready. Ready for both the tiny moments and the ones that shift the earth beneath you—each ultimately changing the way you see yourself and the world.

I believe there is freedom in structure, in having a plan. Investing time to create a strategy for each of the essentials of road tripping doesn’t slow you down or hinder you. Quite the opposite! Asking and answering the big questions in advance builds confidence for the day-to-day. You’ll worry less and enhance your ability to experience freedom on the road.

Modeling a Plan

The most valuable way to teach you how to create your own unique adventure is to provide you with a model of my own.  That's what the Summer of Wonder is all about!  As I share each step of my preparation for the trip, I'm showing you how to use that as an template for yourself.  It's hard to create something out of nothing, but so much easier when someone shines the light ahead for you. 

So far in our planning together, I've shared how to create your all-important Treasure Map,  how I create a budget for my road trips, and then showed off my new gear for my upcoming trip.  The next logical step involves a combination of determining time and distance spent on the road, and then beginning to plot a route that fits into those parameters.  For me, this is the fun stuff! 

How to begin to figure it out?

Here are five actionable steps to begin to build a route for your road trip.  Whether you're heading out soon or just mulling it all over for that epic trip down the road, it's not too early to work through this part - plus it's just plain fun! 

NOTE:  The accompanying video does a deep dive into each of these steps, so check it out for more detail.

1. Decide on the approximate length of your trip. 

At this point, exact length isn't crucial to the process, but having a rough estimate will serve you well as you work through this exercise.

My plan: 

To travel for approximately a month, give or take a few days.

2.  Identify and understand the significance of your destination(s).

NOTE:  When I use the term "destination", I am referring to a stopping point where you will spend more than one night, in addition to a location I can't wait to explore!

Rest is one of the most important factors to consider when plotting out your route.  For road trips planned for more than five days, be certain that your destinations allow for plenty of time to rest and rejuvenate. 

My plan: 

I know that I need to create multiple destinations where I can relax and refuel for a few days.  My trip includes three major destinations, and I likely will add one more in Montana: 

3. Determine how much time to spend at each destination.

Your destinations are likely the places you're looking forward to the most.  Whether bucket list items, places that are homes to people you love or just plain interesting locations, these tend to the be the place we get most excited about!  Remember, a destination means staying at least two nights.  These are the anchors to your trip and they play a significant role in ensuring you are rested and renewed. 

My plan: 

I've figure out that I will be doing the following:

📍Sheridan, Wyoming (visiting a friend's cabin) - 5 days

📍Westcliffe, Colorado (my favorite Western town) - 3 days

📍Breckenridge, Colorado (site of reunion with college girlfriends) - 5-7 days

4. Choose your "anchor dates".

To the calendar!  Once you know how long you're spending at each destination, it's important to determine how to space it all out.  What is the distance to and between each destination?  How much time that allow for your travel?  Do you need to get to these places directly and quickly due to time constraints, or can you stay off the highways and slowly make your way?  Maybe it's a bit of both.  It's important to plot this out either directly on a calendar or just using numbers for days so you don't underestimate how long it's going to take and find yourself stressed and overwhelmed and not having any fun at all!

My plan:

I plan to travel to each of these three places in the order I listed them.  All are VERY far from my home in Central Pennsylvania, but I am thinking about this trip as primarily a western trip.  That means that my goal is to get out there and spend as much time in the west as possible, while still seeking freedom and wonder along the way.  Since I know I have about 30 days, I can easily determine that my destinations will take up about half of those.  Now the question is how to space out the other 15 or so days?

5. Create a (loose) timeline.

Next week we are diving into Google Maps, where navigating the actual travel time and potential roads taken will be clear and easy to see.  It's where it all comes together!  For now, use approximations of how long you expect to take to get to each destination, include the now-determined time you'll spend at each, and your return-to-home time.  Here's my example:

My plan (destinations in bold):

🚙 Days 1-5(?) – driving to Sheridan

📍Days 5-9 – Sheridan

🚙 Days 9-21 -  No clue yet!  What a gift!

📍Days 22-25 – Westcliffe, Colorado

📍Days 25-31 – Breckenridge, Colorado

🚙 Days 31-33 – Driving home

😴 Days 33 . . . SLEEP

Leave Time to Wonder

Unfortunately, it's easy to get caught up in dates and distances, miles and minutiae.  There's a fine balance (and one you have to find for yourself) between helpful planning and getting stuck in the details.  Everything I share with you and model for you is designed to make space for wonder, but reduce you to a puddle of overwhelm.  In the beginning, you may have to consistently remind yourself that you're setting yourself up for freedom and wonder, and then make sure there's plenty of time for all that relaxation and contentment!

If you're struggling with getting lost in the planning, go back to There's Wonder Around the Bend.  The heart of the book and my message will always center on the transformative power of a solo road trip, not on agonizing over your navigation!

It's Your Turn

Take some time to work through all that we’ve discussed here. Spread out your map(s), mark all your potential destinations and winnow it down until it feels both manageable and exciting! Next week's Google Maps tutorial will help solidify things, so don’t agonize over your plans. You’ll get there in the end!

For much more detail on planning your budget and learning how it connects to all the other pieces of planning for your road trip, get the book! 

Don't have your copy of there's Wonder Around the Bend yet?  No problem.  Pick it up here 👈.  The Kindle is just $4.99 for a limited time.  Also available in paperback and hard cover.