4 Steps to Planning an (almost) Flawless Cross-Country Trip

This graph is the result of a lot of planning and discussion. When we started planning, the goal was simple enough - travel from Idaho to Maine and home again. That didn't sound too tough, but then the planning began. At first I felt overwhelmed. Where would we stay? What tools would provide efficient directions? How would we know what to see? 

All valid questions with possibly different answers for each traveler. Below is an outline of how we developed our plan. 

Step 1: Determine how long to drive each day

Having traveled a lot in our 42 years of marriage, we had to break a pattern of racing the clock to get to the destination and home again so we could return to work. We are now retired and have all the time in the world - except for the minor concern that when the snow falls we wanted to be at our home in Idaho. 

Our goal was to make it to the East Coast and visit the states that we had never set foot in before. So as we headed out on the road, we decided to bite off larger sections of the trip as we traveled through states we had already visited. 

Once we entered states that were new territory, we planned to 2–4 days in each state depending upon attractions and interests. With that as our criteria, we planned to drive longer periods at first and then no longer than 3 hours a day and sometimes 30 minutes if we found something of interest.

Step 2: Identify points of interest

I accessed information from every source imaginable. 

• Googled attractions by state
• Asked friends
• Visited state websites 
• Sent for information from state's chamber of commerce
• Asked travelers on Facebook pages 

Anyplace that seemed interesting, I added to my spreadsheet. Then as I began to plan our route, I considered what attractions were nearby or planned our route to visit attractions.

Step 3: Create a map of itinerary

Find an app that allows for each stop of the trip to be added. AAA and Good Sam both offer easy to use tools. I use Passport America because I am a member and they offer 50% discounts on stays. We enjoy their recommended campgrounds. 

Once each destination was added to the information, a map was created showing the driving path. Furthermore, members can also print out pages with turn-by-turn directions. I believe everyone must use what works for their your learning style. I used the map as a guide but then used Google Maps on my phone to direct my path while driving. 

I use this for three reasons. First, it provides different options so if we want to drive the direct route we can optimize our time but if we want to sightsee, we can choose an alternate route with just a touch on the screen. The second reason is that a voice on the phone talks to me providing the directions a loud. Third, the phone syncs to my navigation in the motorhome so it is easy to see and use as a guide.

Step 4: Plan to remain flexible

Consciously make this a part of your travel plans because you never know what you might find of interest. I planned our trip from Idaho to Maine and reserved all our RV spaces prior to leaving home. There was only one time we had to make a change and it was a smooth process. I know this does not sound flexible but because I allowed extra time at each stop, the flexibility came from what we did and activities we partook in during our stays. 

Two tips to save time and money

1. Crosscheck dates and availability of activities

Once I had the draft of our plan, including attractions. I made sure that that we wanted to do was available on the day of our visit. For instance, the Amana flea market is only open on certain days of the week; at golf courses, we made reservations so that we knew we could get a tee time; tours times were researched so we knew when to be where so we might participate. 

Sometimes, it was like playing a game of Tetris trying to get everything to line up but once we started our vacation, the work was done and we enjoyed the journey. On a side note, we didn't plan our return trip and the opposite happened: all the tours were filled up for the Toyota tour in Kentucky, we couldn't find a RV park near an attractions of interest so we slept at a Cracker Barrel parking lot - it worked but wasn't ideal; we found ourselves more stressed because time had to be allotted to planning instead of enjoying. 

2 Investigate money saving opportunities

Everybody enjoys a good deal so I spend time looking for ways to save money. I downloaded numerous apps that people recommended. On my phone, there is a file titled "Travel" that holds apps that provide discounts. I often check to see if discounts are available.

• Harvest Host offers places to stay for free. They simply ask that you spend money at there business. We stayed at wineries, a bison farm, breweries . . . 
• Good Sam provides discounts at RV parks when I could not locate a Passport America or Harvest Host in an area.
• AARP provides coupons for restaurants, shopping, attractions, and groceries.
• Gas Buddy reports where the cheapest gas is nearby.
• Camping World offers discounts for members on camping essentials and sometimes they have some unique items we didn't even know we needed. 

If you have any apps that help your travel planning, please share them in the comments. You probably noticed I mentioned that planning helps to create an almost flawless trip. I use this word to prepare and caution you not to expect flawless. That would be unrealistic. Things happen that are not expected. The more you go with the flow, the more positive memories will you will carry home.

If you wish to read about our journey, I invite you to join RVing in Retirement on Facebook.