Do you really want to go on a road trip, but you have no idea how to even start planning? No worries, because I am the queen of being overly prepared and detail-oriented, and I am here to help.
Before you even decide where you want to go on your road trip, you have to be realistic and consider your budget. Let’s say you work part-time (20 hours) and earn minimum wage, which is technically $8.10, but you only pocket around $7.00 after taxes. After doing a little bit of math, you can see that your weekly earnings would be about $140, meaning that your monthly earnings would amount to $560. Your road trip budget is entirely up to you and based on what you can afford/want to spend. In order to demonstrate, let’s say that you decide to save up enough to spend about 75% of your monthly earnings-$420. Now you know what you can spend on your road trip, so we can get to the more exciting steps in the planning process.
Next, you obviously have to choose when and where you want to go, and who you want to go with. Once you and your friends put all of your money together, you’ll have a better idea of what destination you can afford to travel to.
My sister and I decided to take a road trip to New York City last New Year’s Eve because we’ve always wanted to visit and it’s only a nine hour drive. It’s also helpful if you have friends or family wherever you decide to go because then you won’t have to spend money on a hotel, especially if you want to go somewhere like NYC where a room for even one night can be incredibly expensive.
You’ve decided your destination and the people that you will share this experience with. What’s next? Well, if you don’t have anyone to stay with, you have to find a hotel. This is where it’s very important to be resourceful. I would recommend searching on Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, or one of the other hotel comparison sites. Also, check the reviews! I cannot emphasize this enough because even if you’re on a tight budget, you don’t want to stay in a hotel that’s known for having cockroaches crawling around.
Now it’s time for the best part of planning for a road trip: choosing what you want to do once you reach your destination. If you’re going to a big city and you have enough money, you should look into buying a CityPASS because it includes tickets for all the major attractions, but it costs significantly less than paying for all of these attractions separately. If you can’t afford much, just do some research and see what cheap/free activities are available and unique to the place that you’re visiting. Ultimately, it’s all about the experience, so even if all you can afford is to walk around and explore the local shops, you’ll still have a great time.
Last, but not least, get some road trip food! The best part about a road trip is the snacks and fast food that you eat on the way to your final destination. This isn’t the time to worry about how much you’re eating or how unhealthy it is. As Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec would say, “treat yo’ self!”
In the end, it’s not about whether you travel one state over or across the entire country; it’s about having a great time and making amazing memories with the people that you love. Of course, exploring the city where you end up is a huge part of the experience, but remember that the beauty of road trips is in the journey, not the destination. I think that everyone should go on at least one road trip during their college years because this is a time of self discovery and independence, so don’t let a busy schedule or a budget keep you from having adventures. I will leave you with a message from John Green: “Here's to all the places we went. And all the places we'll go.”
