Road Tripping In The United States: Tips, Tricks, & Sights To See

Last updated on November 2nd, 2024

Road trips breed insight and perspective. When you’re out on the open road, it allows your mind to wander, helping you recognize and address deeply ingrained thoughts, memories and emotions. Plus, your experience is enhanced when traveling with your best buddies!

America is a very road-trip-friendly country and has grown in popularity in recent years. It has well-maintained roads, scenic byways and highways, cheap gas, and many places you can stop at.

Here are some tips, tricks, and sights to see when road tripping in The United States.

Where To Sleep

 Accommodations are the first thing you need to consider when prioritizing your budget. The first thing you must ask yourself is, what’s most important to you in your accommodations? There are six options when it comes to considering where to sleep: couch surfing, car camping, camping, hostels, Airbnb, and hotels. 

Assuming you are not staying in a hotel or looking for a place to pitch a tent, rest stops are a great place to spend overnight sleeping in your car if you are still on the way to your destination. You will encounter countless rest stops driving on highways and interstate roads in the USA. Once you arrive at your destination and are looking for somewhere safe to store your things, you should look into staying at a hotel, motel, or Airbnb. 

Map Out Your Trip 

Planning your trip on a physical map can offer insights about alternate routes, rest stops, and distances driven. 

The goal is to break up your car trip into time chunks that are manageable and practical. The next step is to trace your route, marking stops every 100 to 150 miles. Between each stop, be sure to look for interesting attractions that will compliment your stops. It is very important for your entire chosen route to include interesting attractions that can serve to break up the day of driving. Lastly, be sure to have an alternate route already planned, which can save stress and time when you are in an unfamiliar location.

Sights To See

There are dozens of routes that you can take to experience a classic American road trip. Below are two trips to consider:

  • Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West

This road over the ocean crosses 42 bridges in its journey from Miami to Key West, Florida, the final link in the chain of the Florida Keys. With stunning views and stunning beaches between stops, this trip offers a unique experience that is unrivaled by other road trip routes. As you go from island to island, there are a plethora of things to do, such as feeding tarpons at Robbie’s Marina of Islamorada, getting some key lime pies, and hanging out at Bahia Honda State Park. 

The best part of this trip has got to be the spectacular drive. Roll your windows down, put your sunglasses on, and explore sunny Florida and the Keys!  

This is a great drive all year round – although it is worth noting that roads can be particularly crowded and backed up during summer months, particularly due to trucking accidents. In the unfortunate case that you find yourself in a trucking accident, be sure to reach out to some truck accident lawyers you can trust

  • Pacific Coast Highway: San Francisco to Los Angeles

This trip is loaded with stellar sights. The drive from San Fran to LA down Highway 1 is a spiritual experience that is considered iconic amongst avid road trippers. If you decide to embark on this ultimate 383-mile journey, make sure to stop in Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, and Monterey – and that’s just naming a few places!

There is plenty to do in the bay before cruising into Los Angeles to relax by the Santa Monica Pier. This drive takes in some remote areas of the California coast that you’d never be able to reach by public transport and the ability to pull over and stay longer along the way gives you such a sense of freedom that you’d otherwise be missing out on.

Did I Miss Anything?

From tasty road trip snacks to fun road trip games, road trips over a unique experience that you wouldn’t be able to encounter if you flew.

Do you have any experience road tripping? Feel free to share your story in the comments below!