Nothing says American summer like a cross country road trip. Whether you’re a curious family wanting to explore, or a homeschooling group looking for history and geography lessons (or both), a cross country road trip is a great way to spend time together learning the history of the U.S.
Here are 5 tips for having a great cross country road trip:
1. Check Your Vehicle
Before you even hit the road take your vehicle into your trusted mechanic and have them check it out. The last thing you need while you’re traveling (hundreds of miles away from home!) is to break down.
Also, make sure that your spare tire is ready to go, you have jumper cables in the car, and you have any tools you may need if something does come up.
2. Make a Bucket List
Start your planning by making a road trip bucket list. What destination and landmarks do you most want to see in each state? Think about these categories:
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Food trucks
- National historic sites
- National parks
- Scenic drives
- Natural wonders
- Museums
- Famous buildings
Once you have your list of must-see places, you can start to plan.
3. Plan Your Trip
Planning isn’t the most fun part of a vacation for many people, but it’s necessary. At the same time there will be unexpected things that will derail your plans, so don’t worry about an overly detailed itinerary. Stick with basics like:
- How long will your trip be?
- Which states do you want to visit (or all of them?)
- What top 3 attractions do you want to see in each state or area?
Once you answer these questions you’ll have a better idea of what you will be doing on your trip.
4. Get Off the Highway
The experience you will have driving across the U.S. on highways will be very different than the one you will have if you get off the beaten path a bit. While planning your trip, incorporate scenic drives as often as possible.
If you’re not sure where to start, this website has great suggestions for the best backroads across the country.
5. Record Your Trip
Any vacation or road trip is going to be jam-packed with excitement and new things. But with so much going on, it can be difficult to remember everything you did. Recording your memories as they happen is a great way to make sure you will remember (and cherish!) the memories of your cross country road trip.
We recommend the U.S. States and Territories Bucket Journal. This bucket journal is part bucket list and part travel journal so you'll have plenty of space to record your adventures!
Using Your Bucket Journal for Your Cross Country Road Trip
The U.S. States and Territories bucket journal is a great way to plan and record your trip. Each state and territory has a two page spread to record things like places you want to see, state facts, and your experience while visiting. The first page includes:
- An area to learn more about the state's history, and what made it famous.
- A fun, "state facts" section, can be filled out before you visit the state or used as a discovery activity while you are there.
- A section to gather information about ghost towns, Native American tribes, and famous people who have lived there.
- plus much more!
The second page has plenty of space for recording who you traveled with as well as how you traveled and what you did. It includes space for mementos as well!
How are you going to record your cross country road trip?
