"Planning the ultimate roadtrip lies within a balance of just enough structure to allow direction and more of the experiences that you seek, while not being too planned or structured to allow the spontaneity of what the open road brings." If you plan too little, the trip can be more stressful than enjoyable; yet, if you plan every fine detail, there is little room to enjoy the process and whatever comes your way. Too much structure makes everything too rigid while not enough makes chaos; balance is key. That is exactly the purpose of this book, to guide you with the roadtrip commandments and simplify the roadtrip planning process with this breakdown, allowing you to build a trip foundation in just minutes and then either build on it further or just take off and get going! 1.) First set your timeframe, from the time you leave until the time you have to return. 2.) Decide if the trip is destination focused such as driving to a location at a set day and time for a wedding or event, etc and then building a trip along the way, or Experiences based with no set destination and enjoying the journey in more equal parts. 3.) Break the trip up generally into 500 mile increments. This will provide a stopping point for each day. 4.) Determine the level of planning you want, if you want to define the stopping points or take it steps further and prebook. 5.) Give your trip a theme! Based on the reason, or interests-- for example if its a ski trip , make it winter themed with hot chocolate, winter activities, etc. Giving a theme helps you set up more of the experiences that you desire. 6.) Research each surrounding area to find activities that you want to see within each section.

This cozy cafe offers an escape from your travels, with a beautiful ambiance, great coffee and even private rooms to relax in!

Brevard , a hidden gem in the mountains of western NC • Definitely check out looking glass falls, and go on the first hike access further up the mountain to discover another waterfall ! • From South Fl, this can be a longer weekend road trip, breaking the trip up into a couple smaller sections to enjoy the journey . • You can stop a few hours in to explore St. Augustine , one of the oldest cities in America, before staying in Savannah, Ga an evening. • After some exploration and pictures at the wormsloe historic site, you can be on your way to the mountains of Nc ! •

Utah is one of the most beautiful and yet under recognized states. Bordered by Colorado to the east, it shares some beautiful terrain while having many unique landscapes. • A road trip throughout the north will take you through Utah’s own mountain range, the Wasatch range that runs north to south. Further south you’ll fine canyon lands national park- 337,500 acres of breathtaking views and unique formations. • There are countless state parks within the state that each showcase a variety of scenes from rocky arches to salt flats, forests and waterfalls. • This state is a must see if you want a scenic and memorable road trip! • Thankyou @stayoung808 for this picture !

An example 5 Day, experienced based road trip , more spontaneous with less planning in this example. . • To make it easy, let’s say we leave on Monday and need to be back Friday evening. Heading out from Sarasota, Fl by 8 am to Savannah, Ga. • Stopping to stretch your legs and potentially switch drivers 2 hours in and then about 2 hours later , doing the same and grab lunch somewhere in the jacksonville area ( 4 hours total) or even check out St Augustine. for an hour or two. Then All that is remaining is roughly an hour and 45 min left and you’re in Savannah! • It should be no later than 4 or 5 pm latest ( if you took your time and stopped to explore often). You can now enjoy Savannah a couple of hours and play to stay the evening in Charleston ( 1.5 hours up the coast. Or you can enjoy the evening in Savannah. • Let’s say you stayed in Charleston, enjoyed the evening and headed out the following morning to The mountain town , the highlands - in western NC! • Only 5 hours away, you arrive by 4 or 5 the latest. Staying in this beautiful city, enjoying the evening , you decide to do some hiking the next morning and then head to Louisville, Kentucky. • This is just the first half of an example road trip. A faster paced road trip, speaking on the general structure- don’t forgot to either plan or dive into local activities, etc along the way!