Going Cross Country With the Family

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Cross country road trips have become increasingly popular over the last few years, with families
looking to have fantastic adventures without breaking the budget. Road trips offer the chance for you
to really explore our great big country, maybe visit places you have ever thought of going before and
discover the best that America has to offer; they are also a great bonding experience for the parents
and children alike. You will be making memories that will ultimately last a lifetime.

However, traveling across country can be an expensive form of travel if you have never tried it
before. When you add up your fuel costs, accommodation, food and activities, it can be equal to, or
even greater than, a trip abroad. Don’t worry though! There are some simple tips that will help you to
have the holiday that you deserve on the budget that you can afford.

Create your itinerary 2 months in advance

So once you have decided that this is the perfect trip for you, you need to start planning as this is
the best way to make sure that you can stick to your budget and still get the most from your holiday.
Look at the areas you want to incorporate into your trip. Try using Google maps as this will plot the
total distance for you. This will then give you an indicator as to the amount of fuel it will cost you.
This will also help you to find the best low priced accommodation for your family’s needs by giving
you a searchable radius.

Another nice aspect to planning this far in advance is that you can see what shows, concerts, fairs
and festivals may be on at the same time as your visit, giving you plenty of time to book tickets
and organise your fun for the trip. However do be realistic; you may only have a couple of days in
each spot, so try to involve the whole family in the decisions as you may not have the time to do
everything.

Book all your lodgings in advance

Travelling across country can be exhausting. There will be a lot of driving and children can become
irritable, so by making all your reservations in advance you can make sure that everyone knows
when and where they will be staying. This will also avoid situations of hotels getting booked up
before you leave, especially if you are going in prime season.

A week before you leave, it will be well worth giving each hotel, campsite of hostel a quick phone
call to make sure the booking and reservations are all in place for you, make sure to pack any
confirmation documentation with you in case of issues when you arrive.

Keep in mind your travel when packing

One of the benefits of travelling by car is the beautiful scenery you will encounter on the journey.
However, it won’t be so stunning if you can’t see out of the windows because of all the stuffed bags,
pillows and food. One major mistake that people make when packing for long road trips is the belief
that you will need to take more bags than you would on a plane. This simply isn’t the case, you won’t
need to take excess food, drinks or sleeping bags with you as these can be bought along the way.

By keeping in mind the activities you will be doing, how long you will be in the car for and how many
people there will be, you will have an idea of what clothing, shoes and bags you will need to take.