Is a Road Trip Right for Your Next Vacation?

A road trip isn't what you do when flying doesn't work out — done right, it's its own kind of vacation. This week, Ryan and Julie break down who road trips are actually best for, and the planning habits that separate a great one from a stressful one.

Who Road Trips Are Best For
Families with young kids (within 5-6 hours), travelers with flight anxiety, pet owners, and anyone who wants to explore a region deeply rather than just hit the highlights.

Why It's Worth Considering
The financial argument (full control over lodging, food, and transportation costs), the flexibility argument (no change fees, no schedule but your own), and the experience argument — the unplanned stops and detours often become the stories people remember for years.

Planning It Right
Build the trip around the drive, not just the destination. Don't overplan every hour, book pet-friendly stops carefully (a "pet-friendly" listing isn't always current), and prep the car before you go — oil change, roadside assistance, and a stocked snack box included.

Tips for the Road
Drive the hard miles first thing in the morning, switch drivers every two hours, gas up before you think you need to, and make every stop purposeful — a meal, a landmark, a short hike — rather than just a leg-stretch.

Where in the World?
Two couples are headed to the Danube River this October with AmaWaterways, right in the middle of Oktoberfest — with a completely refreshed onboard experience Ryan can't wait to hear about.

Next week: things you didn't know were at Universal Orlando Resort. Thinking about your next road trip? Hit play for the planning tips that make all the difference — and head to wonderandbeyondtravel.com when you're ready to start.

Transcript

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Ryan (2) 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. When you think of road trips, you might think of it as a way to save money or a way to not have to deal with the headache of flying, and that may be true, but in their own right, road trips are a legitimate, intentional vacation choice. And today we're gonna give you the tips and tricks to make your next road trip amazing

Julie (2) 0:25

Join in with travel advisors, Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and I'm a Disney-loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel, and together we are the co-owners of Wonder and Beyond Travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel

Ryan (2) 0:52

So I think from our conversations on and off the podcast, Julie, you're not really a road trip kind of person, are you?

Julie (2) 1:00

not right now, no. But I could see it in the future. I'd love to road trip to a couple of places. But honestly, right now, if we were to have a long drive, the goal would be to get to the destination, not mosey along

Ryan (2) 1:14

Which as we talk about today is really not doing the road trip justice, right?

Julie (2) 1:20

Yeah, I mean, I do remember When I was four, my family drove to Disney World, and somehow I ended up... We have three, they had three kids, so I don't know, I guess it made sense to get rid of one of them. So I drove in the car with my grandparents, and driving in the car with your grandparents for a long drive is very different from driving in the car with your, your regular family. So we stopped to eat a lot. we stopped driving at 6:00 PM and found a hotel, and we didn't leave until, like, 11:00 in the morning. I think the rest of my family got there, like, two days before us. Like

Ryan (2) 1:54

You

Julie (2) 1:54

we really took our time.

Ryan (2) 1:56

you were the passenger princess. that's for sure

Julie (2) 1:59

Yeah, yeah. I remember having, like, my little setup with, like, a little, like, lap desk and coloring and whatever else. You know?

Ryan (2) 2:07

I really didn't road trip that much in my early adulthood, but Jasmine and I have really enjoyed it. of note was last spring break when we wanted to take our new dog with us on spring break, and so we drove from Indiana to Hilton Head and took several days doing that. and just had a really good time and, and, since then we've been doing kind of long weekends and, you know, doing stuff like finding a winery or finding a restaurant that we wanna go to and kinda making it a, a long weekend trip. She has a very important job during our road trips, Julie. She has to find the coffee and the donuts.

Julie (2) 2:44

That tracked

Ryan (2) 2:45

one of the things that we really like is to find little donut shops that we haven't been to before. In fact, we've thought about starting a YouTube video called Detour for Donuts. and you know, kind of, of our different find... 'Cause we've found some really, really good ones along the way

Julie (2) 3:02

That's amazing. What's your favorite donut?

Ryan (2) 3:04

my favorite type of donut

Julie (2) 3:06

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Ryan (2) 3:07

fritter

Julie (2) 3:08

is that a donut? I mean, that's a fritter

Ryan (2) 3:12

Okay, so my

Julie (2) 3:13

That was kind of a cop-out.

Ryan (2) 3:14

fritter. So anyway, one of the things I wanna talk about today when it comes to road trips is oftentimes people think it's in place of flying or in place of a different type of trip, and I... Road trips can be in and of themselves the right way to travel depending on what you wanna do and how you wanna do it. So I'm excited to get into it. But before we do that, I wanna remind folks, if you did not listen to last week's episode, Julie and I talked all about the Disney parks in Tokyo and France. So Julie, when we think about road trips as a type of vacation, there's some people who it's, they're especially good for. who might that be?

Julie (2) 3:57

I'm not sure if I agree with this one. So Ryan says that road trips are good for families with young kids so that you can avoid an airport meltdown and you don't have to worry about your car seats. I think that needs like a disclaimer of like within X amount of hours

Ryan (2) 4:14

I have taken road trips, with my daughter when she was very, very young, and it was super easy. But I've also taken road trips with my kids when they were just a little bit older than that, and it was a complete disaster.

Julie (2) 4:28

Yeah, I would say maybe like five to six hours is what I would consider right now

Ryan (2) 4:34

but later on I'll say, Julie, that's a s- you don't even wanna drive that far if you're really enjoying the road trip kind of mindset. Yeah,

Julie (2) 4:41

That's true

Ryan (2) 4:42

Yeah. So who else would be on this list?

Julie (2) 4:46

People with any sort of travel anxiety, so they like to be in control. They don't wanna worry about is my flight gonna be delayed, you know, is something gonna happen on my flight? you know, getting through security, anybody who has concerns with that or just like being around a lot of people, road trips are phenomenal because you have your car, you are in control. any sort of pet owners, like Ryan mentioned earlier, who want to bring their dog, you know, you probably can't bring them on the plane. A traveler that wants to explore a region, very deeply and be very immersive in that destination versus just hitting some of the highlights. And anyone within about six to eight hours of a destination who would otherwise just fly because they're used to flying, they should really consider a road trip

Ryan (2) 5:32

So what are some reasons that make sense for a road trip? The first one is the financial argument. there's no flight, baggage fees, airport transfers, all that kind of stuff, so you can really control where you're saving money. You control the budget completely. You can go anywhere from camping up to really nice resorts. your food costs are also entirely in your control. You can eat

Julie (2) 5:54

Yeah

Ryan (2) 5:55

diners, you can picnic, you can go to grocery stores. You're not captive as to where you're staying. next argument is the flexibility argument. You can stop whenever something catches your eye, maybe it's a roadside attraction, a state park pull-off, a small place to eat that somebody told you about. And you don't have a schedule dictating your day other than the one that you set for yourself.

Julie (2) 6:20

Ryan, I have a question about that. When you've done your road trips or when you've thought about planning them for clients, when we talk about flexibility, are you spontaneously booking your hotels then?

Ryan (2) 6:33

No, 'cause I've run into some issues where that has not worked in my favor.

Julie (2) 6:37

Okay

Ryan (2) 6:37

where I'm starting and where I'm ending, and I know how I wanna get there. But if there's things that take me off that path for a certain reason, I'm okay with that. Now, when we travel with Nalo, our dog, that may be a little different 'cause it's like traveling with a kid, so you know, there is a bit more of a schedule. but no, I always know where I'm ending,

Julie (2) 6:59

Okay

Ryan (2) 7:00

just out of my wanting to know, wanting to know those anchors, if you will.

Julie (2) 7:05

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely

Ryan (2) 7:06

where we might stop, what we might see along the way, that can be flexible. And then I

Julie (2) 7:12

Got it

Ryan (2) 7:13

importantly, the argument for a road trip is the experience argument. Road trips give you that in-between time that flying can skip entirely. So you're seeing the landscape change, small towns that you never knew existed. kids can benefit from this time, car games, looking out the window, seeing things, audiobooks, kind of those unscripted family moments.

Julie (2) 7:37

Mm-hmm.

Ryan (2) 7:38

you can really have different types of travel memories. The stops that you didn't plan on, or the mistakes, the fun family stories are the ones you're gonna be talking about for years so before we talk about some tips and tricks and some logistical ideas, I wanna talk about where in the world is Wonder and Beyond Travel. And Julie, in a couple months, it-- s-smack dab during Oktoberfest, I have two couples that are doing my favorite type of trip. They are traveling with AmaWaterways on the Danube River. I am so excited, and I know right now when we're recording, there's issues with river levels. That's not gonna be the case in October. And one of the things that I'm most excited about for them is AmaWaterways has just completely changed experiences f- to make them even better. You-- their, their dining is different. Their, what they're offering wine-wise is different. Their branding is different. They've just really spruced everything up, and I just can't wait to hear about all of it. These are really my first clients that are gonna experience that, and I'm so excited for them. And you know I love river cruising. is just an amazing trip that I'm really excited to help plan

Julie (2) 8:53

That's awesome. I can't wait to hear about it

Ryan (2) 8:56

We love celebrating with our clients and sharing where they're headed, and we can't wait when they get back. And I know with these folks on AmaWaterways, I'm definitely gonna be asking about all these new upgrades. All right, Julie, so let's talk about planning your trip. what are some things to consider when we're thinking about the route?

Julie (2) 9:16

So we wanna think about starting with the route and not just the destination. A lot of times you're gonna pick a destination and then figure out how to get there. Maybe think about flipping that and think about what's along the way, and build the trip around your drive, and not just thinking about where you're going. what we mean by that is, like, you know, don't just think, "Well, how fast can I get there, and what should I see just quickly along the way?" Think about, okay, maybe this is where we wanna go, but let's plan how long we drive based on what we wanna see along the way. So thinking about is like a hub and spoke voice versus just the point to point. do you want a home base and take day trips while you're there, or moving from place to place each day? Both of those can work, but they will just lead to very different, experiences. We mentioned this a little bit earlier, but don't plan too tightly. You wanna make sure you've got some buffer days or hours so you're not racing to schedule, the entire trip. And I remember When my in-laws did the road trip down the Pacific coast and then also up,

Ryan (2) 10:19

Yeah

Julie (2) 10:20

into Canada, it would kinda be like, "Okay, we're staying one night here, but then two nights here, one night here, two nights there." and then sometimes even three nights on the front or back of that trip, just to give a little more space to explore We also wanna think about booking your accommodations, and the earlier you can book something is better for really popular routes. things like, the national parks, But you also don't wanna overbook, and that goes back to what I mentioned about, varying your lengths of stay for different places. You wanna be able to mix it up as well, like a couple nicer hotels and then a couple more casual options, and that's exactly what I did for my in-laws' trip, too. We had a couple, feature hotels and then a couple that are like, "We're just gonna stay here tonight." If you're traveling with pets, though, make sure you triple check their policies in advance. just because it says pet friendly doesn't mean it's the same as what another pet friendly option means. And these can also be harder to find last minute, so those you definitely wanna make sure you've prepared in advance

Ryan (2) 11:23

And I will say, Julie, when we first traveled with Nala, and we don't always

Julie (2) 11:28

Oh, yeah

Ryan (2) 11:29

on our trips, on our road trips. But, you know, one of the things to realize is in some places it almost doubled our hotel costs, to have her with us. So understanding that, but before you look into what accommodations you're booking.

Julie (2) 11:44

didn't you also, like, ChatGPT the list of pet friendly and then they weren't actually?

Ryan (2) 11:49

yes, and so that's another thing to consider. earlier this summer, we did a quick little trip for Jasmine's birthday, and we drove over in the Toledo area, and we were looking for places to eat, not necessarily stay, but to eat.

Julie (2) 12:03

Oh

Ryan (2) 12:04

everything that came up, that said it was pet-friendly, we went to one of them, and it definitely was not. And then we started calling, and I think what we realized was, was these were places that during COVID had been pet-friendly, and so they stayed on certain websites as being pet-friendly. So kind of mapping that stuff out, but thinking about your destination. So for instance, when we went to Hilton Head, it's super pet-friendly. and so a lot of places there were pet menus, there were places for her to be. I think Nala ate better that week than she ever has in, in her life. So let's talk about prepping your vehicle. So making sure your car is in good shape, oil changes, tire checks. That sounds obvious, but a lot of people don't think about doing that. Also, cleaning your car before you leave. you're gonna be spending a lot more time in your car, so making sure that stuff is cleaned out, ready to go. I would also say, too, having a lot of different trash bags, so every time you're stopping, you're getting trash cleaned out, so that's not piling up. Making sure that you have some version of roadside assistance. This could be through your car insurance or your credit card, or it could be through AAA, because things happen, and you just don't know. So making sure that you have all that stuff, set to go.

Julie (2) 13:26

And that's why I can't do a road trip because

Ryan (2) 13:30

of

Julie (2) 13:30

we,

Ryan (2) 13:30

car out. I saw your

Julie (2) 13:31

because of all these things. we're going to Disney this week, and the following week we're driving to Rehoboth, which I don't really consider it a road trip. It's two and a half hours. our focus is getting there, right? But last night we're driving home from this concert, and I'm like, "You know, Steven, our oil really needs to be changed, but we have absolutely zero time to get that done before we leave." So we're like, "Eh, all right. Well, I guess we'll do it when we get back." we don't have roadside assistance at the moment. Our roadside assistance will be, like, calling somebody. In fact, one time we drove home from Ocean City and our car broke down. My dad had to come pick us up from a rest stop. Eliana was like, you know, six months old. yeah, this is why I can't road trip.

Ryan (2) 14:12

You,

Julie (2) 14:13

Mm-hmm.

Ryan (2) 14:13

road trip ready.

Julie (2) 14:14

Not right now, no

Ryan (2) 14:16

Well, I mentioned, having trash bags to empty throughout. What are some other things that you should pack when you're thinking of kind of this type of road trip? A dedicated snack box or cooler can save you time and money. So thinking about every time you stop, everybody wants a snack or, somebody has the hangries and you know that you're still an hour away. Having that stuff set and also having road-friendly snacks. So if you're gonna be stuff in the car, avoiding chocolate or avoiding messy, drippy things. Reusable water bottles for everybody. making sure that you're continuing to drink water, one of the things that we do for road trips, Julie, is we'll often go get a pack of water, from Kroger or something like that, and just have that in the car so that we know that we have it. A physical backup map or downloaded offline maps, because depending where you're going, that cell service, can really be spotty or change. Entertainment beyond streaming. So this could be books, audiobooks, podcasts, playlists for the mood, that kind of stuff. Car games. one of the things that Jasmine and I used to do, especially when we first started dating, and I know you're gonna make fun of this, um, we would bring, relationship question cards and I remember, spending a lot of time talking about that stuff. First

Julie (2) 15:38

an interesting idea. I love that idea

Ryan (2) 15:40

Oh, okay. All right. I thought you were gonna make fun of me. So okay. So basic medicines, not necessarily a first aid kit per se, but you know, what are the types of things that you need to, have, whether it's, medication for upset tummy, medication for a headache, hand sanitizer wipes, all that kind of stuff. those are all things that you should have packed just to make your life easier and avoid those what-ifs

Julie (2) 16:05

Now I will say most of those things live in my car. So see, the car is kind of ready,

Ryan (2) 16:11

the car wants to go on a road trip. Julie just doesn't wanna go on a road trip

Julie (2) 16:16

So let's talk about a couple of tips and tricks for the actual trip itself. So some things to think about when you're planning your drive. You wanna drive those hard miles first. So start early, get the long leg of driving done in the morning when everyone is fresh, and arrive at that first destination with time to actually enjoy it. And I think about this, like, when we think about driving to, like, North Carolina, South Carolina for beaches in the future, we would think about leaving at, like, 4:00 in the morning, get through the DC traffic and all that stuff. That's something that everyone in my area has to consider. You also wanna make sure you're switching your drivers every two hours, even if that initial driver feels fine, that fatigue can s- can sneak up on you a little bit. And gas up before you think you need to. In rural and remote areas, you might be 50 miles between stations, so don't gamble, and that is something I would do.

Ryan (2) 17:11

I know. I'm guilty of that,

Julie (2) 17:12

You also wanna make the most of your stops, so plan your stops around something, something like a meal that you're looking forward to, short little hike, a local landmark, something more than just let's get out and stretch our legs, because I do feel like if that's the plan, you're just gonna skip it and keep going. Purposeful stops are definitely gonna feel better for everybody than random ones. You're gonna be more excited. Think about using the Roadtrippers app or a quick Google search for those hidden gems near insert town here, and then you might be surprised what you'd miss if you didn't have those things ready to go. You can also look up Passport to your National Parks, and if your route includes national parks, this is like a little stamp book, and every visit to a park turns into, you know, kinda like a little ritual, a tradition, and kids can really get into it then

Ryan (2) 18:01

an important part of road tripping is where are we gonna eat? And this is something that, is kind of a rule of mine. And if we're off the highway, sometimes we're just trying to get someplace, and stopping at a, rest stop with fast food restaurants is fine. But if we're taking a true road trip and we're going someplace we've never been before, what are the local places? What's the best breakfast in town? you know, what's the best coffee? And like I mentioned donuts before. where are we gonna be headed where there's a really good donut shop? Roadside food stands, farmers markets, local barbecue spots, those are the types of places you're gonna remember. and I always like to have a few of those in my back pocket, so when I hear people say, "Well, we're d- going here." "Well, make sure you stop at this place because it's really, really good." Pack a real cooler instead of just shopping bags because stuff stays cold longer, and food can stay fresh, and you can cut down on some of your costs and your logistics by having breakfast ready or picking up sandwiches in the morning and tossing them in the cooler for later so you can have a picnic rather than find a place to eat. And I love this last one when I was putting this together. Know your coffee situation in advance. If your driver is a coffee person, you know, what's that first stop gonna be? And, are they okay with this type of coffee versus that type of coffee? This is not a trivial decision, at least in my life, Julie.

Julie (2) 19:28

I love that. I would feel the same way

Ryan (2) 19:31

So handling group dynamics, and usually it's just the two of us when we do this. you'd have kind of a different, perspective here. But have a loose plan that everybody knows. even if you deviate it, make sure that people know what's going on

Julie (2) 19:46

Mm-hmm.

Ryan (2) 19:47

stop at this time for lunch, just so that everybody's on the same page. then give everybody that one thing, and we've talked about this on other trips too. Somebody gets to choose where we eat lunch on this day or what type of attraction we wanna stop at. And lastly, don't skip that downtime. You've heard that, multiple times on this episode. you do not have to be a road warrior. You know, build in an afternoon or a morning with no agenda. You know, one of the things you said, Julie, about traveling with your grandparents was it was a slower pace, and that's one of the things that made it, really made it that

Julie (2) 20:26

Memorable. Mm-hmm. Yep. our hotel always had to have a playground or a pool, and at, at, you know, this was a very long time ago. so their thing was also it had to be near a Denny's

Ryan (2) 20:40

But, you know, it's the comfort of home wh-

Julie (2) 20:43

Yeah

Ryan (2) 20:44

So as we wrap up here, safety. So make sure to share your itinerary with someone, because there's a lot more variables here. you're in touch with more people than you might be if you're traveling, via plane. so make sure people know. Keep your phone charged, and know where you're going. And lastly, with a road trip, weather can play a bigger impact. So depending on where you are, how much does the heat or the rain or the snow impact where you're going? So as we wrap up here, Julie, road trips aren't a consolation prize for when you can't get there via flight. It's really its own type of vacation, isn't it?

Julie (2) 21:24

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. you can really get a little bit more immersed in where you're going and see so many more areas than if you're flying there

Ryan (2) 21:33

And I will say based on what we've talked about today, I think one of the differences between a great road trip and a stressful one really is the planning and planning the important things, not every moment, of the trip. And, we've helped people with these types of vacations before. You've talked about your in-laws. I've also worked with people for road trips. we can help you put something like this together, and reach out. we'd love to help you. So where's a road trip you'd like to take, Julie?

Julie (2) 22:05

Ooh, I think Tennessee. I think Tennessee would be fun. Like, going out towards Tennessee.

Ryan (2) 22:11

So my ideal road trip, I think, would be fall,

Julie (2) 22:17

Mhm, mhm.

Ryan (2) 22:18

spending a few

Julie (2) 22:19

Oh

Ryan (2) 22:20

in Boston, renting a car and driving up into New England, up into Maine, all the way to Montreal, and then either coming back or leaving from there

Julie (2) 22:33

Wow. Okay. That is interesting because my in-laws are looking at, that Eastern Canada area as well for their next trip

Ryan (2) 22:42

Very, very cool. The world is full of wonder, and your next great adventure is waiting. At Wonder and Beyond Travel, we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. you're ready to start planning or you just wanna dream a little bigger, head on over to wonderandbeyondtravel.com. We'd love to help you get started. We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel when we discuss things you didn't know were at Universal Orlando Resort. If Julie's in-laws are listening to this episode, I'm happy to go on your road trip with you. It would be fun. I'll find the donuts