How to plan a road trip to the hills
A road trip has one thing other trips don't: the car is part of the plan. It needs servicing, a route that is actually open, and an agreement about who drives which stretch. Get those right in the last week and the rest is rooms, snacks and a playlist.
The countdown
6 weeks before
- Confirm who's coming and agree the budget
- Book the travel there and back
5 weeks before
- Book where you're staying
4 weeks before
- Collect deposits or agree who pays for what
3 weeks before
- Check everyone's ID and documents
2 weeks before
- Plan the days and share the itinerary
7 days before
- Share the packing list and who brings what
- Service the car: tyres, brakes, spare wheel
3 days before
- Reconfirm travel and stay bookings
- Agree who drives which stretch
2 days before
- Check the roads, weather and closures on the route
1 day before
- Send the meeting point, time and emergency contact
- Pack, charge phones and download offline maps
2 days after
- Settle up who owes what
3 days after
- Share the photos
Add your dates, destination and who's coming and get this checklist with real due dates, a day-by-day itinerary and a link everyone replies on.
Plan mine freeHow the budget splits
Shown for 6 people over 3 nights on $3,100. The percentages hold at any size.
| Category | Share | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stay | 35% | $1,085 |
| Fuel & travel | 30% | $930 |
| Food | 20% | $620 |
| Activities | 10% | $310 |
| Buffer | 5% | $155 |
A sample itinerary
The first 3 days of a 3-night trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Every time is a starting point.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Each person packs
- Warm jacket
- Walking shoes
- Rain jacket
- Layers for cold evenings
- ID
- Phone charger
- Toiletries
One of you brings
- First-aid kit and everyone's medicines
- Snacks and water for the journey
- Motion-sickness tablets
- Umbrellas
- Car papers and insurance
- Car charger and cables
Tips from the plan
- Service the car a week before
- Tyres, brakes and the spare wheel. A week out leaves time to fix what the garage finds; the day before does not.
- Check the road two days out
- Hill roads close for weather, landslides and repairs. Look up the route, the forecast and any closures two days ahead, and know your second way round.
- Agree the driving before you leave
- Who drives which stretch, decided three days ahead, means nobody is behind the wheel for seven hours because they were too polite to ask.
Questions
How do I plan a road trip with friends?
Six weeks out, confirm who is coming and agree the budget. Book rooms at five weeks, plan the days two weeks ahead, service the car a week before, agree the drivers three days before and check the road two days before.
What should I pack for a road trip to the hills?
A warm jacket, walking shoes, a rain jacket and layers for cold evenings, plus ID, charger and toiletries. In the car: first-aid kit, snacks and water, motion-sickness tablets, umbrellas, the car papers and a car charger.
How do we split road trip costs?
Stay is about 35% and fuel and travel about 30%, with food at 20%. Keep one running list of who paid for fuel, tolls and meals, and settle up when you're home.