In March 2023, I took a solo cross-country road trip from Boston to San Diego and back. Planning my road trip was a multi-month endeavor that I enjoyed almost as much as the trip itself, so I wanted to put my planning process down on paper—and also share the lessons I learned from the actual drive—to help others plan their own adventures.
How to Decide Whether or Not to Go on a Solo Cross-Country Road Trip
First and foremost, there’s the question of whether to go on your trip alone or with another person. On one hand, driving across the country by yourself is an almost marathon-level test of physical and mental endurance. On the other hand, it gives you unique freedom to take exactly the kind of trip you want to take, without concern for another person’s preferences.
The Advantages of Going on a Solo Cross-Country Road Trip:
- You can stop only at places that interest you
- You can spend as long as you want at each destination
- You can listen to whatever you want in the car
- You can spend your free time however you like
- You can better control your costs
The best way to decide whether to go on a solo cross-country road trip is to take day trips. Try driving 5 or 6 hours at a time to see how you like it. If you’re completely depleted by this kind of trip, it’s either a sign that you need to bring a co-pilot along with you, or you need to make sure that you have enough time on your trip to drive fewer hours per day, or to make more frequent stops.
A Note on Embarking on a Solo Cross-Country Road Trip as a Woman: You will face a lot of opinions and potential resistance from the people around you about your safety as a solo female traveler. Let others’ feedback guide you to take precautions to make sure that you feel safe on your trip, but try not to let them sow doubt in your mind about whether or not this is something you should be doing in the first place. If taking a cross-country road trip has been a lifelong dream for you, doing it alone may be your best option for creating the experience that you want. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, and always trust your gut if a situation feels questionable to you; but know that 99.9% of the people you’ll meet along the way have good intentions, and you are more than capable of looking out for yourself while you’re traveling, just as you do in your daily life. (I found communities like The Solo Female Traveler Network incredibly helpful in bolstering my confidence before my trip.)
Cross-Country Road Trip Routes: How to Plan Your Trip
The first step in planning your solo cross-country road trip is to choose your route. You can and should spend weeks or months planning your route, not only because there are an infinite number of options available to you, but also because you’ll need to reserve things like hotels and national park trips in advance.
Questions to Consider in Planning a Route for Your Cross-Country Road Trip:
- Which places are your priorities to visit?
- Which places can you stop at between your origin and your destination each day?
- How many hours are you comfortable driving per day? (I chose to drive no more than 5-6 hours per day to allow me to sightsee and rest.)
- Will you drive across the country and back, or just one way?
- If you’re driving across the country and back, will you take a different route each way? (I recommend taking a different route each way to see more of the country, but taking the same way there and back allows you to explore each destination more thoroughly.)
- Do you prefer to take freeways, smaller highways, or back roads?
- Do you want to avoid toll roads? (Keep in mind that different states use different prepayment systems—your EZ-Pass won’t work in states like Texas and Oklahoma that have their own toll systems, so be sure to have cash on hand.)
- Which navigation system will you use along the way? (I used Waze on my iPhone, but also had a car GPS and an atlas as back-up methods.)
For assistance in planning your route, Facebook groups can be great sources of advice. For example, members of the group National Park Road Trips will offer feedback on the route you plan to take, when to visit certain parks, and how long to spend in each place.
How to Plan a Cross-Country Road Trip: When to Go
When it comes to planning a cross-country road trip, when you go is just as important as where you go. Why? There are two things that can throw off even the most impeccably planned road trip: weather and traffic.
How to Reduce the Chance of Bad Weather on Your Road Trip: You can’t change the weather, but you can choose a time to go where bad weather is less likely. I found Wikipedia enormously helpful in planning this aspect of my road trip: For any city, scroll down to the Climate section to view the typical weather (both temperatures and precipitation) by month. This was how I learned that March in the Great Lakes or the Rocky Mountains is not, in fact, spring, but an extension of winter, so I should avoid routes that pass through these areas unless I want to drive through snowstorms. April and October are generally considered the best months to travel without running into boiling or frigid temperatures, but for that reason, they’re also the most popular times to visit top destinations.
How to Deal with Bad Weather When It Happens: Be sure to have a Plan B for each day of your trip: If it’s going to storm or reach dangerous temperatures on a day when you planned to visit a national park or other outdoor destination, what can you do instead? For example, I bookmarked bookstores in every city I planned on passing through so I would have a good rainy-day activity; museums are another great option. It’s important in these cases to be flexible and not let bad weather ruin your mood just because it’s messing with your plans. Also, make sure that you keep supplies like an ice scraper, a warm blanket, and non-perishable food in your car in case you get stuck in a snowstorm. Two bulky but smart items to have on hand are kitty litter (to help your tires gain traction on ice) and water (to cool your radiator if your car overheats).
How to Avoid Traffic on a Cross-Country Road Trip: Choose the right time of day to be on the road. Plan to visit or leave cities before or after rush hour, whether in the morning or the evening. When you’re planning your trip, tell Google Maps what time you plan to arrive at a particular destination, and it’ll give you insight into whether or not traffic is common at that time. When you’re on the road, use an app like Waze to direct you around backups. If you’re visiting national parks, be sure to arrive outside of non-peak hours (for example, very early in the morning or late in the day) to avoid getting stuck in a long line of cars at the gate or at popular sites, and be aware that you may need to make reservations ahead of time depending on the parks you plan to visit.
How to Plan a Cross-Country Road Trip Itinerary
Here are the steps that I took in planning my itinerary (using Google Maps and an Excel spreadsheet):
- Start by searching for the fastest route from Point A (your origin) to Point B (your destination).
- Next, add in any must-visit destinations along the way. Google Maps will allow you to add 10 stops, so you may need to plan one segment of your trip at a time.
- Cull your list of destinations until you’re driving an ideal number of hours per day. There will be places you remove from your list because they add too much time, as well as places you add to your list because they turn out to be along the way.
How to Find Destinations Along Your Route: Sites like Roadtrippers, Roadside America, and Atlas Obscura allow you to find quirky stops between your origin and your destination.
Consider the Time of Day You’ll Visit Each Place: Put as much time into planning when you’ll get to each destination as you spend planning where to stop. For example: You might want to hit the road to avoid traffic and get to your destination sooner, then realize that you hate driving in the dark. You might want to visit a city or national park, then realize that the time you plan to get there puts you at risk of overcrowding, rush hour traffic, or unbearable temperatures. If you want to see a national park when it’s most scenic, you might want to plan to arrive at sunrise, golden hour, or sunset rather than in the middle of the day, when the sun’s directly overhead.
Other Considerations: If you plan on stopping in cities along the way, be sure to account for potential traffic, as well as parking. If you plan to stop at national parks, make sure to allot a full day for each one; find out whether you need reservations ahead of time; and buy an annual pass if you plan to visit more than three or four parks. And don’t miss out on any state parks along your route—these can be just as incredible as national parks, and potentially less crowded.
How Much of Your Itinerary to Plan Ahead: This is a matter of personal preference. I’m a planner, so I created a spreadsheet that broke down each hour of my trip. This allowed me to view how much time per day I’d spend driving vs. the free time I’d have to explore each stop. But even if you plan out every detail, it’s critical to remember that you’ll need to be flexible when you’re out on the road. It’s okay to decide that you want to skip a stop you planned on making to get to your destination sooner, or to make an unplanned stop to see a roadside attraction.
My Route:
- Leg A (48 hours, 3,182 miles): Boston, MA > New Columbia, PA > Columbus, OH > Nashville, TN > Hot Springs, AR > Dallas, TX > Midland, TX > Las Cruces, NM > Tucson, AZ > San Diego, CA
- Leg B (47 hours, 3,064 miles): San Diego, CA > Joshua Tree, CA > Phoenix, AZ > Santa Fe, NM > Amarillo, TX > Tulsa, OK > St. Louis, MO > Louisville, KY > Pittsburgh, PA > Hudson, NY > Boston, MA
Where to Stay on a Cross-Country Road Trip
Some people prefer not to book accommodations ahead of time, instead finding a motel to stop at when you’ve driven as far as you can for the day. Others avoid this problem altogether by camping along the way. I personally preferred to find Airbnbs to stay in along my route, ensuring that I would have a place to stay each night in my ideal destination; so here’s my advice if you want to do the same.
Questions to Consider When Booking Airbnbs for Your Road Trip:
- Do you want to stay right in the destination you’re visiting? (If you want to stay downtown, you’ll pay a premium for your stay. However, this may give you the ability to walk to local restaurants, stores, and sightseeing spots, which can be a major plus. On the other hand, if you don’t mind driving, it can be cheaper and easier to stay in outlying neighborhoods rather than downtown.)
- Do you want your own place? (Some Airbnbs are located on someone’s property, whether they’re a separate guest house or a room in their home. You’ll want to decide what you’re most comfortable with, whether you feel safer knowing that someone’s nearby, or prefer to stay in your own place. Staying in a guest house can be cheaper.)
- Do you need a full kitchen? (Airbnbs with a mini-fridge and microwave are common and can be more affordable than those that include a stove/oven and full-sized fridge.)
- What’s the parking situation? (To keep your car safe and cut down on costs, you may want to look for Airbnbs with a driveway or dedicated parking area. If you’re staying downtown, you might otherwise have to pay for street parking that isn’t reserved; I ran into this in Columbus and Pittsburgh, and it’s common in dense, older cities like Boston and New York as well.)
How Much Does a Cross-Country Road Trip Cost?
In total, taking fuel, lodging, and food costs into consideration, I estimate that I spent between $4,000 and $5,000 on my 24-day solo cross-country road trip.
- Fuel Costs: Consider how many miles you’ll drive per day, and how many miles per gallon your car gets, depending on whether or not you plan to take highways. Driving mainly on freeways for 5 to 6 hours per day (which are more efficient than roads with stop lights), I found that I needed to fill up every day and a half or two days. Of course, gas prices vary a great deal depending on when you go and where you’re driving, but prices are cheaper wherever gas stations are more numerous, so try to fill up whenever you’re in a well-populated area if you have less than half a tank remaining.
- Lodging Costs: Consider how much you’re willing to spend on accommodations each night. I wanted to stay in desirable neighborhoods within the cities I was visiting, or as close as possible to the national parks I was visiting; so I put a lot of time into finding the right Airbnbs in these locations. I found that a budget of $130 per night was sufficient (but paid as little as $70 for some places), and I booked four months ahead of time to ensure that I would be able to find places that met all of my requirements. Be sure to include fees and taxes in this cost—they may not be visible until you’re about to book an Airbnb, but can really drive up the cost.
- Food Costs: I kept costs down by eating pre-packed snacks for two meals a day, and eating out for dinner only. I ordered food for pickup or ate in person to avoid paying delivery fees. Don’t forget to factor a 20% tip into your costs.
What to Pack for a Cross-Country Road Trip: Checklist
My Cross-Country Road Trip Packing List:
- For the front seat: Sunglasses, eye drops, glasses, hand sanitizer, trash bag, water bottle, snacks, chapstick, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, glass cleaner, sunscreen
- For the trunk: Car repair kit, first aid kit, ice scraper, backup GPS/atlas, duct tape, baby wipes, spare glasses & sunglasses, beach towel, extra water, extra snacks
- Clothing (beyond the obvious): Hat, walking shoes, rain coat, waterproof boots, light jacket, heavy jacket, gloves
- Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo & conditioner, hairbrush/comb, moisturizer
- Other items: Laundry bag, laundry detergent pods (if applicable) ear plugs, phone charger, reading material, emergency meds (for headaches & upset stomach), camera & tripod
Staying Organized: What you pack is just as important as how you stay organized throughout your trip. First, make sure that the things you need to bring in with you every night are easy to carry and organized separately from the things you need less often, or will only need in case of emergency. Second, make sure that everything you leave in the car can fit in your trunk and be hidden from view to prevent theft, and don’t leave anything of value in your car at any time.
Other Considerations for Your Solo Cross-Country Road Trip
What to Drive on a Cross-Country Road Trip: On your trip, you’ll find that you’re essentially inseparable from the vehicle you’re driving, whether it’s your car, a rental car, or an RV. Make sure that your vehicle will be safe at each place where you stop, especially overnight. Ensure that you feel completely comfortable driving and parking your vehicle in a variety of conditions, whether you’re parallel parking downtown or navigating dirt roads in a national park. Get your vehicle inspected beforehand so that you’re confident it’s in good shape. Find out whether your insurance company offers roadside assistance ahead of time, or invest in a AAA membership. (I decided to take my own car rather than a rental that I would have felt less comfortable in, and I got my car inspected at the halfway point to make sure that it was in good enough shape for the second leg of the journey. Both decisions really helped to ease my anxiety.)
What to Eat on a Cross-Country Road Trip: I have dietary restrictions and didn’t want to spend the time and money to eat out for every meal. As a result, I spent a lot of time bookmarking restaurants on Yelp that could accommodate my needs within walking distance of each Airbnb I stayed in, and this research really paid off. I also brought a plethora of non-perishable snacks with me in the car to make sure I’d have enough to eat along the way. Make sure to buy snacks that are easy to eat on the go and will adequately tide you over between meals. (I bought my car snacks from Thrive Market, an online grocery store with a huge range of healthy, delicious options for any diet. I put high priority on finding snacks high in protein and nutrients to keep my diet healthy while I was on the road.)
My Favorite Road Trip Snacks:
- Bobo’s oat bars: Apple pie bites and chocolate almond butter bars
- Luna bars: Chocolate peppermint and lemon blueberry
- NOKA smoothie pouches: Super berry, strawberry pineapple, and mango coconut
- Mamma Chia squeeze pouches: Strawberry lemonade
- Mavuno Harvest dried fruit: Pineapple and mango
What to Listen to on a Cross-Country Road Trip: I personally enjoyed having a variety of things to listen to depending on my mood. I made a solo cross-country roadtrip playlist (recommended if you like folk and indie music!), rented audiobooks from my local library using the app Libby, and had several podcast series to listen to as well. Be sure to download the media you plan on listening to before you hit the road, and to queue up several hours of content at a time to avoid needing to use your phone while you’re driving.
Tips for Driving Long Distances Alone on a Solo Cross-Country Road Trip
- Keep snacks and water within arm’s reach; stave off dehydration and hunger to stay alert (but don’t eat till you’re overly full, as this can make you sleepy)
- Have a variety of things to listen to to keep you alert (e.g. an energizing playlist, songs you can sing along to, conversational podcasts, a mystery audiobook)
- Stop to stretch and get fresh air every 2-3 hours, and do some cardio exercise (e.g. jumping jacks, speed-walking, high knees)
- Stock the car with things to make you comfortable (tissues, moisturizer, chapstick)
- Call a friend while taking a break from driving to check in and get reenergized
- Don’t keep the car too warm
- Pre-download maps for rural areas, and have a backup atlas or GPS that doesn’t rely on internet
- Break up long drives with a lunch break
- Pull off whenever you see something interesting, even if it’s unplanned
- Budget traffic and rest stops into your driving plans
- Make sure your AAA coverage is up to date, or that your car insurance offers roadside assistance
I hope that these tips were helpful in planning your solo cross-country road trip! Traveling alone can be incredibly liberating, even though it requires more physical and mental endurance than traveling with another person. My three most important tips of all: Have back-up plans for everything, do your research so you know what to expect, and don’t let your whole trip get derailed if things don’t play out how you expected them to.
