How I Plan a Road Trip
I've never enjoyed road tripping in a car, but getting into motorcycling was a game changer. Now I try to take my bike on a couple of road trips every year.
Here's how I plan them.
Find a Destination
I always travel with a particular destination in mind. The ideal destination depends on how much time I can take off work, and the season.
First, I use Google Maps to find potential destinations.
Then, I use the route calculator to see whether a potential destination is within travel range—and if so, how hard I have to ride each day to get there within my available work leave. I like to ride at a leisurely pace and stop regularly for sightseeing, so ~400 km/day is a good range for me to aim for.
Finally, I check the prospective destination's climate data to make sure it's suitable for the kind of time I want to visit. Summer can be brutal here in Australia, so some destinations are best reserved for colder months. Rainfall is also an important consideration. I enjoy a little rain, but too much can be a downer.
Find a Route
Once I have a destination, I figure out the route I want to take.
First, I use Google Maps to find 1-3 optimised routes to start out with. Then I look for interesting features along each one, adjust it accordingly, and pick the one I like most.
For me, interesting features are things like:
- Cities I've heard about but never visited.
- Interesting areas and terrain, such as rainforests I can ride through. These are easy to spot with the satellite layer.
- Interesting views and scenery. These are easy to check with Google Street View.
Next, I use OSMAnd and HEMA maps (in Memory Map) to check the road surface along the route, and make sure it won't take me down any unwanted unsealed roads. I don't mind a bit of gravel, as long as the road isn't too rough.
Finally, I use OSMAnd to make sure there are plenty of petrol stations along the route. OSMAnd makes it easy to show all petrol stations on the map, and measure distances between them. Australia is a big and vast country, so you don't want to get caught without fuel.
Find Things to Do
This is the best part of planning a trip—finding cool attractions and scenic spots to visit.
I find Google Maps the best way to do this. I keep different lists within the app for things like scenic lookouts, Big Things1, interesting restaurants, etc. This way, when I get time to sight-see on my trip, I already know exactly what I'm looking for.
To find them, I browse around the cities on and nearby my route, and see what kind of attractions are displayed. After that, I search with terms like "scenic spots near X". Whenever I find something interesting, I add it to the appropriate list.
Find Places to Sleep
I like to travel on the cheap because I'm a stingy bastard. That means camping when possible.
I'm not hardcore though. On a road trip, I just want somewhere to crash for the night. My ideal spot is a cheap powered camp site at a caravan park close to town. These usually have showers, toilets, and maybe even a laundry, all for $50 AUD/night or less—about ⅓ the cost of a cheap motel room. With some of the money saved, I enjoy a good pub feed2 for dinner.
Camping isn't always practical though. In fact, it can be downright miserable during still or wet nights in summer. If it's going to be too hot or too wet, I'll rent a motel room instead. The cheaper the better, but ideally one where I can park my motorcycle out of view from the street.
Sometimes motel websites don't show whether the parking is visible from the street or not. However, you can usually figure it out between Google Maps' satellite layer and Street View.
But when to book the accommodation? No more than a few hours before arriving.
This might be surprising considering how much planning goes into the rest of a trip, but I book accommodation at the last minute for two reasons, and they're all about flexibility:
- Freedom to either camp or stay in a motel based on the weather for the night.
- Freedom to change my plans, and ride more or less in a day depending on how I'm feeling.
You just need to be careful about busy times such as school holidays. Cheap motel rooms in town often get booked out, meaning ponying up for a more expensive room, or staying further out of town. If you're having trouble finding a room, call around instead of relying on the motel websites. As a solo traveller, this has sometimes got me discounts on twin rooms when they've been the only ones available.
And that's it! Maybe this will give you some ideas for your trips too.