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I’ve been to most of the states, and I’d rather drive to them than fly. Planes are fine sometimes, but I’ll pick the car almost every time, and I like doing it solo if possible.
Solo road trips sound intimidating until you take one. Then the freedom gets a little addictive. Nobody else is picking the playlist, and nobody needs a bathroom break the second you get on the highway. You decide when to stop, when to keep going, and when a small town deserves an extra hour.
Why I’d Rather Drive
Driving puts you in control of the trip. You can stop wherever you want, whenever you want. A diner sign, a weird roadside attraction, an overlook you didn’t plan for: all of it is on the table when you’re the one behind the wheel.
You also see the places you’d normally skip over on a plane ride. Small towns are where a trip gets its character for me. The main streets with one coffee shop and an antique store, the local spot everyone in town seems to know. From 30,000 feet you miss every one of them.
Then there’s luggage. You skip the checked bag fees and the bathroom-scale weigh-in, and you can pack what you want and bring as much as fits. Which means you can bring home as many souvenirs as you’d like!
Why Going Solo Makes It Even Better
Traveling with other people means compromise, and that’s fine on some trips. Alone, the whole trip runs on your mood. You can drive six hours one day and two the next, or spend a whole afternoon in one bookstore with nobody waiting in the car.
As an introvert who also likes getting out, solo road trips hit both sides of me. I get the new places and the quiet at the same time. If you know that pull between wanting to go and wanting your own space, my extroverted introvert’s guide to planning a trip you actually want goes deeper on building trips around how you recharge.
Plan the Trip but Leave Room for Detours
The best solo road trips don’t have a strict itinerary. Pick your end point and roughly how many hours you want to drive each day, then leave the in-between open. Knowing where you’re sleeping each night takes away most of the stress without locking you into a schedule. Some trips, I don’t book a hotel until a few hours ahead, once I know roughly which city I’ll hit by nightfall.
For the bigger planning pieces, like budgeting gas, choosing a route, and deciding how many days you need, I put together a step-by-step guide to planning a budget road trip from scratch.
On the road, flexibility is the point. If a town catches your eye, stay a night. Booking a room the same day is easy with apps like Booking.com, especially in smaller towns outside peak season. If you’d rather be outside during your trip, Texas has great options in the best state parks for a weekend away.
Some of the best stops are the ones that show up along the way. Seven Magic Mountains, about ten miles south of Las Vegas, is a row of bright stacked boulders sitting out in the desert, and it’s an easy pull-off if you’re driving I-15 through Nevada.
Pack Like the Car Is Your Suitcase
Having all that space doesn’t mean everything should be loose in the back seat. A few habits keep a solo trip organized:
Keep one small overnight bag with a change of clothes, toiletries, and chargers, so you aren’t hauling the whole suitcase into every hotel. Keep snacks and water within reach of the driver’s seat, since there’s nobody to pass them to you. Stash a phone mount, a car charger, and a paper map or downloaded offline maps for stretches without service.
The rest can ride in the trunk, out of the way until you need it.
Staying Safe on Your Own
Before you leave, share your route and where you’re staying with someone you trust, and check in at the end of each driving day. Apps like Life360 let family and friends see where you are without you texting every stop. Fill up before the tank drops below a quarter, because gas stations get scarce on rural stretches. Try to do most of your driving in daylight, especially on roads you don’t know.
Trust your gut about stops and lodging, too. If a place feels off, keep driving.
Make the Drive the Good Part
Hours alone in a car can be some of the best thinking time you’ll get. At home I switch between podcasts, YouTube videos, and audiobooks depending on my mood, and that mix works just as well on the road. A good audiobook can carry you across a whole state.
When Just Getting in the Car Isn’t So Simple
Road trips cost more than they used to. Gas prices can turn a cheap day trip into something you have to budget for, and prices in general add up quickly once you include food and a place to stay. I also have cats, so a trip means lining up someone to watch them before I can go anywhere.
Shorter trips closer to home, day trips in place of long weekends, and planning around a pet sitter’s schedule all make it easier to still get out. A few of my favorite ways to stretch a travel budget are in travel money-saving hacks that actually make a difference.
Even a couple of hours on a road you’ve never driven counts. Pick a town you’ve been curious about, fill the tank, and go.
Where’s the first place you’d drive to on your own? Tell me in the comments.
