Carl Henning

Vaccines: check. Bulk pack of masks: check. We’re ready to travel!

I’ve been asked how I plan our trips. Here’s how:

1. On the computer I make a Google map of the whole trip. (Not a fan of Google maps but with it I can copy the URL to my work sheet and I can access it from Google maps on my phone.)
   1. Break trip down into manageable daily segments. I use 5-6 hour segments to allow plenty of time to see the sights along the way. And time for spontaneous finds, too!
2. Find hotels. (I’m Lifetime Titanium with Marriott so I start there. If none, I have status with Hilton and Best Western. Barring those, I’ll use Google’s “Nearby” feature to find hotels.)
   1. I don’t always make reservations, but I note hotels that may be where we end the day. Without reservations I’ve always been able to find accommodations somewhere. But just in case we have sleeping bags in the minivan.
3. I find sights along the way with Roadtrippers.com.
   1. Enter entire trip and zoom in where needed. You can set the distance from the route that you’re willing to go out of your way for.
   2. 
   3. Although there are many choices of types to choose from, I only select “Attractions and Culture” choices Museums, Offbeat Attractions, and Top Attractions. It can also be used to find restaurants and hotels, but I use other tools for that.
      1. I always check the sight’s website to verify location, hours, and admission fees. Sometimes I’ll call from the road before stopping just to be sure.
4. I keep a list in OneNote on the computer because I can also view it on the phone and click on the routes and sights websites.  If you use something other than OneNote, I suggest using something that you can use on both your computer and your phone. I treat destinations differently from these stops while traveling. But roadtrippers.com and AtlasObscura.com help there.