A US Road-trip for the Solo Traveler
Planning and taking a solo road-trip in the United States
You are solo. On your own. Sitting behind the wheel of the rental car you picked up at the airport. Now what?
Hopefully, you have some sort of plan, at least for the first day.
There are a couple of ways to do a road-trip in the USA as a solo traveller.
Plan Every Last Detail
Make it Up as You Go Along
Both have their merits and drawbacks. Let’s check each one in turn.
Plan Every Detail of Your Solo US Road-Trip
As a solo driver in the US, you have researched heavily the route you want to take, booked all of your accommodation in advance and have a long list of places to visit.
“I like to plan and know exactly what I’ll be doing every day of the trip”
The upside, is you know what you are doing and when. The downside, is something may throw out the schedule.
Having a detailed itinerary for the trip gives you peace of mind. Each day you know where you will be sleeping and what you will see along the way. Perhaps you collect history and have museums on the list. Maybe you want to explore cities and states on your drive and hit the nightlife everywhere. You could have a theme for your visit, such as visiting vineyards and sampling their fair.
With accommodation researched and booked, you have to keep to the schedule. This can be reassuring, but can also restrict your movements.
Suppose you drive along a road and see a sign for a National Park you didn’t know about. Do you have time to take the turn and spend some time exploring? Will you regret missing a visit to an intriguing sounding place on a signpost because you have a fixed schedule?
Something else which can throw out the plan, is a route taking much longer than you expected. Or a vehicle breakdown.
Using a detailed itinerary, make sure to build in some catch-up time. A day at rest. Driving too many hours a day can be tiring, but then again, you know your limits and planned accordingly.
The Unplanned US Solo Road-trip
This is the one where only two things are known. The final destination and the date for the last day of the journey. The rest, you make up as you go along.
“I need to be at Atlanta airport in 12 days, but have no idea where I’ll go, how I’ll get there, and what I’ll see on the way”
An unplanned solo travel trio can give you the freedom to explore places that look of interest as you drive. A signpost to some caves. A cowboy ranch well off road.
Lacking much of a plan, gives you the freedom to decide day to day where you will go. You may have some predetermined places on the route, but the rest is a surprise.
For your trip, most sizeable towns have a range of motel style accommodation at the edge of town, where you can simply turn up and check in. This has a certain risk value, as everywhere may be full as there is a major event in town, but hey, that’s part of the beauty of solo travel - a challenge to resolve.
The First Night
For your first night after collecting your car, look to cover a fairly short distance and have some accommodation booked. The reason for this micro plan, is in case your plane, train or bus arrived six hours late, in the dark and it’s raining. You’ll be glad you fixed this one.
Return to Base?
Are you looking to do a circular route which bring you back to the starting point? From a vehicle hire cost point of view, that is the cheapest option.
The alternative is a point-to-point drive, where you collect the car from one city or airport and drop it at another. While this adds to the cost, it helps to advance your journey and avoids any back-tracking.
If you take this option, make sure to ask for the location of the drop-off point at the final destination.
Know You Limits
Driving in the United States, outside cities, is generally really easy. The wide open roads will be low on traffic away from towns and you may not see too many other vehicles for miles on end.
With such easy driving, it is tempting to spend many hours behind the wheel. Being alone, there is a risk your mind may wander and you’ll loose concentration, so look for turn-offs where you can stop for a coffee and a break.
If you drive for eight hours on Monday, try and avoid doing the same on Tuesday. Take some time away from the wheel.
Whether you plan down to the last detail, or have no idea what is at the next Interstate exit, driving as a solo traveller in the United States is easy and recommended.