Planning a Road Trip the Lizard Way

This site is under constuction, and there's still a ton to revise on this page alone.

What is the "Lizard Way?"

This planning method concentrates on lists, not itineraries. Using this method, you can pick what you feel like doing that day, and have time to stop for things you discover along the way.

Do as much planning as possible before the trip, so you can spend more of your vacation time having fun.

Nothing should be booked in advance, so you have flexibility during your trip. You never know when you'll come across something interesting, and you never know when something is lame, closed, or just not fun in the current weather.

Step 0: What do you want to do?

Before you plan, sit down and make a list with your companions of what you like and don't like.

Likes:

Scenery

Trying new food

History museums

Weird roadside attractions

Statues

Parks

Being carried around on hikes

Dislikes:

Theme parks

Experience/celebrity restaurants

Military history

Generic tourist traps

The Number One Rule of Traveling: Always choose to do things you can't do at home. Even if it's bad, it's still a unique experience.

Step 1: Pick an Anchor Point

What's the one place you really want to go to that's the furthest away from your home? Once you pick this point, you can use it as the end of your loop, and plan from there.

Step 2: Look for nearby places and create a loop.

To get the most out of your trip, you don't want to drive on the same roads twice. If your route runs mostly north and south, pick places to the east and west. If it runs mostly east and west, pick places to the north and south of the fastest route.

Step 3: Fill in spaces on your route.

What places can you visit along the way? These are our first go-to sites when I plan a trip:

Atlas Obscura is good for finding offbeat locations. Roadside America is also worth a look, but many of their entries are outdated.

Tripadvisor is good for an overview of popular locations in a town or city. The Chamber of Commerce for the town is also a good place to find things to do.

It's hard to overestimate the value of a good paper road atlas. This lets you get a bigger picture of the area, helping you see what is nearby. It's also great for finding scenic routes. If you have a Rand McNally atlas, look for roads with green dots next to them.

Look for Hotels

Hotels are going to be a major part of your expenses, if not the most expensive part of your trip. Doing some planning ahead of time can keep you from ending up in places where you have to spend hundreds of dollars on a basic room. We never book ahead of time, so we can keep a flexible schedule. However, having a list of decent, affordable hotels on hand makes it easy to pick a place to stay each night. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Major events can make hotel rates skyrocket, and finding a room may be hard. It's hard to know everything going on, so it's a good idea to check dates using travel sites on the approximate day you'll be in town.

Rates are highest on Friday and Saturday nights.

In cities, the cheapest hotels are usually near airports.

Off-season tourist towns can be very cheap, as long as the main attraction in the area shuts down.

Individual locations for hotel chains vary widely in quality.

Older hotels are cheaper, even if they were recently remodeled.

Read the hotel reviews. Most booking sites average ratings over years of reviews. A two star hotel may have been in bad shape, but was recently remodeled. A four star motel may have a new manager or owners, and it's now terrible.

What about AirBnB? To be honest, we've never been in a place where this is an affordable option. Unless you're staying in a place for a while, and the location or access to a kitchen gives you an advantages, it's generally not worth it.

Look for Food

Part of the fun of trips is getting to try new foods. You can find information about restaurants on sites like Yelp and Google Maps, as well as local groups.

As a general rule, Local restaurant > Regional chain > National chain

Unusual and less fashionable ethnic restaurants outside of cities are almost always very authentic, very inexpensive, and very good.

Fast food is fun, too. Don't feel like you have to find the most exotic restaurant for each stop. These offer plenty of opportunities for unique dining, whether you're getting a gas station sub on the East coast, or a burger at a mom and pop stand in the middle of nowhere.

Is the city you're going to famous for a specific food? It's probably great there, but not at the place famous for it. There will always be places that are better and cheaper that have shorter wait times. Local groups are a great way to find out about the best non-touristy spots.

If you see signs inside about a Food Network celebrity, and it's not Guy Fieri, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. There is no surer sign that a place has terrible food.

Preparing Your Car

Road trips are both easier and harder on your car than regular driving. On one hand, everything stays warm, and runs at a steady speed. On the other hand, you're putting a lot of miles on your car over a short period of time.

Get any maintenance or repairs done a month ahead of time. That way, if your car has a major problem, there will be time to fix it.
Check your spare. If you have a spare tire, it probably doesn't have the correct tire pressure. If you don't, check the can of tire sealant that comes with the flat kit. It expires after a couple years, and should be replaced.
Make sure you have plenty of washer fluid, and good wipers. If you'll spend most of the trip driving through snowy locations, you may want to bring some extra washer fluid to combat the salt.
Don't worry about bringing tools, unless you know how to use them. However, it may be a good idea to bring a quart of oil. Even if your car doesn't normally burn oil, that may change during hours of highway driving.

Packing

No one cares what you look like, and you won't be around anyone you know. Always dress for comfort, and cut down on the makeup and styling tools. You will probably eat less healthy than usual. Salt retension can really make tight-fitting clothing uncomfortable.

Even if it's cold out, it's nice to have a pair of sandals to wear in the car to let your feet air out.

Dress in layers. Temperatures can vary drastically as you move between different climates, especially in the mountains. Also, while it may be hot or cold outside, the inside of your car will be comfortable.

What to Expect from Your Trip

You aren't going to do everything on your lists. You'll be in places at the wrong times, you'll have to choose between activities, or you just won't be in the mood. When you're near the end of your trip, you'll probably want to skip a few things, so you can get home sooner.

You're also going to encounter new things along the way, no matter how thoroughly you plan. That's part of the fun.

Traveling On a Budget

Think about what's going to make you happy, and spend accordingly.

Travel in the off season, whenever that may be. In most places, the tourist season is in summer. In the desert, it's in the fall or spring. At ski areas, it's the winter. Just keep in mind that some attractions may be closed, especially if the area gets extreme weather.
You don't need all of the souveniers. If you have to get a local t-shirt, hit up the area thrift stores.
If you need snacks, skip the convenience stores and go to grocery stores. If you do go to a convenience store, go for the fountain drinks, coffee and baked goods.
You don't need to bring all of your meals. However, having a picnic lunch on hand can save you loads, if you get stuck in an expensive tourist area.
Continental breakfast usually sucks, but it's included with your room. Eat whatever looks good, and get a snack or some better coffee later in the morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you visit all these places? You must travel for months every year!

We take two weeks vacation every year, and we get a long weekend trip in now and then. We're just good at being efficient at traveling.

Q; How far can I drive in a day?

A: In ideal weather conditions and on high speed highways, about 700 miles. Once you make stops for food and gas, this will be a 13-14 hour day. This isn't something you will want to do on consecutive days. Add road construction and bad weather, and your travel distance will go way down. Even if conditions are good, some people just don't want to drive or be in a car that long. Plan accordingly.

Please, don't drive overnight, or start your trip super early. Sleepy driving is as bad as drunk driving.

Q: How much does this cost?

A: This depends on a number of factors, including where you're going, how many people are with you, and what the current prices are for gas. You won't spend much more on hotels and gas with additional people. For two people and a lizard, we average around $150 and $250 per day, if we stay in a hotel.

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