Road Trip Ideas (Places, Playlists, and More)
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One of the best ways to create meaningful memories is via a road trip. We can take road trips to so many different places with family, friends, and our favorite people.
We have both inspirational ideas and practical suggestions in our road trip ideas. Get inspired for where to go, find great playlists, keep everyone in the car entertained, and more.
All of the ideas are accompanied by printables. You can use some for the planning stage, and bring others with you in the car for feel-good and practical ideas.
Road Trip Ideas
Getaway
- Lake House Getaway
- Historical Town Visit
- Festival or Fair Visit
- Weekend City Break
- Mountain Cabin Retreat
- Vineyard Stay
- Spa Resort Getaway
- Golfing Weekend
- Cycling Trip Weekend
- Wildlife Rescue Center Volunteering
Family Road Trips
- Amusement Park Day Trip
- Drive-Thru Animal Park
- Family-Friendly Museum Tour
- See a Ball or Sports Game
- Dinosaur Museum
- Adventure Park with Ziplining
- Petting Zoo
- Space Center
- Camping with Outdoor Activities
- Science Center
Adventures
- Fishing and Camping Weekend
- Coast for Surfing
- Wildlife Safari Road Trip
- National Park Hiking
- Island Hopping via Ferry
- Ski Resort
- Lake for Water Activities
- White-Water Rafting on a River
- Caving Tour
- Geocaching or Treasure Quest Trip
Beauty
- Hot Spring and Hotel Stay
- National Park Scenic Loop
- Whale-Watching Spot
- Waterfall Hike
- Spot for Clear Sky Stargazing
- Desert and Dunes Visit
- Hedge Maze or Gardens
- Architectural Marvel Visit (like a Dam)
- Seasonal Landscape (like Spring Bloom)
- Viewpoint of Urban Skyline
Unique
- Road Trip in a Rented Vintage Car
- Birthplace of a Famous Musician or Author
- Film and TV Locations Tour
- Music Heritage Tour
- Ghost Town
- Follow a Historic Railway Route
- Hot Air Balloon Festival
- Follow the Path of a Famous Person
- Art Installation and Sculpture Tour
- Follow a Band or Musician on Tour
US Cross-Country Road Trip Ideas
- Route 66
- Pacific Coast
- The Road to Nowhere
- The Great River Road
- The Great Northern
- The Oregon Trail
- Appalachian Trail
- Atlantic Coast
- The Loneliest Road
- Southern Pacific
West Coast
- Big Sur
- San Francisco to L.A. via Highway 1
- Oregon Coast
- Lake Tahoe Getaway
- Monterey Peninsula
- Redwood National and State Parks Tour
- Napa Valley
- Joshua Tree and Palm Springs Getaway
- D. Valley to Las Vegas
- Columbia River Gorge
Midwest
- Chicago to Door County
- St. Louis to Kansas City Food Tour
- Lake Superior Circle Tour
- Indianapolis to Cleveland
- Great Lakes Circle Tour
- Route 66 in Missouri
- Skiing and Hiking in Montana
- Cleveland to Detroit
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- Badlands National Park
East Coast
- New England Fall Foliage Tour
- Great Smoky Mountains
- Florida Keys Overseas Highway
- The Big Apple to the Beach
- Skyline Drive
- Maine to Cape Cod
- Pine Tree Trail
- The Freedom Trail
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Outer Banks
Southwest and Southern
- Utah’s Mighty 5
- Colorado Rockies
- Gulf Coast Blues and Beaches
- Monument Valley
- Horseshoe Bend
- Valley of Fire
- Zion National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Arches National Park
- Texas Hill Country
Get the Road Trip Ideas Printable here.
Road Trip Songs
- “Here I Go Again” Whitesnake
- “Life Is a Highway” Rascal Flatts
- “9 to 5” Dolly Parton
- “Fast Car” Tracy Chapman
- “Born To Be Wild” Steppenwolf
- “The Boys of Summer” Don Henley
- “Brass in Pocket” Pretenders
- “Walking in Memphis” Marc Cohn
- “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt.2” Pink Floyd
- “Bad” U2
- “My Favorite Game” The Cardigans
- “A Change Would Do You Good” Sheryl Crow
- “Dog Days Are Over” Florence + The Machine
- “Running Up That Hill” Kate Bush
- “Runaway” The Corrs
- I’ve Been Everywhere” Johnny Cash
- “Ironic” Alanis Morissette
- “Dreams” Fleetwood Mac
- “Edge of Seventeen” Stevie Nicks
- “Send Me on My Way” Rusted Root
- “It’s My Life” Bon Jovi
- “Cars” Gary Numan
- “Run To You” Bryan Adams
- “A Real Hero” College, Electric Youth
- “Riptide” Vance Joy
- “Castle on the Hill” Ed Sheeran
- “Suddenly I See” KT Tunstall
- “Born to Run“ Bruce Springsteen
- “Road Trippin’” Red Hot Chili Peppers
Find the Road Trip Songs Printable here.
Find the Spotify playlist here.
Country Road Trip Songs
- “Take Me Home, Country Roads” John Denver
- “On the Road Again” Willie Nelson
- “Ramblin’ Man” The Allman Brothers Band
- “East Bound and Down” Jerry Reed
- “Amarillo by Morning” George Strait
- “I’ve Been Everywhere” Johnny Cash / Hank Snow
- “Wide Open Spaces” The Chicks
- “Life Is a Highway” Tom Cochrane / Rascal Flatts
- “Travelin’ Thru” Dolly Parton
- “Highway Don’t Care” Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
- “Little Red Wagon” Miranda Lambert
- “Wagon Wheel” Darius Rucker
- “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” Dierks Bentley
- “Follow Your Arrow” Kacey Musgraves
- “Our Song” Taylor Swift
- “Meant to Be” Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line
- “Where the Green Grass Grows” Tim McGraw
- “I Walk the Line” Johnny Cash
- “Dirt Road Anthem” Jason Aldean
- “Fast Car” Luke Combs
- “King of the Road” Roger Miller
- “Red Dirt Road” Brooks & Dunn
- “Cruise” Florida Georgia Line
- “Memory Lane” Old Dominion
Get the Country Road Trip Playlist Printable here.
Find the Spotify playlist here.
You can get ideas to keep the car entertained with our road trip games and activities. Wherever your travels take you, we hope you look back in the years to come with the fondest memories of the trip!
