1.Your travel companion must and I repeat must be easy going. I am fortunate enough to have a most awesome husband. He, (unlike my father growing up) has the patience of Job and absolutely no problem pacing our trip. My experience growing up was quite the opposite. You stopped only for gas, bathroom stops must be timed with such. Hotel stops if you were lucky enough to get one was long after dark and too late to swim. Food was packed at the beginning and better last the trip!

2.Its good to have a hobby. Some of my personal favorite car ride pastimes include Sudoku, rag mags and scrap booking. Thats right I even manage to scrap book in the car!

3.Know your route. Because my husband and I frequently visit family in Pennsylvania we are well familiar with the trip. ( Sixteen times this past year) We have made our own travel information log of our favorite stops along the way. For example we know that at exit 6 in Georgia, gas in very cheap, exit 8 in South Carolina is a good overnight stopping point. (outlet mall included). Exit 95 wonderful outlet mall and perfect timing for a car nap for the driver while the passenger(s) shop. Last but not least exit 33 in Virginia has the much needed Starbucks! So you see, by having points of interest along the way, you always have something to look forward to. These can be tailored to your own personal likes.

Do you see how just applying these few points a car trip can actually be fun!/pbr
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An appealing alternative to the standard road trip adventure that road trip planners might consider this summer is to utilize the train system for the long stretches of highway between destination cities and then renting a car to explore the area. This way, “getting there” becomes its own adventure, especially if your trip includes an overnight stay aboard the train! Plus you get the added bonus of leaving the bulk of the driving to someone else.

There’s something about a railway road trip that beckons the pioneer spirit within us. And there’s a certain appeal to letting the rhythmic chug-chug-chug of the tracks lull you to sleep. Granted, these sleeping cabins aren’t as roomy as regular hotel rooms, but then again, it moves you towards your destination while allowing you to sleep, something you couldn’t do with a car or RV unless you alternated driving shifts. And the sleeping cabins are definitely roomier than airline seats!

Family train trip adventures are growing in popularity. Dad can play a marathon game of Monopoly instead of being stuck behind the wheel; Mom can watch a movie with you instead of her riding shotgun to keep the driver on track and alert for the duration. When kids get antsy or hungry, you can round them up for a walk to the dining cab (without losing any traveling mileage).

Explore the train, revel in the changing scenery buzzing by your view, curl up with a good book and maybe take in a catnap. Trains allow you to slow your pace and relax…and isn’t that one of the main goals of going on a vacation? Your road trip planner will still be filled with things to do, hotels, car rental and restaurants once you reach your destination.

Amtraks’s Superliners have sleeping cars that range from Roomettes (1-2 people), special accessible rooms (1-2), and even bedroom suites (4-6) that includes 2 toilets & 2 showers (usually two bedrooms with the partition removed). Even though we recommend you stay the bulk of your trip in hotels in the cities you want to explore, sleeping overnight on a train is an adventure in itself. Plus, the Sleeper Service price includes all regular meals aboard the train.

Below are a few of the most popular railway destination in the United States. Amtrak has more than 500 destinations so these are just enough to whet your appetite to fill your road trip planner with a brand new adventure. Bon app