Road Trips

Frommer’s offers a page listing articles about road tripping. Browse the articles to see the possibilities for various themed and seasonal trips, and find the tools you need to execute your plan.

MSNBC.com’s “Travel” section offers this brief article accompanied by a slideshow on “10 Great American Road Trips.” Read a brief description of each and check out the striking photos that are sure to make you want to hit the accelerator.

Road Trip America is essentially an online smorgasbord for road trip information. Part guide, part library, part fan club, Road Trip America litters its homepage with articles and trip ideas. Don’t be deterred by the cutter; the navigation bar at the top of the page clearly outlines resources that make it possible to find what you need.

Road Trip Dream is the site of a retired couple that has road tripped through all 50 states. They’ve written about their experience and offer lots of resources on the site—some free, some for a fee. Use the “10 Tips To Jump-Start Your Road Trip Dream” article as a catalyst for concocting your ideal vacation.

MapQuest has plenty of road trips already planned. Choose your desired region to find pre-planned road trips, or get help designing your own.

Travel South USA offers “Real South Road Trips.” Find packages for driving tours available for sale, including itineraries and modest hotel accommodations. If you don’t want to book one of these packages, use the site to generate ideas.

Times Union , a Hearst-owned Albany-based newspaper, hosts an article called “The ultimate New England road trip” that describes a route taking travelers south from the wilds of Vermont through picturesque Western Massachusetts.

Legends of America provides an ultimate guide to Route 66. Some of the sections are more useful than others; if you’re seriously planning a road trip, you probably don’t need to visit the T-shirt or bumper sticker sections. Instead, read about the history, activities and sights along the way, or find links to each state’s Route 66 history site.

Historic Route 66 is a site devoted to guiding your travel on the legendary road. The site itself looks pretty historic, but you can get a state-by-state online map and driving directions of how to traverse the road (it’s not on new maps). Also check out the slideshow, or if you’re inclined, buy the “EZ66 Guide for Travelers” that includes directions, maps and suggested activities.

Citysearch’s editors selected their top 10 road trips to U.S. landmarks. Find destinations like the Las Vegas Strip and Niagara Falls, along with links to complete guides with attraction information and recommendations for hotels and restaurants nearby.

JohnnyRoadTrip.com is your shabbily designed “source for sports travel.” Learning how to cook shrimp on an engine en route to a game may or may not appeal to you, but you’ll certainly benefit from comprehensive league schedules, chances to buy tickets and hotel information. Don’t miss the list of nationwide stadiums with seating charts and parking information.

Rand McNally has a “TripMaker Planning Tool” to get your road trip in gear. Select your starting point and destination to get maps and driving directions. Add stops to your trip and the TripMaker selects activities and places as you go along. Save or print your trip, and make notes to yourself on the site. Also use Rand McNally’s online maps and mobile phone maps, or buy paper maps from the site.

Plan-Your-Trip.com is another useful Web site (though with an amateur design) that serves as an interactive trip planner specifically for road trips in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah, as well as in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Yukon, Canada.

FreeTrip is a simply designed and useful site, especially for finding accommodations on a long trip. Select your departure and destination towns, whether you want to avoid tolls or take the scenic route, and the kind of lodging you prefer (choose from hotels within a price range, camping grounds or national parks). You can even select rest stops. Submit your form and FreeTrip outlines your route and lists all the facilities that fit your criteria along the way.

PBS’s Web site recaps a film it broadcasted in 2003 called “Horatio’s Drive.” Read about this first transcontinental road trip, learn about the driver and the car, and view an interactive map of the trip.

The Morning News archives contain this light but charming advice on “How to Road Trip.” Author Leslie Harpold doesn’t help you find a hotel or fix a flat tire, but she offers suggestions for conversation and etiquette guidelines, and promises you that it’s ok to ask for directions.

MSNBC.com’s article on “How to pack the trunk” for a road trip shows you how to organize your stuff to make the most of precious trunk space.

eHow has a guide to keeping your car smelling nice during a road trip. It has little tips for managing the cleanliness of your vehicle, and advice on what substances you should bring to clean spills and accidents.

PC Magazine has an article devoted to editors’ recommendations for road trip technology. Whether you’re looking for a navigation system, a camera or a way to watch movies en route, you’ll find top choices here.

Roadside America is your guide to the nation's oddball, quirky and often peculiar roadside tourist attractions. If you're in Connecticut, check out Norwich's "Sanctuary of Love," or Willimantic's "Giant Frogs on Thread Spools." Consider a diversion to one such location to keep your trip fresh.

Cranium , a rather elaborate board game combining Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit and charades, offers some ideas for makeshift games you can play on the road by bringing just a few supplies in a backpack.

Road & Travel Magazine’s Web site has an Automotive Channel with several categories that can answer all your questions (and provoke some you didn’t think of) about your car. Find information on car care, crash ratings and general advice.

Valvoline has a “Car Care Basics” guide full of road trip tips. Find suggestions for things you should check on your car before you start your road trip, and things to be aware of while you’re driving.

Berklee College of Music posts the top 50 driving songs as named by a songwriting faculty member. The list is a bit dated—it goes from 1963 to 1984—but most of the songs are classics you’ll recognize and enjoy.

MapQuest supplies online maps, driving directions and even local gas prices for any address or intersection you choose. Don’t miss the various features available for your mobile phone, which are free for most Web-enabled phones.

Google Maps is an alternative to MapQuest. Although it lacks some of the functionality of MapQuest, the interface is cleaner and easier to navigate, which for some is a boon. Pinpoint domestic and international addresses, or get detailed directions for your next trip. Check out the satellite feature on the upper right for a bird's-eye view of your house, locations along your road trip route or your destination.

Rand McNally , arguably one of the biggest names in maps, offers you online maps, driving directions and a trip planner. Visit their store to purchase maps to take with you on the road.

Michelin , another major map company, sells maps and atlases on the site.

Road Trip America recommends a number of top maps and road atlases. Once you’ve planned your trip, see which map suits you best.