Are you about to embark on an epic journey with some of your best buddies? I’ve gathered some of my favorite things to do on a road trip in hopes of getting you EVEN MORE excited for the adventure ahead.
These ideas will help time fly and simultaneously enhance the atmosphere inside your machine as it meanders toward your destination.
“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints.”
Wilfred Peterson
Table of Contents
- Get the music going.
- Find local coffee shops.
- Try local restaurants
- Stay at unique locations along the way.
- Listen to audiobooks and radio dramas.
- Share your favorite podcast or try a new one.
- Create a road trip bucket list.
- Learn a new language.
- Play a game.
- Conduct a group workout or stretch session.
- Find gifts and souvenirs at local shops.
- Read a book out loud.
- Record your journey.
- Use a physical map (and your brain).
- Take lots of photos (and videos).
- Share epic stories.
- Document your road trip on social media.
- Load up on (mostly) healthy snacks.
- Rotate drivers.
- Take the scenic route.
- Put the phones away.
- Help your friends level up their dating profiles.
- Tell mom you’re A-okay.
- Don’t over-plan.
- Talk to the locals for the inside scoop.
- Wear matching shirts.
- Be present.
Friendship-Fueling Things to Do on a Road Trip
1. Get the music going
You can never go wrong with playing movie soundtracks as you drive into the mountains, across the desert, or through a canyon, taking in the vast scenery to match. Play music everyone and their mom knows so you can sing along together. Or take turns sharing some of your favorite music when everyone else can’t help but listen.
You can even put together fun road trip playlists before you head out and download them so you’re safe through no-service lands. If your vehicle is from the pre-Bluetooth era, don’t forget that aux cord! We see you, 2009 Subaru Forester.
2. Find local coffee shops
One of my favorite things to do when I head out of town is to grab coffee. It somehow helps keep me entertained and satisfied while in the driver’s seat. I also love checking out the best local coffee shops in towns along the route. Not only can you get yourself a fantastic cup of joe, but you’ll also experience a hotspot and meet some (hopefully) friendly locals in the process. At the very least, you’ll get a feel for the city and the type of people who reside there.
Pro Tip: Craft coffee shops can also carry some poppin’ swag!
3. Try local restaurants
Try to opt for local restaurants versus chains as much as possible. The food can be better – or at least more interesting – and you’ll be supporting businesses that directly impact the local economy. Not to mention you can stop at chains any old day. Local restaurants are often one of a kind. You might also meet some really cool people in a place you never knew existed.
4. Stay at unique locations along the way
Maybe you’re an avid Airbnber. Or maybe you like to camp out under the stars. One of my favorite stops on my way back to Colorado from LA was in middle-of-nowhere Utah. My sister and I booked a spot off the beaten path. It was a “tipi” someone rented out on their land.
We grabbed pizza before leaving civilization and entering the pitch-black wilderness. When we reached our destination, we fumbled out of the car, half afraid of whatever wild animals might be out there and half laugh-happy because of pure exhaustion from the week. We proceeded to sneak around in the dark trying to crack the code to our tent while (pretty unsuccessfully) keeping as quiet as possible to avoid waking up other tipi-dwellers.
The stars were magnificent. The tipi was cold, and we had to sleep in our coats. You can get through just about anything if you’re tired enough. But we woke up the following day to the beauty surrounding us on every side – and hot coffee, of course. It was unexpected and perfect.
5. Listen to audiobooks and radio dramas
Once you’ve been on the road for a few hours, music might not cut it anymore. So after you’ve caught up with everyone under the roof, whip out an audiobook or radio drama (with professional actors playing different parts). Listening to stories or nonfiction books on topics you love can help the time fly.
Harry Potter with Jim Dale, anyone?
Scribd (or Scribbed, as my mother insists on saying) and Audible are popular options. You can also find audiobooks on Spotify, iBooks, Google Play Books, Hoopla, and other apps. Libby is great because it’s actually free. Just sign up for an account using your library card, and you can “borrow” all kinds of great stuff.
6. Share your favorite podcast or try a new one
Many of us have jumped on the podcast bandwagon by now. Maybe you have a favorite one you know your friends will love – or one that could get ideas and conversations flowing. Pick a topic you and your friends are interested in, and dive in.
You can find the top 100 most popular podcasts on the Podtail website. Categories include something for everyone: true crime, politics, religion, health and fitness, business, comedy, history, and lots more. Read the room and pick a topic or genre that will get you through the trip in one piece.
Here are some of my go-to podcasts right now:
- The Carrie On Podcast w/Carrie Lloyd (faith, relationships, mental health)
- Cleaning Up the Mental Mess with Dr. Caroline Leaf (mental health)
- The Heart of Dating (relationships and mental health)
- You’re Welcome with Hilary Rushford (fashion and beauty, entrepreneurship)
- The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast (education)
- This American President (history)
- Girls Night with Stephanie May Wilson (faith, friendship)
7. Create a road trip bucket list
You don’t have to plan everything out ahead of time. You can wait to craft the perfect bucket list on the road with your crew. Just make sure everyone has a voice and gets to contribute to the itinerary. No one likes a road-trip dictator, so make sure you’re not making all the decisions (or no decisions at all).
Everyone should be giving input on where to eat, where to stay, when to stop, how to build the day’s itinerary, etc. You could ask for everyone’s “top 3” activities to ensure everyone’s must-dos get done and everyone winds up satisfied. If you have a big group, sometimes it’s better to break into smaller groups to accomplish bucket lists without too much fiddle-faddle.
8. Learn a new language
If you’re like me, you don’t have time (or never make the time) to learn that language you’ve always wanted to learn at home. Being on the road, without a million things pulling you in different directions, is a great time to practice new words, sentences, and conversations in a new language. Try Babbel, Rosetta Stone, or another awesome language-learning app.
9. Play a game
Next time you’re bored in the car, give some of these games a whirl:
- Alphabet Game: Look for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Then try to get from A to Z before anyone else, calling out the words as you go!
- License Plate Game: Keep a running list of all the states you find on license plates throughout your trip.
- Mad Libs: Take turns filling in blanks in a story and then read the end product aloud.
- Top 5: List your top five favorites of any given category and then share them with your buddies. 90s bands – go!
- 20 Questions: Take turns coming up with a crazy, silly, or profound question for deeply insightful answers from everyone in the car. If you had to be a character in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, who would you be and why?
- I Spy: The classic guessing game where one player picks an object in sight and offers a clue, and everyone else tries to guess what it is.
- Pick a Category: Someone picks a category, and everyone takes turns shouting out something that fits – within 5 seconds. Every time you have a correct answer in the allotted time, you get a point. Pixar movies
- Counting Cows (or Horses or Sheep): Choose an animal, set a goal number, and then see who can spot that number the fastest. 25 llamas
- Would You Rather: Pose a dilemma in question form. Everyone must answer and give a reason for their choice. Would you rather go an entire month without underwear or one day with underwear on your head?
- Two Truths and a Lie: Guess which two are true and which is the lie.
- Road Trip Trivia & Riddles: Use Google to find lists like this one.
- Memory Game: Start a sentence and take turns adding to it. Each consecutive player must remember the previous items in the list. I’m going to a party and bringing Bob. I’m going to a party and bringing Bob and Go Fish. I’m going to a party and bringing Bob and Go Fish and a fly swatter.
- Compound Words: The first person says a compound word (“ballpark”). The following person must use the second half of the word (“park”) in a new compound word (“park bench”).
10. Conduct a group workout or stretch session
Road trips can get, well, cramped. So don’t forget to get out and move those muscles now and then! You can take things a step further by finding a nice rest area with greenspace or a scenic lookout spot to breathe in the fresh air and stretch the legs.
Have your resident road trip yogi take the gang through a series of simple stretches, or do a few classic workout moves together (like squats, pushups, lunges, and planks).
Pro Tip: Don’t hesitate to let your competitive side show a little.
11. Find gifts and souvenirs at local shops
What can you get “here” that you can’t get anywhere else?
You’ll of course come across the classic tourist stuff – postcards, posters, keychains, mugs, stickers, etc. Those are totally great. But my favorite souvenirs and gifts usually take a bit more digging.
I love popping downtown or to a happening neighborhood with local shops, coffee shops, and boutiques. This is where the gold is. Jewelry, apparel, purses, food, art, and other items are handcrafted by local makers – or at least hard to find elsewhere because the shop owner hand-picks each item.
12. Read a book out loud
My sister and I did this with some friends in Colorado a few years ago. We started reading Frankenstein as we drove into and out of the Rocky Mountains.
Unfortunately, we had to cut story time short as we began sliding down a steep, narrow road while attempting to get over a pass in the middle of a blizzard. Don’t worry – we all made it out alive. And now we have Frankenstein stamped on our winter mountain memories.
13. Record your journey
You probably won’t appreciate this until you look back a year (or ten) after your trip to reminisce on all the sweet, unfortunate, and hilarious moments. You’ll undoubtedly forget some of your experiences if you don’t record them as you go. In addition to giving you great details to reflect on later, recording your experiences will help a long road trip pass more quickly.
14. Use a physical map (and your brain)
It can be fun – and educational – to practice using a real map on the road rather than your phone’s GPS. Use a colorful pen, marker, or even a needle and thread to track your progress. Not only will you have a cool souvenir from your journey. You’ll also hone your navigation skills, which will come in handy at some point.
If you smirked at this one, thinking there’s no way you’ll go to all the trouble of using a physical map, you could track your route on Google Maps (or Apple Maps). Drop pins at each place you stop that you can look back on later – and share recommendations with others!
15. Take lots of photos (and videos)
Another great way to document your trip is to take photos and videos. I sometimes forget to take videos and regret not doing so after a trip. Videos take you right back to how your experience looked and felt – in a way that photos just can’t.
16. Share epic stories
If you’ve traveled with some of your fellow car-mates before or have a long history with them, it’s time to dig up some old mems. What’s something crazy that happened on your last adventure together? What did you use to do in college or high school that you’d never imagine doing again? There’s nothing like nostalgia to remind you how much you have in common with your people.
17. Document your road trip on social media
Later on down the list, I recommend putting your phone away. The point is to be present with the people you’re with and savor the real-life moments you experience along the way. So, when I say to “document on social media,” I certainly don’t mean scrolling through Instagram or TikTok for hours on your own. You’ll miss so much if you do that. Instead, collaborate with your crew! Create fun stories, documentaries, videos, and whatever else you think up to share on social media.
I always love keeping up with friends adventuring across the country or around the world. But personally, I more so like to share stuff on my own social media profiles so I have a collection of memories I can look back on. My sister and I documented our 24+ hour road trip from Colorado Springs to Los Angeles. It was so much fun and kept us entertained for hours. Now I can rewatch our Story now and then and have a good laugh.
“In life, it’s not where you go – it’s who you travel with.”
Charles M. Shulz
18. Load up on (mostly) healthy snacks
While it’s always wise to pack your car with healthy food and drinks, remember you’re on vacation. If you’re a stickler for staying on track with your diet at home, it can be a lot of fun to let loose while you’re away. Choosing to splurge a few times won’t throw months of hard work to the wind.
That being said, I do try to hit the grocery store before a trip so I’m not tempted by every fast-food item or sugary snack that falls into my path.
Here are some healthy and yummy road trip snacks to pack!
- Locally roasted coffee (that you can easily make on the road with a French press or pour over)
- Water
- Coconut water
- Tea
- Apples and almond butter
- Sandwiches or wraps
- Veggies (snap peas, baby carrots, cut-up bell peppers, celery, etc.) and hummus
- Trail mix
- Fresh fruit
- Dried fruit (mangos from Trader Joe’s are my favorite)
- Organic/non-GMO popcorn
- String cheese and grapes
- Homemade fruit leather
- Roasted chickpeas
- Jerky
- Energy balls
- Dark chocolate
- Homemade muffins
- Yogurt
- Granola bars
- Protein bars
- Organic corn tortilla chips and homemade guacamole
- Hard-boiled eggs (pre-peeled)
- Organic fruit snacks
- Figs and dates
You get the picture.
19. Rotate drivers
Not only is driving TIRING. It can also be harder to engage with the rest of the crew at the level you’d like – especially the ones sitting in the back seat. By rotating drivers, you can make sure the person behind the wheel is always alert. Retired drivers can take a snooze or hang out and take it easy.
20. Take the scenic route
Don’t rush if you don’t need to. The best trips are the ones with less stress and more freedom. If you speed past interesting areas, you can miss out on amazing views and experiences. I recommend giving yourself a buffer, so you have time to check out local hotspots. Besides, you may not find yourself in that exact location with that opportunity ever again. So take the detour, stop at the place, and try the food. Your trip will be better for it.
21. Put the phones away
If everyone agrees (you may have to do a little persuading to get Social Media Sally onboard), try putting your phones away and out of reach for at least part of the trip. Without your phones, you’ll have to devise creative ideas for passing the time and actually communicate with your travel companions (*wink*). Unless, of course, you want to sit in silence. There’s a place and time for that on almost every road trip, too.
22. Help your friends level up their dating profiles
Yep, we’re going there. While your profile may be the last thing you want to spend time on (or share with all your friends), your friends’ profiles are another story. Offer suggestions or provide long-awaited advice. Or, if you’re feeling extra bold, have everyone give someone else their phone and make the changes they see fit.
If you have a friend in the car who doesn’t have a dating profile on your favorite app, it’s time to work some magic. You could even go so far as to score some matches for your friend and then let them take it from there.
23. Tell mom you’re A-okay
If mom and dad know you’re on the road, mom and dad will want you to check in now and then, even if you’re pushing 40. They’ll also want proof, along with Grandma, Aunt Martha, and Uncle Ricky Twice Removed. You can share fun photos on Facebook for the family and Stories on Instagram for all your friends.
At the very least, text that one person you know will worry about you so they know you’re still alive after spending a day on the edge of a cliff or hiking through the wilderness.
24. Don’t over-plan
Save some room for the unexpected! Even if you plan everything to a T, don’t expect to stay on track 100% of the time. It’s usually not how life works. I’ve found unexpected events to sometimes be the most thrilling, meaningful, and memorable. So don’t under-prepare and cause undue stress, but don’t be too rigid with your plans, either.
25. Talk to the locals for the inside scoop
One of the best ways to explore a stop along your route is to ask the locals. Inquire about the best food spots, coffee shops, scenic lookouts, and bars. They may know something intriguing about the location’s history or a hidden gem you never would’ve discovered on your own.
26. Wear matching shirts
Okay, okay. I know this one’s a little cheugy (I just learned that word), but it can also be so much fun. You can buy matching tees at a bussin’ shop during your trip, go to Walmart and buy some ridiculous piece of apparel for everyone to flaunt, or plan ahead and decorate shirts before the road trip.
Pro Tip: Tie-dye will never go out of style.
27. Be present
If I could only list one thing for you to incorporate into your next road trip, it’d be this. Well, this and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Paying attention and savoring each moment can make all the difference in whether you have an incredible experience you’ll never forget or another meh vacation.
No future trip will ever mimic this one, so savor each moment by intentionally being fully present.
Take in the sights, sounds, feels, fun, and heart-to-heart conversations. You’ll get to know your travel cohorts better and gain new perspectives on the world we live in.
And when things don’t go according to plan, remember that’s how adventures are born.