By Morayo Ogunbayo, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As the warm weekends begin to dwindle, there is no better way to finish up the season and explore a new part of the country than going on a road trip. A good drive can be an unforgettable experience where you grow closer to your fellow travelers and make memories in new places. A bad road trip, however, can be a time of confusion and bickering, leaving travelers wishing they had never left their house.

The difference between the two journeys comes from the planning. Whether you want to drive cross-country or just see a new part of your state, these tips can help your next trek go off without a hitch.

Book accommodations

During planning for the perfect road trip, the first step is picking all of the places where you would like to stop and planning accommodations.

It may seem like the smart move to book hotels day of, as to not contract yourself too tight of a schedule, but booking beforehand can be the difference between a smooth excursion and one that goes completely off the rails.

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You can use Booking, Priceline and Kayak to find the right hotels for your group.

Airbnb can be great also for finding more niche places to stay, especially in the less commercial areas you stop at. The website also has excursions put on by hosts that can be a great way to add some unexpected fun to your journey.

If your journey mostly involves camping or using an RV, do not think you can skip out pre-booking. Check out the RV sites and campsites you would like to stop at online, and book them before you leave if there is the option. If there is not a way to book before arrival, make sure to find a few similar options in the area in case your first choice is all booked.

Map out your route

It can be tempting to follow the country’s winding roads wherever they take you, but planning in advance the stops you would like to take and the routes you will take to get there is key to a good road trip.

Start by writing out all of the cities, parks and monuments you would like to see on the drive. Then, using a map, draw a loose route of the best ways to get from place to place. For the day of the actual drive, it is perfectly fine to use apps like Google Maps or Waze to get to your destinations, but it’s smart to plan a rough route in advance.

If paper maps are not your speed, use the Google Maps feature My Maps, which allows you to create your own route for a trip.

Stay safe

A road trip is a perfect time to get out of your comfort zone and have a real adventure. However, that does not mean safety can be thrown to the wayside.

Most important, stay safe while driving. Try to spend less than eight hours on the road each day, and if one day goes longer than expected, try to spend less than eight hours on the road the next day. If your driver wakes up one morning particularly tired, see if someone else can drive or delay your group’s start for the day. It can feel like you must stay on track to make the most of your time, however, safety on the road must always come first.

It is also important to maintain safety when in new areas. If the hotel you picked ahead of time looks different from the website, there is no shame in trying to find somewhere else to sleep.

Road trips are a time to try something completely different than the mundanity of work and home, and using these tips, your next adventure can be everything you dreamed it would be.

©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.