Spontaneity is cool. Throw darts at the map: where you get - there you go. But in our stably comfortable reality, this happens very rarely. Maybe this is right because your own safety, well-being, and comfort practically determine whether you like traveling at all or not.
So before you go on a couple road trip, you need to seriously think through all the moments of your holiday, starting from where you will go, ending with how to pack the luggage, and what kind of applications to download. Let's proceed to the most important things you should know before going on a road trip with your beloved.
What You Need to Plan to Be Ready for a Road Trip
These are the main things you should discuss in advance to make your experience of discovering new horizons pleasant and comfortable. Because even if you are an adrenaline junkie and would like to invite one of those stunning single women online to a road trip date, a few things should be still considered.
Choose a direction
Most of the tourists from the northern hemisphere, tired of the protracted fall-winter-spring, are eager to go swim in the warm sea. It doesn’t matter what time of year you start looking for the couple road trip ideas, there are countries where eternal summer reigns. Surfers, divers, and those who enjoy the ocean prefer to go to Australia. What is more, divers can give their preference to the Dominican Republic, where you can enjoy the underwater views of the Caribbean seabed at any time of the year too. For lovers of the gentle sun, the ocean, and friendly locals, Bali in Indonesia is suitable. Moreover, a visa can be bought upon arrival for $ 25, but to arrange an Indonesia road trip you first need to get there by plane. Serenity and complete relaxation await tourists in a paradise of detached India, for example, in Goa.
Budget
Another important factor when choosing cheap road trip ideas for couples is your budget, the amount of money that you agree to spend on the trip. You can use the Numbeo service to plan the time of your vacation better. Here you will find out how much housing, food, transportation, and other expenses will cost in the country where you want to go. You can enter two cities and compare where it will be more profitable to relax. If you can’t choose your destination or want to discover specific dating ideas at a particular place, Agentika service will help you. By registering, you get access to a large database of traveler reviews. You receive not only a review of a specific place but can find out how much money you should take with you. And having drawn up your individual route, you can download and use it even without the Internet.
Accommodation
It would be sad to spoil fun road trip ideas for couples with the uncomfortable accommodation because all the romance is gone when you are forced to sleep in a car 5th day in a row and feel tired. The first thing while booking a room is to look not at its photo but in its area. Photos can be taken from any angle, so even the closet will look like a mansion. 35-40 square meters are enough for completely spacious accommodation. Besides, find out information about the number of rooms. If you do not want to be in a crowded hotel, which is teeming with guests and does not allow you to relax day or night, choose hotels with 200-300 rooms, in extreme cases with 500. And do not forget to read reviews about the hotel. Pay attention to most common of them.
Planning entertainment
Many people think that entertainment should be planned in advance. Get to know the locals. For this, you can use Couchsurfing. There are users from about 100 thousand cities around the world on this platform, so you can find someone who will take you to the most interesting places in almost any country. Or you can book an excursion with local residents on the Tripster service. Another service where they offer the organization of excursions, help in booking hotels, flights, and even come up with fun things for couples to do on a road trip is called Go2.
What to do before departure
- Pay fines and repay debts.
- Inform the bank that you are going abroad so that your card is not blocked.
- Cash-out a few hundred of the local currency to pay in places where they do not accept cards.
- Make copies of documents and keep them separate from the originals so that you always have an identity card in case of loss.
- Save scans of documents in cloud storage like Google Drive.
- Find out if you need to get international licenses to drive to your destination.
- Check if there is Wi-Fi on the way to the destination and specifically in it.
- Change the mobile tariff for the travel one, or switch to the roaming.
Road Trip Ideas for Couples
In some countries, a common driver’s license is almost like wings. You take your car or rent the one on the spot and feel as free as a bird that can now travel anywhere. We have chosen 8 amazing routes for traveling by car, the stories about which will make your friends open their mouths. These are the destinations of unbelievable nature, exciting sightseeings, and the most pleasant locals!
Iceland
It’s impossible to get lost while traveling along Ring Road (Route 1): the Icelandic ring road is excellently paved, there are markings everywhere, and signs continually confirm that you are on the right track. The Icelandic "county" passes through 18 cities and covers the main attractions of the country. You will see the geyser valleys and views of the 60-meter Seljalandsfoss waterfall from all sides. From another impressive waterfall - Skogafoss - a hiking trail winds up to the one-day Fimmverdühauls pass: it may seem impossible to pronounce the name “Eyyafyadlayokyudl,” but what will seem you even more spectacular is the famous glacier. By the way, you can also visit a small museum by the road to recall the 2010 volcano eruption that the museum is dedicated to.
Georgia
This is definitely one of the most vibrant road trip ideas for couples. The concentration of natural miracles per square meter in Georgia rolls over, and by devoting even a week to this country, you have to act quickly and allocate a day for each direction. After getting to know Tbilisi, go to Sighnaghi, from there, through Gurjaani and Telavi with a stop at Alaverdi Cathedral, spend the night in the town of Akhmet, which will be a convenient base for exploring the beauties of Tusheti the next day. But be careful: you can feel dizzy from the landscapes on the road to Stepantsminda. Other must-stops along the way are Ananuri and Mtskheta. You can spend the night in Kazbegi or Gudauri, but it is better to return to Tbilisi on the same day to advance to Svaneti the next morning. If you leave early, you can also visit Uplistsikhe, Borjomi, and Kutaisi. Few people are able to leave Svaneti without having spent at least 2-3 days there. But if you succeed, then you will have time to go down the mountains, swim in the Black Sea, and spend a day in Batumi, which seems to be getting only more beautiful every year.
USA
There is something cinematic about the roads in America. But classic routes like The Great River Road, which stretches along the Mississippi through 10 states, or the iconic Route 66, are very long: you will need a few weeks to drive them. Among dozens of tempting options within 7 days is the road from San Francisco to Portland which captivates with richness. Along the rocky edge of Highway 1, it spreads along the coast of the Pacific Ocean to Mendocino County: in Fort Bragg, you can stroll along the coastal botanical gardens, look at the lighthouse and, if you're lucky, observe whales (from December to April). Stop in the quiet town of Trinidad with giant sequoias or in Bandon - look for crabs on the beach, ride horses and try the local soup with smoked salmon. Pay tribute to Cannon Beach with its 70-meter Haystack Rock, while in hipster Portland, return your car to indulge in shopping and learn about the local drinking culture.
Norway
A road trip from Bergen to Trondheim is the icing on the cake of a trip to Norway. You will see fabulous mirrored fjords, mountain lakes, and waterfalls, including the 110-meter Tvindefossen, alpine landscapes, and glaciers. Even in the tunnels, adventures await you: the longest tunnel in the world - the 24.5-kilometer Laerdal - is divided by three caves into four sections of 6 kilometers. Each cave is illuminated by blue radiance and yellow rays so that drivers see the light at the end of the tunnel and do not have time to get depressed. Find out what is more breathtaking - the bends of the Troll Stairs or the Atlantic Road, famously twisted over the ocean. By the way, if you decide to travel as a survivalist and a camper, in Norway it is no problem - you can spend the night in a tent in nature where there is no warning about private property.
Austria
Do you want to combine the idyll of alpine meadows and ski holidays in one trip? Easily! Driving from Salzburg to the resort of Zell am See, Kaprun takes only one hour: thanks to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, snow cover, ideal for skiers and snowboarders, stays there at least 10 months a year. Having enjoyed the winter skating, keep your way to Lake Mondsee through green meadows. Immediately select the person responsible for the photo because you want to shoot every millimeter, and the driver can not be distracted. On the way to St. Wolfgang, you will pass by the tiny quiet lake Krottensee. It is worth stopping in St. Gilgen, where the mother of Mozart was born: the lifts in this resort town allow you to see the Alps from a height of one and a half kilometers. Admire the enchanting Alpine pasture Postalm and Gosau gorge with mountain lakes with such clear water that you can easily drink it. Breathe the spirit of the Middle Ages in the village of Hallstatt. The village is that captivating that the Chinese even built an exact copy of it in Guangdong.
Scotland
Scotland is an animated desktop screensaver. To believe this yourself, rent a car in Edinburgh and drive to Highlands. At the entrance to Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Scotland, keep yourself in control: there are so many beautiful corners in the local forests that if you succumb to the temptation to explore them all, there will simply be no time for other beauties. The Oban resort is a perfect spot for the relaxation: look at the local distillery, take a walk along the promenade, and learn why this town is called the Scottish capital of the seafood business. The next day, feel the magic in the fabulous Glencoe Valley, where some episodes of "Harry Potter" were filmed. On the Isle of Skye, where the rock of The Old Man of Storr from Prometheus Ridley Scott rises, you will feel an intensified sensation of being at the edge of the world.
Australia
If you want to get the most Australian experience in a week, head out from Sydney to Melbourne along the coast. Driving along the way and asking each other funny road trip questions for couples, you will find Kangaroo Valley and Pebble Beach, where the uninhabited Phillip island full of penguins and koalas is located. Feel free to stop at campsites at nature reserves or in tiny towns along the way to go fishing with the natives. The icing on the cake will be a trip from Melbourne to Port Campbell National Park via The Great Ocean Road, which in itself is worth a visit to Australia. At the same time, you will admire one of the main attractions of the country - the rocks, which until 1922 were popularly known as "Piggy and Piglets," and today are called the Twelve Apostles.
Germany
The most romantic car trip in Germany begins in Würzburg: heading south, dine in one of the towns in the Tauber Valley, for example, in the spa resort of Bad Mergentheim. The rest of the day can be best spent in Rothenburg with its German Christmas Museum, where the holiday lasts all year round. The next city is Dinkelsbühl in the Wernitz Valley. The ancient fortress wall, half-timbered houses with tiled roofs, cute old signs on medieval streets make you pinch yourself every now and again: is this really not a dream? The night can be spent in Nordlingen, located in a meteorite crater. Other points of interest are Harburg with one of the most impressive castles in Bavaria and Augsburg with a Renaissance town hall and the Open Theater at the Red Gate, where noisy street performances take place from mid-June to mid-July. On the last day, visit the Pilgrimage Church in the village of Vis, where a real Rococo riot hides behind a modest facade. And of course, a visit to Hohenschwangau and the “Disney” Neuschwanstein, in which, as they say, the idea of “Swan Lake” came to Tchaikovsky, will be an obvious crescendo of traveling through German castles.
Useful Road Trip Tips for Couples
When you are really looking forward to something good, your body produces the hormone of happiness - dopamine. Take advantage of this. Start planning your trip yourself to get more pleasure from the trip, and at the same time, save money and nerves. Coming up with road trip games for couples will save you from boredom during the long passages, packing all the necessary stuff will save you any unforeseen expenses and knowing other lifehacks that we are going to share with you, will generally make your trip fabulous.
Plan ahead
Begin planning six months before the trip. Immediately after choosing a country, buy the plane tickets if necessary or take days off at work - this will indicate the boundaries within which you will plan your trip, and also save money because buying tickets in advance is always cheaper. After that, find out if you need a visa for the country of the holiday. If necessary, apply for it on the embassy website. Come to the embassy or visa center with the documents indicated on the site. Usually, receiving a visa takes from two weeks to a month. When you finish all the boring bureaucratic procedures, the most interesting part of the preparation will begin.
Explore the country through social networks
Get started by searching for images on a search engine or on Pinterest. Enter the name of the country where you plan to go in the search line of the social network. It will show you photos of the most picturesque places taken by other travelers. So you can immediately understand what you want to see with your own eyes, and what you can do without, determine which attractions are especially popular and find unusual places that not every guide will tell about.
Make a route
One of the road trip tips for couples is to redraw the outline of the country in a notebook, mark the planned places of visit. So it will become clearer how to build a route. You can build a route in the form of a vicious circle clockwise: from the lowest point on the map, we go up and then go down. A similar method is used by many travelers. The main goal of such tricks is to most effectively build a route, spending less time and money on the road. You can use Instagram or Facebook to explore the country by communicating with the locals. Or use CouchSurfing. This is a service for travelers around the world, allowing you to find free accommodation and get to know the locals. The coolest parties are held in secret areas, and you can get there only if the locals share such nuances with you.
Take care of your comfort: food, accommodation, luggage
Following the route, you will have to stay in different hotels and cities all the time. Dedicate from two to three days for each city, depending on the attractions you plan to visit. Since you don’t have to stop there for a long time, you can experiment with housing formats. For example, in one city you can stay in a noisy party hostel, in another - to book a room in a luxury villa, in the third - to spend the night with someone from the locals. Booking, Airbnb, and the tried and true CouchSurfing will help you with this. Think in advance where you will eat. Explore the Entertainment, Housing, and Restaurant tabs on TripAdvisor. Write down the names and addresses in a notebook. Most likely, you will not need them, but it is so nice to meet familiar names in the city, which is located far away from your home. Feeling like local.
Traveling on a car, regardless of the route, is a chance to get to know cities, roads, and the nature of the country from within and from all sides. How many people dream to go to the USA, buy a mustang, and cross the states from north to south and from east to west. With the improvement of the condition of roads, such trips seem very tempting, and there is suddenly something romantic in them. And not only in the USA, nowadays you can grab your beloved by the hand and rush into whatever country you want to get the memories you will recall your whole life!