To see New England in its best attire, make sure your Road Trip Planner includes the dates from mid-September to mid-October. While New England is beautiful year-round, but unlike other regions, its busiest tourist season is during the Fall, where fiery colors reign supreme.

Enjoying the Fall Foliage is reason enough to visit New England, but what many people discover during their road trip planning is that this region is also steeped in American History. Thus, a Fall Road Trip to New England not only gives you nature's colorful bounty but also a rewarding cultural experience. Add to that the abundance of festivals held during this season and the readily available lobster and you've got a memorable trip in the making!

So where do you start your road trip planning? For many, a New England Road Trip means flying first into Boston & then renting a car. This virtual road trip will take you in a clockwise loop over the course of 8 days where you'll hit all six New ... [more]

There are road trips and then there are ROAD TRIPS. Many of us have taken day or weekend motorcycle road trips. However, cross-country road trips are a different ball of wax. In order to maximize the chance that they will be a success, we must make extensive preparations. While this will not ensure that our trips will lack pitfalls, it will certainly lower the chance of experiencing them. Here are some helpful tips for your consideration:

1. Keep an open mind on the open road

A cross-country road trip can provide an outstanding means of learning how other people live. William Least Heat-Moon's book, "Blue Highways" inspired me. William took a cross-country road trip across the U.S., without traveling through any cities. By keeping an open mind during your trip, you can truly appreciate the different pockets of Americana from "sea to shining sea."

2. Be frugal

There is a difference between being cheap and frugal. On a cross-country mo... [more]

Does the thought of a family road trip strike fear into your heart? During the past 25 years, my family has taken many road trips traveling thousands of miles and we have great memories from those trips.

When we first started out, truthfully, we just threw our trips together and hit the road. But as time went on, we came to see the wisdom of planning our road trips a bit. If you are considering a family road trip, you'll find some simple upfront planning will make all the difference in your travels.

Using a road trip checklist, you will save money, sanity, and time, as well as make sure your vacation is as fun as it can be. You can also make sure each member of your family pulls their own weight (depending upon age, of course), teaching them that great vacations are made, not born.

You can make your own road trip checklist (keep it on your computer for repeated usage) or feel free to use mine (see the resource box at the end of this article). On i... [more]