Solo Female Road Trips and How to Take One

The hardest part about road tripping, as a woman, isn’t the planning. Never-the-less the packing. It’s actually convincing yourself that it’s safe to do. Whether you plan to car camp, book sites, hotels or even airbnbs, this post is all about Solo Female Road Trips and How to Take One.

The biggest piece of advice I can give to you is: Book you stays ahead of time.

To be frank, yes, you can absolutely find a motel/hotel the night of but, what I love about booking a place beforehand is that it eases your mind while you’re on the road. You also can gauge your travel time based on check-in, like “okay, an more hour til food and sleep”. Knowing I have a place to stay helps keep anxiety at bay too.

With that said, let’s get into this post!

Table of Contents

Solo Female Road Trips and How to Take One

Side of the Road for a View // Alli of On the Trip Side Blog

Choose your dates 🗓️

This is the most important part of planning your trip. Most of us can only afford to take a week off at a time. Whether it’s due to work, kids, family obligations, you name time. However, with many of us able to work remotely, we do have the ability to live more of a nomadic lifestyle while road tripping.

Example: On one of my last solo female road trips, I would only drive after 5 pm from destination to destination. This way I could work during the day and I needed to be mindful of how long it would take to get from destination to destination.

Another great way to escape your 9-5 is to leave early on a Friday and become a solo female road trips warrior through the full weekend. Hitting one of your main/final destinations by Sunday night or Monday afternoon.

Choose your final destination 📍

I tend to choose my destination first just because I am such a dreamer. I plan a road trip to visit a friend, or a specific beach because it’s known for their sunsets, etc. Either way, choosing your final road trip spot helps you figure out when you can actually take you trip.

Example: If I were driving to Denver from Seattle, I might want to avoid passes in the winter, etc.

Book your stay: 🛏️

Once you’ve chosen your final stop, book your stay to make it official! I, personally, alway choose an airbnb for my stays because I like feeling at home when I’m traveling. I also try to stay for more than 3 night.

_{Example: If I’ll be out there more than a week, I build a “saved list” on airbnb’s site for houses, apartments, etc. Then book off of needs and amenities during my stay. I’ll look for laundry units, tables to work from, bikes on property, etc.}

Welcome to California Sign // Alli of On the Trip Side Blog

Map out places/adventures leading to your destination

I love using Google Maps for this. I like to get a full street view of where I will be staying and what the town/city looks like in advance. I also tend to stop in cities I already know or have been to before because I have general sense of comfort there. Also important to map out where and when you will refuel your car. ⛽

_{Example: when I go to California, I tend to stay in Medford, OR or Ashland, OR.}

Build your over night itinerary: 🛎️

Are you going to stay in witchy Salem, MA an extra few nights before carrying onto to Portland, ME for lobster? That’s great! Make sure to add the time/stays into your itinerary! Keeping an log or check-list can help keep you on track without getting side tracked.

For the Planner: I put my entire itinerary inside my planner. Before I head out on my trip, I write everything down, day by day, just to make sure I don’t miss an exit or accidentally show up a day early 😳. This also helps with my packing list because if I plan to camp out one or two nights, I’ll have everything I need beforehand.

If you’re a planner but don’t love to keep to a schedule, it helps to get travel insurance, or book a place with a 24 hour cancellations policy (at no charge).

For the Adventurer: So, you’re the type of person who likes to hit the road and find a place along the way. Kudos to you! I still like to call ahead of time (even morning of) to camp sites, hotels, etc to see if they have availability. Obviously this is so much easier with the internet but, again, reception can be spotty.

Choose your own solo female road trips adventures: 🤸‍♀️

For the Planner: This is my favorite part about road tripping. You guys know I love hiking and paddle boarding. I always look to do something to break up my day while traveling. I also love national landmarks. I’m a tourist girl at heart. Like, when I stopped on the 101 at the “Welcome to California” sign.

_{Pro-tip: Mark the site/location on that map in your phone, or get the address before heading out for the day. You can’t guarantee reception in a lot of rural America. Never-the-less, Switzerland!}

For the Adventurer: A lot of places you can stumble upon. While going to Napa, I ended up near The Trees of Mysteries so I pulled off to take a photo with Paul and Babe. It was total nostalgia. We had a family road trip once and my Dad was SO excited to be surrounded by trees. That pit stop was the perfect way to text my family and bring them along on my trip with me. It made me feel less alone but also ^so proud of myself for going solo. Someday, I hope to take that trip with my own family.

_{Pro-tip: If you’re an impromptu adventurer, like me, make sure to factor in a few extra hours a day into your itinerary. This way you have a low-key timeline on when you will make check-in/dinner.}

Solo Female Road Trips // Wine Tasting // On the Trip Side

Sharing your solo female road trips itinerary 🤳

If I’m meeting or visiting someone, I like to send them my entire itinerary. I also share my location with them, so they can follow me along the way. Likewise, to my sister, just in case.

One thing I won’t do, is share my plans online or on social media. I don’t even like for people to guess where I’m going. My posts will often be a few days behind because you never know who’s following you! Plus, I watch way too many serial killer documentaries.

Pack essential solo female road trips items 🗺️

I actually have another post on this topic here. These are the main safety essentials I tend to bring with me:

Flash light
Extra Door Security (for airbnbs or motels)
Car First Aid Kit
Pepper Spray or Taser or Personal Alarm System

Solo female road trips car care 🚗

A very quick check list for car safety before hitting the road:

Get your oil changed before a long road trip
Check you tire pressure
Make sure you have a spare tire
Invest in chains if you plan to go through major snowy passes
Get your care detailed or cleaned
Replace windshield wipers (if you’re due… or overdue 😬)
Fill ‘er up with gas

In-n-Out Burger Road Trip Stop // On the Trip Side Blog

Meals/Food/Snacks 🍟

Arguably the most important part of road tripping. Where are you going to eat?

Personally, I like to make my breakfast, pack a lunch and buy my dinner before check-in. It is super important to keep your strength up while you’re driving. I love listening to audibles to keep my mind alert and pack healthy snacks in a cooler for when I’m ready to refuel. Don’t forget water. Hydration is key.

Thanks so much for reading, friends. I would love to know if you think I’m missing anything crucial to this post. What type of road trip traveller are you? A planner or an adventurer?