Intro

 Hey, there! We’re Phinizy and Joanna, science teachers from Atlanta with two kids. We’re not influencers or professional travelers - we just like being outside, exploring new places, and figuring out how to make these big trips work with kids in tow. 

 I (Phinizy) am the planner and logistician (routes, reservations, packing lists, and picking out daily stops and experiences). Joanna is supportive and flexible, great for bouncing ideas off of, and has learned to trust the plan, even when it’s ambitious. She is realistic and helps handle whatever needs doing on the trip, from setting up and breaking down camp to keeping the kids on track and handling problems as they come up, especially when I’m busy with logistics. We don’t try to do everything together, and that’s a big part of why this works. There’s a division of labor: I focus on the planning and execution, while she focuses more on managing the day to day issues that come up. You need to have the right personality to do this planning.  I am kind of obsessive when I get really into something, and these trips get me super excited. 

 If you’re reading this, you’re probably considering a big road trip, maybe even crossing the country with your family, camping in the best spots, and really seeing what’s out there. That was me a few years ago, just trying to figure it all out, frustrated by how hard it was to find reliable information, and learning mostly by making mistakes. I had done a couple of spontaneous road trips out west in my college days, but doing it with our kids brought a whole new level of responsibility.  I couldn’t just wing it anymore, or the trip would fail.  I wasn’t sure how these trips would work out, but they have far exceeded my expectations. 

The Golden Age of Road Trips

I call this the “Golden Age” because right now, if you can plan far enough ahead and are obsessive enough, the best campsites can be yours. The current reservation systems reward people who are prepared. That might not last forever. In the future, it could turn into a lottery, or just get more competitive as more people figure it out. For now, you have a shot if you know what to do and when to do it. I went into our last trip with a list of ideal campsites, and I basically got all of them. The trip far exceeded my expectations of what I thought was possible and frankly went so well that I feel compelled to make this guide. I spent my solo drive home from Denver talking into my phone, recording everything I could think of.

This guide is here to lay out what I have learned: how to book the best campsites, what gear is worth hauling, how to avoid the most common mistakes, and how to keep everyone as happy as possible.

 If you want to experience true wilderness, to sleep under the stars, to watch your kids play in the most beautiful places on Earth with nobody else around, this is for you. You don’t need a camper van or an RV. You don’t need to be an expert. You just need solid planning, a willingness to research and work, and a good attitude when things go sideways. 

 Most of all, I want you to know that this kind of trip is possible. It’s hard work, it’s chaotic, and it’s risky, but it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done with my family, and I plan to keep doing these trips as long as they are possible. 

 Reality Check: Cost and Lifestyle 

Our most recent big western road trip ran us about $7,000–$8,000 for four people. That’s reality for a monthlong trip that covers thousands of miles. It's about the price of a fancy one week cruise. You could do it cheaper by camping more, eating out less, and cutting out extras, or you could spend more if you go heavier on hotels, meals, and excursions.  

 Upfront gear investment is real.  We’ve built up our gear stash over the years, so the cost is spread out, but if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll spend a good chunk getting all the essentials. There’s not really a way around it. Good gear pays for itself over time, but expect a big first-year investment (about $2,000 if you’re starting from scratch). You will also need plenty of time to practice using your gear on smaller, local camping trips. 

 Even with the price tag, I think a trip like this is the best value in travel. The places you get to stay would easily go for $1,000 a night if they were private resorts, and it's easy to imagine a world where bidding for these sites was competitive and unaffordable. Instead, you’re paying $30 a night for these campsites. So yeah, the costs add up, but you’re getting an experience I could easily imagine costing five to ten times more. 

 There’s another reality to this:
You need time. These trips take a minimum of three weeks, and you really want closer to four. If you can’t get that much time off work, it’s just not worth it to drive all the way out west (it’s at least a week of driving days to get out there and back). Being teachers, we get summers off with our kids, so we have two months off, looking to escape the oppressive east coast heat and humidity. If you’re not in that boat, you’ll need to get creative or look at shorter versions of the trip (or maybe fly out west and rent gear?). But if you can swing it, this is the best thing you can do with your time off.