How to Take a One Day Road Trip
Plus a Free Planner to Download
You have one day to pack in as much adventure as possible, and you must be home at the end of it all. Where do you go? Planning day trips to state parks has been a summer tradition with my kids going on four years now. I have the method down to pack in a lot of fun, and I want to share that with you! The best part is that you can use this method with any kind of adventure. No matter where you are going, this planner will help.
These quick adventures fit nicely into our lives at the moment. The kids and I can leave on a weekday morning and be back in time for family dinner when my husband gets off of work. I know not everyone has that same ability, but I still think a day trip is perfect for everyone. We save money by not staying overnight anywhere and really FILL the day with activities. Our first road trip like this even led to our goal of visiting every state park in Minnesota.
If you are anything like me, you likely have lists scattered all over the place. I live my life by lists and would be lost without them. Which is why I’m so glad to have this pretty planner put together! Now it is even easier to plan our stops and keep on track (well, somewhat, we’ll get to that). Head to the bottom of this page to download your own day trip planner, or read on for how I used this on our last adventure.
When I start planning a road trip the first thing I decide on is which state park will be our priority. That’s going to be our first stop. In this case I wanted to visit Banning State Park as I’ve heard about so many wonderful experiences from there. Next I will find a second state park to visit. We definitely could have spent all day at Banning, but I’m trying to knock off parks from our list too. For this I check drive time and see which parks will be close, and not have me driving even further from home. With those requirements I choose another popular park, Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.
Typically I plan on two state parks and then look for a “just in case” third location. This has been places like The Largest Candy Store or the Paul Bunyon statue in Bemidji. If we have time, those are an additional fun stop to add.
The next step is to narrow down what you’d like to do at each location. Hiking is always top of mind for at the state parks. However, they have so much more to offer! We ended up hiking at Banning, but then swimming and climbing the fire tower at Mille Lacs Katio. I looked ahead for what each park offered. The Minnesota DNR website is a great resource and keeps up to date with current conditions.
Finally, make an approximate timeline to follow while you are on the road. My son really loved holding on to this page of the planner. When we ended up running behind schedule, he changed the times based on when we actually arrived places! The third page of the planner is to help create a packing list and decide on meals for the day. Whether you will treat yourself to those meals out or pack a picnic to enjoy.
On the day of your trip remember to BE FLEXIBLE! Like I said, we ended up way off of my expected timeline for our road trip. Even though I like to be home for a family dinner, it was more important that day to adventure with my kids and explore those places while we could. I loved both state parks and definitely expect to visit them again!
Download your own day trip planner below. While I will often be using this for our state park travels, it can be helpful for ANY destination. Plan a trip to go antiques shopping in small towns, or visit as many road side attractions as you can! The day is yours!
