Driving off into the Sunset: A Honeymoon on the Road

If you’re having trouble choosing the perfect location for your honeymoon, why don’t you choose all of them? Take the road trip of your dreams!

Before you start:

1. Plan your route. What cities are you dying to visit? What landmarks have you always wanted to see? Mark every place on a map so you won’t miss anything.
2. Make sure your vehicle is up to par. Take it to a garage to get everything checked out – you don’t want to break down somewhere on the open road! If your car isn’t very dependable, you might want to rent one.

For the ride:

1. Pack lots of snacks and drinks. Grocery stores tend to be cheaper than gas stations.
2. Put together an emergency kit. Include a battery-powered radio, flashlight, jumper cables, first-aid supplies, tire repair kit, flares, and extra batteries. It’s also a good idea to have an extra blanket or two. 
3. Prepare games and entertainment. The last thing you want is to get bored in the car and start bickering. You can make a few CDs with your favorite music, come up with a few games to play, and tell (or read) stories to each other.
4. Pack a camera and take plenty of pictures along the way. Each time you stop, get the pictures developed. You can make a scrapbook or photo album while you’re driving.

Where to go:

If you’re still not entirely sure of where you want to go, there are many websites that will help you plan your trip. Some will give you routes that they have already mapped out, but others will give you suggestions and assist you with the technicalities of planning. 

If you have the time and money for it, try to plan one stop in every state. Here are some of the most popular destinations within the United States:

• San Antonio
• San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge)
• Hollywood
• Las Vegas
• Washington D.C.
• Chicago
• New Orleans
• The Grand Canyon
• Mount Rushmore
• Yellowstone National Park
• Yosemite

If you don’t have any particular places in mind, you could pick a highway and drive up and down that, stopping wherever and whenever you feel like it.

• Pacific Coast Highway: 1,700 miles from southern California to the Olympic Peninsula
• Florida State Highway/Overseas Highway: 600 miles from Jacksonville to Key West
• Newfound Gap Road/Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive: a total of 606 miles through three national parks – without the semi-trucks, billboards, and traffic on other highways
• U.S. Highway 2: 3,300 miles (if you drive the 700 miles it covers in Canada!) through mountains, the Great Plains, small towns, and Glacier National Park
• U.S. Highway 395: 1,300 miles from southern California to the Canada border

There are so many things to do and so many beautiful places to visit. So why should you stay in one place? Grab your spouse, a map, and a trustworthy car and hit the road for a honeymoon full of adventures!

Image Credits:  Couple in Car with Luggage, Grand Canyon, Pacific Coast Highway

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.