When you're driving through an unfamiliar area, how do you usually decide where to stop for food?

Do you search Google Maps, check Reddit recommendations, or just pick something along the highway?

I'm curious whether people prefer a highly rated restaurant that's 20–30 minutes away or a decent place that's only 5 minutes off the route.

What's your usual approach?

Just got back from a 7-day road trip, and thought I'd share the route here!

Started from Ambala on 28 September and returned on 4 October, covering around 2,500 km.

Route: Ambala → Srinagar → Leh → Manali → Dehradun → Ambala

The plan was to cover as much as possible in a week, and it turned out to be quite a journey. Driving through Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal, and then making my way back via Dehradun, made for a memorable road trip.

Looking back, 2,500 km in 7 days sounds a little crazy, but that's part of the fun of road trips, right? 😅

Anyone here who's done a similar route? Would love to hear about your experiences and what routes you'd recommend for my next trip.

Relocating and plan to drive. Car (Honda CRV FWD) is in good shape with great all weather tire. Nver driven through the mountain pass. Is it advised to do it or going to be sketch in a FWD car? Plan is to do it in 7 days. Thanks

Start date: October 27th
End date: TBD
Start location: Los Angeles
End location: Nashville, Tennessee

For context I’m looking to be mostly boon-docking out of my small truck (with the occasional luxury of motel 6 and a planet fitness shower), I don’t have 4WD and I’m going solo so not planning to be anywhere that’s SUPER remote.
Green or Orange path?! For context I’m just headed east and want to stop in Nashville, Tennessee. I have read about avoiding the mundane drive through Kansas which is why I would head back down through New Mexico to TX and OK. I also want to head into NM because I want to see the Americana sites on Rt.66 before I break off from it in OK.
I’m just having trouble deciding here as it’s my first trip and also open to suggestions of which ones are ‘DO NOT MISS’ sites is one route significantly better or is it a good choice either way?

If orange is chosen looking for info on BLM or free 2wd campsites in Moab/gunnison!
Thanks!

Green route:
South rim>lone rock beach>horseshoe bend>big lake and some hikes in that area>down to petrified Forrest >el morro>AQ/rt 66> Texas > OK
(main point is staying on rt 66 for longer)

Orange route:
South rim>lone rock beach>horseshoe bend>big lake and some hikes in that area>moab>rt 70?? Or grand mesa/ Gunnison Ntnl park> Rio grande national forest > AQ > rt 66 > Texas >OK

I’ve been skiing since I was 6, and I do ski trips/flights all the time, but I’ve been thinking about doing something different. I’m a college freshman and have a month off from mid-December to mid-January, and I want to take a road trip from Florida to the Rockies and ski as much as possible.

The idea is to drive out in my SUV, get an Ikon Pass, and spend the month driving around and skiing different resorts in Colorado and Utah. I’d probably spend around 3 days driving out there and 3 days driving back, and live out of my car to keep costs down.

I’d get a sleeping setup for the SUV with a mattress or sleeping pad and warm sleeping bags, but I’m wondering where people actually sleep during trips like this, especially near ski resorts. I’d also be driving alone at 18, so I’m curious how exhausting the long drives get and how people manage driving safely in winter.
I’d want to keep food cheap by buying groceries and making simple meals, and figure out showers and laundry along the way.

Has anyone done something similar? Any advice on sleeping in your car, finding places to park overnight, budgeting, or planning a trip like this would be appreciated.

Which route would you take? How many travel days? Best places to stop? Traveling in late summer.

Hi!

Currently planning on stopping in Nashville, St. Louis, and Kansas City for meals/a night. Spending a day or two in Colorado to ski and another couple in Utah.

What hidden gems are there in the plains states and anything else I missed?

On a typical weekday in February what would be good stops on a trip between Montreal and NYC? I'm thinking scenic small towns with good restaurants to stop and stretch my legs. Is it better to stop in Saratoga Springs or Albany? I've seen those recommended and they seem to be in the middle on Google Maps lmao. But what more obscure towns would also make good stops? Also what would traffic conditions be like at the border crossing at around 8:30 am?

For Cheese? How far would you go/have you gone for ________?
I'll do stuff for cheese.
I've braved the Sierra Nevadas, Nevada desolation, Oregon desolation, and IDAHO (gasp!) to get the 2,000 miles (RT) for some CANNED cheddar!

At least once a month, I drive 200mi (RT) to the Point Reyes Farmstead to grab some of their cheese.
I've gone hundreds of miles out of my way to get to Tillamook, which admittedly is mid at best.

A fantasy road trip is to Newton IA (3500mi RT) for some Maytag Blue.
Rumiano in Crescent City has been a side-quest for some of their Dry Jack.
Arcata for some Humboldt Fog is always a do-able add-on.

But with $6 gas, I'm sticking with supermarket cheese for now.... =/

I'd like to plan a 3-4week road trip for next year, 2027, focus mostly around hiking, national/state parks.

Planned stops/farthest points:

Starting in Eau Claire, WI

Heading to WA

Then down to preferably the grand canyon.

Back to WI

Questions:

1. What month should I choose for peak hiking, weather, visibility, availability.

2. What are the MUST SEE parks given the time frame and location.

3. Where/how do I sleep? Never done this before. I'm happy sleeping in my car but what supplies do I bring and where can I camp/park for cheap/free. Or should I get a hotel/Airbnb/hostel?

4. Some "city" attractions and restaurants (preferably something interesting and ethnic).

5. Any other things to keep in mind?

I'm moving from the East Coast to the West Coast in a 20-foot U-Haul and will be staying at hotels along the way. I'm really worried about someone breaking into the truck or stealing it while I'm sleeping.

I'm planning to stay in nicer suburbs and avoid sketchy areas, but I'm still nervous about leaving everything I own in the truck overnight.

For anyone who's done this, what did you do to keep your belongings safe? What locks did you use? Did you use a steering wheel lock or any other security devices? Any tips for choosing hotels with safe parking for a loaded U-Haul?

I know nothing is 100% guaranteed, but I'd appreciate any advice that helped you feel more comfortable leaving your truck overnight.

Planning a trip to the Smokey Mountains early November, like the first week or two, but having a hard time deciding where to stay, whether it should be TN or NC. I want a more secluded place with mountain views but dont wanna be far from restaurants and shops. I dont entirely mind a touristy place close by, but I heard Gatlinburg just isnt worth it? Looking at maybe Maggie Valley or Bryson City area? Also wondering if fall colors will be popping then, im in Michigan so it's peak season is almost over and I was hoping to hit them down there. TYIA!

CoViD is happening! California's on fire!
You cancel your annual Alaska trip because of travel restrictions and decide to take a road trip through the redwoods and beyond. You bring your partner because she's literally never seen a tree bigger than a (pine?).

Let's make it interesting. Let's take the coast as much as possible. Let's include the Lost Coast. First overnight, Fortuna, CA. Woke up to air raid sirens and every exterior crevice of the car covered in ash. Never figured out what the siren was for. Second night: Coos Bay, OR. Third night, Ocean Shores, WA for three nights. Road trip tattoos in Coos Bay and Ocean Shores. Back the same route, except crossed 299 from Fortuna to Redding to catch I5. The fires were right up to the road. It was scary but felt cinematic at the same time. Can't deny, though, that the smoke was a great photo filter.

I'm driving from Basking Ridge NJ in north/central NJ through to Boston this Saturday. I've never been to New England and want to take a scenic route that highlights the landscapes and leaf color changes. We also wanna make some cool stops in towns or cities for briefly for a stroll or two to explore anything interesting.

What sort of route would you recommend we do?

I was looking online and got multiple ideas but just wondering what people think?

1: Litchfield Hills and Central Massachusetts 2: The Berkshires and Mohawk Trail 3: Yale and Coastal Route

We got incredibly lucky with the weather on our family trip to the Oregon Coast this fall. No fog, hardly any crowds, and beautiful sunny days.

Rented a house on the beach, spent lots of time walking with the dog, watched sea lions, and brought home fresh fish and crab from the Newport docks for some great home-cooked meals.

We headed back to Portland through the Willamette Valley, picked up wine for Thanksgiving, and made a stop at a fall harvest festival that was perfect for the kids.

One of those trips where the simple things were the best part.

Quick detour while returning from eastern Canada to Arizona...

If you’ve ever visited Yosemite National Park during the summer, you know how bad traffic can get. The park gets packed, and sometimes you spend more time sitting behind other cars than actually enjoying the scenery.
That’s why I’ve always preferred visiting in early May or October, as long as you don’t mind the cooler temperatures and the roads are open.
I drove Tioga Pass this morning, October 15, 2026, around 10 AM, and as you can see in the video, there’s hardly any traffic. The weather is beautiful, the roads are clear, and there’s no snow to worry about, at least along the stretch I drove.
I stopped recording about a mile before entering Yosemite National Park.
If you’re planning a road trip through this part of California, I’d seriously consider early October. You get the scenery without dealing with the summer crowds.
Of course, mountain weather can change quickly, and Tioga Pass can close because of snow, so always check road conditions before heading out.
For me, though, this is about as good as it gets.

I record my trips using a 350 camera attached to a pole on top of my camper.

One thing I've always found interesting about road trips is how the fastest route isn't necessarily the best one.

Sometimes an extra 30–60 minutes on smaller roads gives you better scenery, interesting places to stop, and a much more memorable drive.

But sometimes that scenic detour turns out to be narrow roads, bad surfaces, heavy tourist traffic, and absolutely nothing worth seeing.

So I'm curious: how do you decide whether a scenic route is worth the extra time?

Do you research roads beforehand, ask locals, look at satellite maps, or just take a chance?

And what's one detour that was genuinely worth it?

i’m driving across the country from massachusetts to colorado in just a couple weeks and looking for the best option to keep organized, plan my route, find spots along the way, ect. it’s for a cross country move so i’m trying to find a balance of making the most of the drive without adding on too much extra time - which is where having a solid plan comes in. i don’t mind if the app isn’t free as long as the features are worth it.

I will do anything to avoid Atlanta traffic, how are the other cities on these routes?